Implementing Any Other Business Logic

This section’s earlier local service articles focus on CRUD methods: methods that create (add), read (get), update, and delete entities. But you might also need methods that provide business logic.

Since the Guestbook application doesn’t have any business logic, the Bookmarks application, which is extremely similar, (Bookmark Folders and Bookmark entries instead of Guestbooks and Guestbook entries) is used here to illustrate simple business logic. Bookmarks application users open bookmarks (navigate to a URLs) by clicking on them. BookmarksEntryLocalServiceImpl’s openEntry method supports this functionality:

public BookmarksEntry openEntry(long userId, BookmarksEntry entry) {
    entry.setVisits(entry.getVisits() + 1);

    bookmarksEntryPersistence.update(entry);

    assetEntryLocalService.incrementViewCounter(
        userId, BookmarksEntry.class.getName(), entry.getEntryId(), 1);

    return entry;
}

The openEntry method tracks and persists the number of visits to the BookmarksEntry’s URL, increments the number of views for the BookmarksEntry as an asset, and returns the BookmarksEntry. This method implements required business logic that compliments the CRUD methods.

Convenience methods might also be appropriate for your app. They’re easier to use because they typically have these characteristics:

  • Shorter parameter list
  • Intuitive name

Short parameter lists are easier to satisfy, and methods that have intuitive names are easier to find in Javadoc.

For example, the Bookmarks application lets users move bookmarks to different folders. Moving a bookmark can be done using the service’s updateEntry(...) method, but its long parameter list is overkill since all the operation requires is the bookmarks entry and the folder where it’s going. Compare the following update* method call to a convenience method call.

Update method:

bookmarksEntryLocalService.updateEntry(userId, entryId, groupId, folderId, name, url, description, serviceContext);

Convenience method:

bookmarksEntryLocalService.moveEntry(entryId, folderId);

Here’s the moveEntry method:

public BookmarksEntry moveEntry(long entryId, long parentFolderId)
    throws PortalException {

    BookmarksEntry entry = getBookmarksEntry(entryId);

    entry.setFolderId(parentFolderId);
    entry.setTreePath(entry.buildTreePath());

    bookmarksEntryPersistence.update(entry);

    return entry;
}

The moveEntry method retrieves the BookmarksEntry entity by its ID, assigns it a new parent folder, updates its tree path, persists all the entity’s changes, and returns the entity. Convenience methods like this one facilitate updating a subset of the entity’s attributes.

After implementing your custom business methods, run Service Builder to propagate them to the interface.

In your local services, you can implement business logic methods that suit your application.

Related Topics

Creating Local Services

Invoking Local Services

Invoking Services from Spring Service Builder Code

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