@ParentProperty Annotation

The @ParentProperty annotation is used to identify a setter method or field for adding a parent reference to a child object.

This annotation is used by parsers to automatically establish parent-child relationships when parsing nested objects. When a child object is created within a parent object (e.g., in a list or as a property), the parser automatically sets the parent reference on the child.

Requirements

• Must be an instance method or field (not static)
• For methods: Must accept exactly one parameter (the parent object type)
• For fields: Can be any type (typically the parent object type)
• The method or field does not need to be public (will be made accessible automatically)

Usage

Can be applied to:

• Bean setter methods or fields
• @Rest-annotated classes and @RestOp-annotated methods when using the on() parameter

Example

Using a Field

public class AddressBook {
    public List<Person> people;
}

public class Person {
    @ParentProperty
    public AddressBook addressBook;  // Automatically set to containing AddressBook

    public String name;
    public char sex;
}

Using a Setter Method

public class AddressBook {
    public List<Person> people;
}

public class Person {
    private AddressBook parent;

    @ParentProperty
    protected void setParent(AddressBook parent) {
        this.parent = parent;
    }

    public String name;
    public char sex;
}

When It's Called

• During parsing when a child object is created within a parent object
• The parser automatically calls the setter or sets the field with a reference to the parent object
• This allows child objects to navigate back to their parent if needed
• Useful for bidirectional relationships where child objects need access to their parent context