In many cases, you'll want to include building or updating your database in some larger process, such as a build script or installation process. In this recipe, I'll show you how to use this command-line tool to run our hbm2ddl tasks.
Download the latest release of NHibernate Schema Tool from http://nst.codeplex.com/.
To install NHibernate Schema Tool, follow these steps:
- Create a new folder in
C:Program FilesnamedNHibernateSchemaTool. - Copy
nst.exeto the newly created folder. - Add
C:Program FilesNHibernateSchemaToolto yourPATHenvironment variable.
After the installation of the NHibernate Schema Tool, follow these steps:
- Complete the Configuring NHibernate with App.config recipe from the beginning of this chapter.
- Install Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express on your PC, using the default settings.
- Create a blank database named
NHCookbook.
- Add a new file to your project named
hibernate.cfg.xmlwith the following code:<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?> <hibernate-configuration xmlns="urn:nhibernate-configuration-2.2"> <session-factory> <property name="proxyfactory.factory_class"> NHibernate.ByteCode.Castle.ProxyFactoryFactory, NHibernate.ByteCode.Castle </property> <property name="dialect"> NHibernate.Dialect.MsSql2008Dialect, NHibernate </property> <property name="connection.connection_string"> Server=.SQLExpress; Database=NHCookbook; Trusted_Connection=SSPI </property> </session-factory> </hibernate-configuration> - For
hibernate.cfg.xml, on the properties tab, set Copy To Output Directory to Copy Always. - Build your solution.
- Open a command prompt window, and switch to the directory containing your compiled mapping assembly and
hibernate.cfg.xml. - Run the following command:
nst /c:hibernate.cfg.xml /a:Eg.Core.dll /o:Create.
NHibernate Schema Tool is a command-line wrapper for the hbm2ddl tool. This makes NST ideal for use in build scripts and continuous integration servers.
The /c argument specifies the configuration file. It's no mistake that the content of hibernate.cfg.xml is nearly identical to the hibernate-configuration section in the app.config. The /a argument specifies the assembly with our classes and mapping embedded resource files. The /o:Create option tells NHibernate to create our database objects. It also supports Update and Delete.
NST has several options, enabling a number of creative uses. NST supports these command-line options: