EReference

struct EReference

Overview

References represent relationships between classes, pointing to other model objects. They enable navigation between instances and can define both simple associations and complex containment hierarchies.

Example

let managerRef = EReference(
    name: "manager",
    eType: personClass,
    containment: false,
    lowerBound: 1  // Required reference
)

Containment

References can be either:

• Containment (containment: true): Defines parent-child ownership

• Non-containment (containment: false): Defines associations

Containment references create a tree structure where children are owned by their parent and deleted when the parent is deleted.

Bidirectional References

References can have an opposite reference creating bidirectional navigation. The opposite is stored as a UUID (ID-based reference) and resolved through the Resource pattern when needed.

Example: Bidirectional Reference

let booksRef = EReference(
    name: "books",
    eType: bookClass,
    upperBound: -1
)

let authorsRef = EReference(
    name: "authors",
    eType: writerClass,
    upperBound: -1,
    opposite: booksRef.id  // ID-based opposite
)