Difference between @Size, @Length and @Column(length=value) when using JPA and Hibernate
What is the difference between the validation check of the following three fields?
@Entity
public class MyEntity {
@Column(name = "MY_FIELD_1", length=13)
private String myField1;
@Column(name = "MY_FIELD_2")
@Size(min = 13, max = 13)
private String myField2;
@Column(name = "MY_FIELD_3")
@Length(min = 13, max = 13)
private String myField3;
// getter & setter
}
I read that the first one has to do with DDL stuff. The second is for bean-validation. The third is for hibernate-validation.
Is that correct? What I still don't understand is: When do I have to use which one? When does one of these annotations trigger?
Edit: Think of the following situation: Given the requirement to develope an entity with a field of type string with length 13. Which of above mentioned methods would you choose? Or even better: Which questions do you have to ask yourself to find out which one suits your purposes?
Solution 1:
-
@Column
is a JPA annotation and thelength
attribute is used by the schema generation tool to set the associated SQL column length. -
@Size
is a Bean Validation annotation that validates that the associated String has a value whose length is bounded by the minimum and maximum values. -
@Length
is a Hibernate-specific annotation and has the same meaning as@Size
So both 2.
and 3.
should validate the String
length using Bean Validation. I'd pick 2.
because it's generic.