# The Java EE 7 Tutorial

# 40.2 Using the Metamodel API to Model Entity Classes

Use the Metamodel API to create a metamodel of the managed entities in a particular persistence unit. For each entity class in a particular package, a metamodel class is created with a trailing underscore and with attributes that correspond to the persistent fields or properties of the entity class.

The following entity class, `com.example.Pet`, has four persistent fields: `id`, `name`, `color`, and `owners`:

    package com.example;
    ...
    @Entity
    public class Pet {
        @Id
        protected Long id;
        protected String name;
        protected String color;
        @ManyToOne
        protected Set<Person> owners;
        ...
    }

The corresponding Metamodel class is as follows:

    package com.example;
    ...
    @Static Metamodel(Pet.class)
    public class Pet_ {

        public static volatile SingularAttribute<Pet, Long> id;
        public static volatile SingularAttribute<Pet, String> name;
        public static volatile SingularAttribute<Pet, String> color;
        public static volatile SetAttribute<Pet, Person> owners;
    }

Criteria queries use the metamodel class and its attributes to refer to the managed entity classes and their persistent state and relationships.

## 40.2.1 Using Metamodel Classes

Metamodel classes that correspond to entity classes are of the following type:

    javax.persistence.metamodel.EntityType<T>

Annotation processors typically generate metamodel classes either at development time or at runtime. Developers of applications that use Criteria queries may do either of the following:

- Generate static metamodel classes by using the persistence provider's annotation processor

- Obtain the metamodel class by doing one of the following:

  - Call the `getModel` method on the query root object

  - Obtain an instance of the `Metamodel` interface and then pass the entity type to the instance's `entity` method

The following code snippet shows how to obtain the `Pet` entity's metamodel class by calling `Root<T>.getModel`:

    EntityManager em = ...;
    CriteriaBuilder cb = em.getCriteriaBuilder();
    CriteriaQuery cq = cb.createQuery(Pet.class);
    Root<Pet> pet = cq.from(Pet.class);
    EntityType<Pet> Pet_ = pet.getModel();

The following code snippet shows how to obtain the `Pet` entity's metamodel class by first obtaining a metamodel instance by using `EntityManager.getMetamodel` and then calling `entity` on the metamodel instance:

    EntityManager em = ...;
    Metamodel m = em.getMetamodel();
    EntityType<Pet> Pet_ = m.entity(Pet.class);

Note: The most common use case is to generate typesafe static metamodel classes at development time. Obtaining the metamodel classes dynamically, by calling `Root<T>.getModel` or `EntityManager.getMetamodel` and then the `entity` method, doesn't allow for type safety and doesn't allow the application to call persistent field or property names on the metamodel class.