Creating Content Beans

Overview

To expose custom document types in your site, you must wrap the corresponding JCR nodes in a HippoBean object. A content bean is a lightweight Java object (POJO) that represents a JCR node. During a request, you can access the content bean for the current page using:

HstRequestContext ctx = RequestContextProvider.get();
ctx.getContentBean()

For details on the request context, see the HstRequestContext documentation.

By default (as of version 13.2.0), Bloomreach Content dynamically generates content bean classes at runtime for document types created with the Document Type Editor. You can also generate these classes using the Beanwriter tool in the Essentials setup application. In some cases, you may need to customize the generated class or create one manually.

Mapping a Content Bean to a Document Type

To map a content bean to a JCR node type, annotate the class with org.hippoecm.hst.content.beans.Node and specify the jcrType parameter:

@Node(jcrType="myproject:textdocument")
public class TextDocument extends HippoDocument { ... }

Refer to Automatic Scanning for instructions on enabling classpath scanning for content bean classes.

Mapping Primitive Fields

To expose JCR node properties in components and templates, implement getter methods in your bean. The return type of each getter must match the property's type.

Example getter for a string property:

public String getTitle() {
    return getSingleProperty("myproject:title");
}

The following table lists primitive CMS fields, their JCR property types, and the corresponding Java types:

Primitive CMS field	JCR property type	Java types	Remarks
Boolean	Boolean	boolean
String, Text, Label	String	java.lang.String	The Text field provides a multi-line input in the CMS.
Date, CalendarDate	Date	java.util.Calendar
Decimal Number	Double	double
Integer Number	Long	long
Docbase	String	java.lang.String	Stores the JCR UUID of the selected document as a string.
Formatted text	String	java.lang.String	Use the `formattedText` attribute of the `<hst:html />` tag in your template.
Password	String	java.lang.String	This field only hides input in the CMS UI. The value is not encrypted in storage.

Mapping Compound Fields

Compound fields in document types are stored as child nodes in JCR. The getter method in your bean should return the appropriate bean type that represents the child node.

Examples of getters for compound fields:

public HippoBean getRelatedDocument() {
    return getLinkedBean("myproject:relateddocument", HippoBean.class);
}

public List<HippoGalleryImageSet> getImages() {
    return getLinkedBeans("myproject:images", HippoGalleryImageSet.class);
}

public HippoHtml getDescription() {
    return getHippoHtml("myproject:description");
}

For custom compound types, implement your own bean classes. For standard compounds provided by Bloomreach, use the following mappings:

CMS Compound field	JCR node type	Matching Bean type	Remarks
Rich Text Editor	hippostd:html	org.hippoecm.hst.content.beans.standard.HippoHtml	Use the `<hst:html />` tag in your template.
imagelink	hippogallerypicker:imagelink	org.hippoecm.hst.content.beans.standard.HippoGalleryImageSetBean	Use `HippoItem#getLinkedBean` to retrieve the target bean. Use `#getBean` to access the child node containing the link.
Resource	hippo:resource	org.hippoecm.hst.content.beans.standard.HippoResourceBean
Link	hippo:mirror	org.hippoecm.hst.content.beans.standard.HippoMirror

Preventing Beanwriter from Modifying Custom Methods

You can use the Beanwriter to generate new bean classes or methods for new fields, even if you have custom content bean classes. To prevent the Beanwriter from modifying existing methods in your beans:

Annotate the method with @HippoEssentialsGenerated.
Set the internalName parameter to the JCR property name.
Set the allowModifications parameter to false.

Example:

@HippoEssentialsGenerated(internalName = "myproject:title", allowModifications = false)
public String getTitle() {
    return getSingleProperty("myproject:title");
}

To prevent modifications to the entire bean class, update the class-level annotation with the same parameters.

Persistence Support

By default, content beans are read-only and only provide getter methods. If you need to persist content submitted by site visitors, implement setter methods and the [org.hippoecm.hst.content.beans.ContentNodeBinder](/build/component-development/hstcomponent-persistable-annotation-and-workflow) interface in your content bean. This enables persistence for the bean.