In this chapter a reference of every Doctrine 2 Annotation is given with short explanations on their context and usage. ++ Index * [@Column](#ann_column) * [@ChangeTrackingPolicy](#ann_changetrackingpolicy) * [@DiscriminatorColumn](#ann_discriminatorcolumn) * [@DiscriminatorMap](#ann_discriminatormap) * [@Entity](#ann_entity) * [@GeneratedValue](#ann_generatedvalue) * [@HasLifecycleCallbacks](#ann_haslifecyclecallbacks) * [@Index](#ann_indexes) * [@Id](#ann_id) * [@InheritanceType](#ann_inheritancetype) * [@JoinColumn](#ann_joincolumn) * [@JoinTable](#ann_jointable) * [@ManyToOne](#ann_manytoone) * [@ManyToMany](#ann_manytomany) * [@MappedSuperclass](#ann_mappedsuperclass) * [@OneToOne](#ann_onetoone) * [@OneToMany](#ann_onetomany) * [@OrderBy](#ann_orderby) * [@PostLoad](#ann_postload) * [@PostPersist](#ann_postpersist) * [@PostRemove](#ann_postremove) * [@PostUpdate](#ann_postupdate) * [@PrePersist](#ann_prepersist) * [@PreRemove](#ann_preremove) * [@PreUpdate](#ann_preupdate) * [@SequenceGenerator](#ann_sequencegenerator) * [@Table](#ann_table) * [@UniqueConstraint](#ann_uniqueconstraint) * [@Version](#ann_version) ++ Reference +++ @Column Marks an annotated instance variable as "persistent". It has to be inside the instance variables PHP DocBlock comment. Any value hold inside this variable will be saved to and loaded from the database as part of the lifecycle of the instance variables entity-class. Required attributes: * type - Name of the Doctrine Type which is converted between PHP and Database representation. Optional attributes: * name - By default the property name is used for the database column name also, however the 'name' attribute allows you to determine the column name. * length - Used by the "string" type to determine its maximum length in the database. Doctrine does not validate the length of a string values for you. * precision - The precision for a decimal (exact numeric) column (Applies only for decimal column) * scale - The scale for a decimal (exact numeric) column (Applies only for decimal column) * unique - Boolean value to determine if the value of the column should be unique across all rows of the underlying entities table. * nullable - Determines if NULL values allowed for this column. * columnDefinition - DDL SQL snippet that starts after the column name and specifies the complete (non-portable!) column definition. This attribute allows to make use of advanced RMDBS features. However you should make careful use of this feature and the consequences. Additionally you should remember that the "type" attribute still handles the conversion between PHP and Database values. If you use this attribute on a column that is used for joins between tables you should also take a look at [@JoinColumn](#ann_joincolumn). Examples: [php] /** * @Column(type="string", length=32, unique=true, nullable=false) */ protected $username; /** * @Column(type="string", columnDefinition="CHAR(2) NOT NULL") */ protected $country; /** * @Column(type="decimal", precision=2, scale=1) */ protected $height; +++ @ChangeTrackingPolicy The Change Tracking Policy annotation allows to specify how the Doctrine 2 UnitOfWork should detect changes in properties of entities during flush. By default each entity is checked according to a deferred implicit strategy, which means upon flush UnitOfWork compares all the properties of an entity to a previously stored snapshot. This works out of the box, however you might want to tweak the flush performance where using another change tracking policy is an interesting option. The [details on all the available change tracking policies](/../configuration#change-tracking-policies) can be found in the configuration section. Example: [php] /** * @Entity * @ChangeTrackingPolicy("DEFERRED_IMPLICIT") * @ChangeTrackingPolicy("DEFERRED_EXPLICIT") * @ChangeTrackingPolicy("NOTIFY") */ class User {} +++ @DiscrimnatorColumn This annotation is a required annotation for the topmost/super class of an inheritance hierarchy. It specifies the details of the column which saves the name of the class, which the entity is actually instantiated as. Required attributes: * name - The column name of the discriminator. This name is also used during Array hydration as key to specify the class-name. Optional attributes: * type - By default this is string. * length - By default this is 255. +++ @DiscriminatorMap The discriminator map is a required annotation on the top-most/super class in an inheritance hierarchy. It takes an array as only argument which defines which class should be saved under which name in the database. Keys are the database value and values are the classes, either as fully- or as unqualified class names depending if the classes are in the namespace or not. [php] /** * @Entity * @InheritanceType("JOINED") * @DiscriminatorColumn(name="discr", type="string") * @DiscriminatorMap({"person" = "Person", "employee" = "Employee"}) */ class Person { // ... } +++ @Entity Required annotation to mark a PHP class as Entity. Doctrine manages the persistence of all classes marked as entity. Optional attributes: * repositoryClass - Specifies the FQCN of a subclass of the Doctrine\ORM\EntityRepository. Use of repositories for entities is encouraged to keep specialized DQL and SQL operations separated from the Model/Domain Layer. Example: [php] /** * @Entity(repositoryClass="MyProject\UserRepository") */ class User { //... } +++ @GeneratedValue Specifies which strategy is used for identifier generation for an instance variable which is annotated by [@Id](#ann_id). This annotation is optional and only has meaning when used in conjunction with @Id. If this annotation is not specified with @Id the NONE strategy is used as default. Required attributes: * strategy - Set the name of the identifier generation strategy. Valid values are AUTO, SEQUENCE, TABLE, IDENTITY and NONE. Example: [php] /** * @Id * @Column(type="integer") * @generatedValue(strategy="IDENTITY") */ protected $id = null; +++ @HasLifecycleCallbacks Annotation which has to be set on the entity-class PHP DocBlock to notify Doctrine that this entity has entity life-cycle callback annotations set on at least one of its methods. Using @PostLoad, @PrePersist, @PostPersist, @PreRemove, @PostRemove, @PreUpdate or @PostUpdate without this marker annotation will make Doctrine ignore the callbacks. Example: [php] /** * @Entity * @HasLifecycleCallbacks */ class User { /** * @PostPersist */ public function sendOptinMail() {} } +++ @Index Annotation is used inside the [@Table](#ann_table) annotation on the entity-class level. It allows to hint the SchemaTool to generate a database index on the specified table columns. It only has meaning in the SchemaTool schema generation context. Required attributes: * name - Name of the Index * columns - Array of columns. Example: [php] /** * @Entity * @Table(name="ecommerce_products",indexes={@index(name="search_idx", columns={"name", "email"})}) */ class ECommerceProduct { } +++ @Id The annotated instance variable will be marked as entity identifier, the primary key in the database. This annotation is a marker only and has no required or optional attributes. For entities that have multiple identifier columns each column has to be marked with @Id. Example: [php] /** * @Id * @Column(type="integer") */ protected $id = null; +++ @InheritanceType In an inheritance hierarchy you have to use this annotation on the topmost/super class to define which strategy should be used for inheritance. Currently Single Table and Class Table Inheritance are supported. This annotation has always been used in conjunction with the [@DiscriminatorMap](#ann_discriminatormap) and [@DiscriminatorColumn](#ann_discriminatorcolumn) annotations. Examples: [php] /** * @Entity * @InheritanceType("SINGLE_TABLE") * @DiscriminatorColumn(name="discr", type="string") * @DiscriminatorMap({"person" = "Person", "employee" = "Employee"}) */ class Person { // ... } /** * @Entity * @InheritanceType("JOINED") * @DiscriminatorColumn(name="discr", type="string") * @DiscriminatorMap({"person" = "Person", "employee" = "Employee"}) */ class Person { // ... } +++ @JoinColumn This annotation is used in the context of relations in [@ManyToOne](#ann_manytoone), [@OneToOne](#ann_onetoone) fields and in the Context of [@JoinTable](#ann_jointable) nested inside a @ManyToMany. This annotation is not required. If its not specified the attributes *name* and *referencedColumnName* are inferred from the table and primary key names. Required attributes: * name - Column name that holds the foreign key identifier for this relation. In the context of @JoinTable it specifies the column name in the join table. * referencedColumnName - Name of the primary key identifier that is used for joining of this relation. Optional attributes: * unique - Determines if this relation exclusive between the affected entities and should be enforced so on the database constraint level. Defaults to false. * nullable - Determine if the related entity is required, or if null is an allowed state for the relation. Defaults to true. * onDelete - Cascade Action (Database-level) * onUpdate - Cascade Action (Database-level) * columnDefinition - DDL SQL snippet that starts after the column name and specifies the complete (non-portable!) column definition. This attribute allows to make use of advanced RMDBS features. Using this attribute on @JoinColumn is necessary if you need slightly different column definitions for joining columns, for example regarding NULL/NOT NULL defaults. However by default a "columnDefinition" attribute on [@Column](#ann_column) also sets the related @JoinColumn's columnDefinition. This is necessary to make foreign keys work. Example: [php] /** * @OneToOne(targetEntity="Customer") * @JoinColumn(name="customer_id", referencedColumnName="id") */ private $customer; +++ @JoinColumns An array of @JoinColumn annotations for a [@ManyToOne](#ann_manytoone) or [@OneToOne](#ann_onetoone) relation with an entity that has multiple identifiers. +++ @JoinTable Using [@OneToMany](#ann_onetomany) or [@ManyToMany](#ann_manytomany) on the owning side of the relation requires to specify the @JoinTable annotation which describes the details of the database join table. If you do not specify @JoinTable on these relations reasonable mapping defaults apply using the affected table and the column names. Required attributes: * name - Database name of the join-table * joinColumns - An array of @JoinColumn annotations describing the join-relation between the owning entities table and the join table. * inverseJoinColumns - An array of @JoinColumn annotations describing the join-relation between the inverse entities table and the join table. Optional attributes: * schema - Database schema name of this table. Example: [php] /** * @ManyToMany(targetEntity="Phonenumber") * @JoinTable(name="users_phonenumbers", * joinColumns={@JoinColumn(name="user_id", referencedColumnName="id")}, * inverseJoinColumns={@JoinColumn(name="phonenumber_id", referencedColumnName="id", unique=true)} * ) */ public $phonenumbers; +++ @ManyToOne Defines that the annotated instance variable holds a reference that describes a many-to-one relationship between two entities. Required attributes: * targetEntity - FQCN of the referenced target entity. Can be the unqualified class name if both classes are in the same namespace. *IMPORTANT:* No leading backslash! Optional attributes: * cascade - Cascade Option * fetch - One of LAZY or EAGER * inversedBy - The inversedBy attribute designates the field in the entity that is the inverse side of the relationship. Example: [php] /** * @ManyToOne(targetEntity="Cart", cascade={"ALL"}, fetch="EAGER") */ private $cart; +++ @ManyToMany Defines an instance variable holds a many-to-many relationship between two entities. [@JoinTable](#ann_jointable) is an additional, optional annotation that has reasonable default configuration values using the table and names of the two related entities. Required attributes: * targetEntity - FQCN of the referenced target entity. Can be the unqualified class name if both classes are in the same namespace. *IMPORTANT:* No leading backslash! Optional attributes: * mappedBy - This option specifies the property name on the targetEntity that is the owning side of this relation. Its a required attribute for the inverse side of a relationship. * inversedBy - The inversedBy attribute designates the field in the entity that is the inverse side of the relationship. * cascade - Cascade Option * fetch - One of LAZY or EAGER > **NOTE** > For ManyToMany bidirectional relationships either side may be the owning side (the side > that defines the @JoinTable and/or does not make use of the mappedBy attribute, thus > using a default join table). Example: [php] /** * Owning Side * * @ManyToMany(targetEntity="Group", inversedBy="features") * @JoinTable(name="user_groups", * joinColumns={@JoinColumn(name="user_id", referencedColumnName="id")}, * inverseJoinColumns={@JoinColumn(name="group_id", referencedColumnName="id")} * ) */ private $groups; /** * Inverse Side * * @ManyToMany(targetEntity="User", mappedBy="groups") */ private $features; +++ @MappedSuperclass An mapped superclass is an abstract or concrete class that provides persistent entity state and mapping information for its subclasses, but which is not itself an entity. This annotation is specified on the Class docblock and has no additional attributes. The @MappedSuperclass annotation cannot be used in conjunction with @Entity. See the Inheritance Mapping section for [more details on the restrictions of mapped superclasses](/../inheritance-mapping#mapped-superclasses). +++ @OneToOne The @OneToOne annotation works almost exactly as the [@ManyToOne](#ann_manytoone) with one additional option that can be specified. The configuration defaults for [@JoinColumn](#ann_joincolumn) using the target entity table and primary key column names apply here too. Required attributes: * targetEntity - FQCN of the referenced target entity. Can be the unqualified class name if both classes are in the same namespace. *IMPORTANT:* No leading backslash! Optional attributes: * cascade - Cascade Option * fetch - One of LAZY or EAGER * orphanRemoval - Boolean that specifies if orphans, inverse OneToOne entities that are not connected to any owning instance, should be removed by Doctrine. Defaults to false. * inversedBy - The inversedBy attribute designates the field in the entity that is the inverse side of the relationship. Example: [php] /** * @OneToOne(targetEntity="Customer") * @JoinColumn(name="customer_id", referencedColumnName="id") */ private $customer; +++ @OneToMany Required attributes: * targetEntity - FQCN of the referenced target entity. Can be the unqualified class name if both classes are in the same namespace. *IMPORTANT:* No leading backslash! Optional attributes: * cascade - Cascade Option * orphanRemoval - Boolean that specifies if orphans, inverse OneToOne entities that are not connected to any owning instance, should be removed by Doctrine. Defaults to false. * mappedBy - This option specifies the property name on the targetEntity that is the owning side of this relation. Its a required attribute for the inverse side of a relationship. Example: [php] /** * @OneToMany(targetEntity="Phonenumber", mappedBy="user", cascade={"persist", "remove", "merge"}, orphanRemoval=true) */ public $phonenumbers; +++ @OrderBy Optional annotation that can be specified with a [@ManyToMany](#ann_manytomany) or [@OneToMany](#ann_onetomany) annotation to specify by which criteria the collection should be retrieved from the database by using an ORDER BY clause. This annotation requires a single non-attributed value with an DQL snippet: Example: [php] /** * @ManyToMany(targetEntity="Group") * @OrderBy({"name" = "ASC"}) */ private $groups; The DQL Snippet in OrderBy is only allowed to consist of unqualified, unquoted field names and of an optional ASC/DESC positional statement. Multiple Fields are separated by a comma (,). The referenced field names have to exist on the `targetEntity` class of the `@ManyToMany` or `@OneToMany` annotation. +++ @PostLoad Marks a method on the entity to be called as a @PostLoad event. Only works with @HasLifecycleCallbacks in the entity class PHP DocBlock. +++ @PostPersist Marks a method on the entity to be called as a @PostPersist event. Only works with @HasLifecycleCallbacks in the entity class PHP DocBlock. +++ @PostRemove Marks a method on the entity to be called as a @PostRemove event. Only works with @HasLifecycleCallbacks in the entity class PHP DocBlock. +++ @PostUpdate Marks a method on the entity to be called as a @PostUpdate event. Only works with @HasLifecycleCallbacks in the entity class PHP DocBlock. +++ @PrePersist Marks a method on the entity to be called as a @PrePersist event. Only works with @HasLifecycleCallbacks in the entity class PHP DocBlock. +++ @PreRemove Marks a method on the entity to be called as a @PreRemove event. Only works with @HasLifecycleCallbacks in the entity class PHP DocBlock. +++ @PreUpdate Marks a method on the entity to be called as a @PreUpdate event. Only works with @HasLifecycleCallbacks in the entity class PHP DocBlock. +++ @SequenceGenerator For the use with @generatedValue(strategy="SEQUENCE") this annotation allows to specify details about the sequence, such as the increment size and initial values of the sequence. Required attributes: * sequenceName - Name of the sequence Optional attributes: * allocationSize - Increment the sequence by the allocation size when its fetched. A value larger than 1 allows to optimize for scenarios where you create more than one new entity per request. Defaults to 10 * initialValue - Where does the sequence start, defaults to 1. Example: [php] /** * @Id * @GeneratedValue(strategy="SEQUENCE") * @Column(type="integer") * @SequenceGenerator(sequenceName="tablename_seq", initialValue=1, allocationSize=100) */ protected $id = null; +++ @Table Annotation describes the table an entity is persisted in. It is placed on the entity-class PHP DocBlock and is optional. If it is not specified the table name will default to the entities unqualified classname. Required attributes: * name - Name of the table Optional attributes: * schema - Database schema name of this table. * indexes - Array of @Index annotations * uniqueConstraints - Array of @UniqueConstraint annotations. Example: [php] /** * @Entity * @Table(name="user", * uniqueConstraints={@UniqueConstraint(name="user_unique",columns={"username"})}, * indexes={@Index(name="user_idx", columns={"email"})} * ) */ class User { } +++ @UniqueConstraint Annotation is used inside the [@Table](#ann_table) annotation on the entity-class level. It allows to hint the SchemaTool to generate a database unique constraint on the specified table columns. It only has meaning in the SchemaTool schema generation context. Required attributes: * name - Name of the Index * columns - Array of columns. Example: [php] /** * @Entity * @Table(name="ecommerce_products",uniqueConstraints={@UniqueConstraint(name="search_idx", columns={"name", "email"})}) */ class ECommerceProduct { } +++ @Version Marker annotation that defines a specified column as version attribute used in an optimistic locking scenario. It only works on [@Column](#ann_column) annotations that have the type integer or datetime. Example: [php] /** * @column(type="integer") * @version */ protected $version;