#1057 documentation for Controlling forged name based bean mapping from root level with @Mapping

documentation/src/main/asciidoc/controlling-nested-bean-mappings.asciidoc

@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+[[controlling-nested-bean-mappings]]
+=== Controlling nested bean mappings
+
+As explained above, MapStruct will generate a method based on the name of the source and target property. Unfortunately, in many occasions these names do not match.
+
+The ‘.’ notation in an `@Mapping` source or target type can be used to control how properties should be mapped when names do not match.
+There is an elaborate https://github.com/mapstruct/mapstruct-examples/tree/master/mapstruct-nested-bean-mappings[example] in our examples repository to explain how this problem can be overcome.
+
+In the simplest scenario there’s a property on a nested level that needs to be corrected.
+Take for instance a property `fish` which has an identical name in `FishTankDto` and `FishTank`.
+For this property MapStruct automatically generates a mapping: `FishDto fishToFishDto(Fish fish)`.
+MapStruct cannot possibly be aware of the deviating properties `kind` and `type`.
+Therefore this can be addressed in a mapping rule: `@Mapping(target="fish.kind", source="fish.type")`.
+This tells MapStruct to deviate from looking for a name `kind` at this level and map it to `type`.
+
+.Mapper controlling nested beans mappings I
+====
+[source, java, linenums]
+[subs="verbatim,attributes"]
+----
+@Mapper
+public interface FishTankMapper {
+
+    @Mappings({
+        @Mapping(target = "fish.kind", source = "fish.type"),
+        @Mapping(target = "fish.name", ignore = true),
+        @Mapping(target = "ornament", source = "interior.ornament"),
+        @Mapping(target = "material.materialType", source = "material"),
+        @Mapping(target = "quality.report.organisation.name", source = "quality.report.organisationName")
+    })
+    FishTankDto map( FishTank source );
+}
+----
+====
+
+The same constructs can be used to ignore certain properties at a nesting level, as is demonstrated in the second `@Mapping` rule.
+
+MapStruct can even be used to “cherry pick” properties when source and target do not share the same nesting level (the same number of properties).
+This can be done in the source – and in the target type. This is demonstrated in the next 2 rules: `@Mapping(target="ornament", source="interior.ornament")` and `@Mapping(target="material.materialType", source="material")`.
+
+The latter can even be done when mappings first share a common base.
+For example: all properties that share the same name of `Quality` are mapped to `QualityDto`.
+Likewise, all properties of `Report` are mapped to `ReportDto`, with one exception: `organisation` in `OrganisationDto` is left empty (since there is no organization at the source level).
+Only the `name` is populated with the `organisationName` from `Report`.
+This is demonstrated in `@Mapping(target="quality.report.organisation.name", source="quality.report.organisationName")`
+
+Coming back to the original example: what if `kind` and `type` would be beans themselves?
+In that case MapStruct would again generate a method continuing to map.
+Such is demonstrated in the next example:
+
+
+.Mapper controlling nested beans mappings II
+====
+[source, java, linenums]
+[subs="verbatim,attributes"]
+----
+@Mapper
+public interface FishTankMapperWithDocument {
+
+    @Mappings({
+        @Mapping(target = "fish.kind", source = "fish.type"),
+        @Mapping(target = "fish.name", expression = "java(\"Jaws\")"),
+        @Mapping(target = "plant", ignore = true ),
+        @Mapping(target = "ornament", ignore = true ),
+        @Mapping(target = "material", ignore = true),
+        @Mapping(target = "quality.document", source = "quality.report"),
+        @Mapping(target = "quality.document.organisation.name", constant = "NoIdeaInc" )
+    })
+    FishTankWithNestedDocumentDto map( FishTank source );
+
+}
+----
+====
+
+Note what happens in `@Mapping(target="quality.document", source="quality.report")`.
+`DocumentDto` does not exist as such on the target side. It is mapped from `Report`.
+MapStruct continues to generate mapping code here. That mapping it self can be guided towards another name.
+This even works for constants and expression. Which is shown in the final example: `@Mapping(target="quality.document.organisation.name", constant="NoIdeaInc")`.
+
+MapStruct will perform a null check on each nested property in the source.
+
+[TIP]
+====
+Instead of configuring everything via the parent method we encourage users to explicitly write their own nested methods.
+This puts the configuration of the nested mapping into one place (method) where it can be reused from several methods in the upper level,
+instead of re-configuring the same things on all of those upper methods.
+====

documentation/src/main/asciidoc/mapstruct-reference-guide.asciidoc

@@ -466,36 +466,26 @@ Specifying the parameter in which the property resides is mandatory when using t
 Mapping methods with several source parameters will return `null` in case all the source parameters are `null`. Otherwise the target object will be instantiated and all properties from the provided parameters will be propagated.
 ====
 
-[[nested-mappings]]
-=== Nested mappings
+MapStruct also offers the possibility to directly refer to a source parameter. 
 
-MapStruct will handle nested mappings (in source), by means of the `.` notation:
-
-.Mapping method with several source parameters
+.Mapping method directly referring to a source parameter
 ====
 [source, java, linenums]
 [subs="verbatim,attributes"]
 ----
-@Mappings({
-    @Mapping(target = "chartName", source = "chart.name"),
-    @Mapping(target = "title", source = "song.title"),
-    @Mapping(target = "artistName", source = "song.artist.name"),
-    @Mapping(target = "recordedAt", source = "song.artist.label.studio.name"),
-    @Mapping(target = "city", source = "song.artist.label.studio.city"),
-    @Mapping(target = "position", source = "position")
-})
-ChartEntry map(Chart chart, Song song, Integer position);
+@Mapper
+public interface AddressMapper {
+
+    @Mappings({
+        @Mapping(source = "person.description", target = "description"),
+        @Mapping(source = "hn", target = "houseNumber")
+    })
+    DeliveryAddressDto personAndAddressToDeliveryAddressDto(Person person, Integer hn);
+}
 ----
 ====
 
-Note: the parameter name (`chart`, `song`, `position`) is required, since there are several source parameters in the mapping. If there's only one source parameter, the parameter name can be ommited.
-
-MapStruct will perform a null check on each nested property in the source.
-
-[TIP]
-====
-Also non java bean source parameters (like the `java.lang.Integer`) can be mapped in this fashion.
-====
+In this case the source parameter is directly mapped into the target as the example above demonstrates. The parameter `hn`, a non bean type (in this case `java.lang.Integer`) is mapped to `houseNumber`.
 
 [[updating-bean-instances]]
 === Updating existing bean instances
@@ -827,6 +817,8 @@ When generating the implementation of a mapping method, MapStruct will apply the
 * If no such method was found MapStruct will try to generate an internal method that will do the mapping between the source and target attributes
 * If MapStruct could not create a name based mapping method an error will be raised at build time, indicating the non-mappable attribute and its path.
 
+include::controlling-nested-bean-mappings.asciidoc[]
+
 [[invoking-other-mappers]]
 === Invoking other mappers