Programmatically building Schema objects -- use "ObjectType" or "ObjectTypeDefinition" etc?

[GavinRay97]

I've been programmatically building schemas using GraphQL.newObjectType(), etc:

val schema = GraphQLSchema.newSchema().query(
  GraphQLObjectType.newObject().name("Query").fields() // ...
)

But I see there are a distinction between IE, GraphQLObjectType and GraphQLObjectTypeDefinition (ditto for all other types), and that the -TypeDefinition nodes are the ones used to build TypeRegistry.

What's the difference between these two, and which should I be using to dynamically generate schemas programmatically?

Thank you =)

[bbakerman]

We have 2 phases in the definition of schema. The raw Abtract Syntax Tree objects are created by the parser during textual analysis.

type Foo implements Bar {
   f : String
}

The above SDL text would result in a parsed graphql.language.ObjectTypeDefinition, which is the AST elements for that object type. Its valid syntax but its and invalid schema (since there is no Query type not does the interface Bar exist.)

The second phase involves graphql.schema.idl.SchemaGenerator taking that TypeRegistry of parsed AST elements and make a valid GraphqlSchema full of runtime elements like graphql.schema.GraphQLObjectType and so on. These are validated and turned into singleton objects with type references (circular references) resolved.

[bbakerman]

If you make a schema programmatically - then you don't need AST elements - you just need raphql.schema.GraphQXXXX classes

[GavinRay97]

Ahh understood, thank you!

So if I am interpreting this right, what I want to do is something like this?
(Assuming that the GraphQLSchema is being generated in another function that doesn't add code-registry datafetchers)

GraphQLSchema.Builder schemaBuilder = GraphQLSchema.newSchema();

schemaBuilder.query(GraphQLObjectType.newObject()
        .name("Query")
        .field(GraphQLFieldDefinition.newFieldDefinition()
                .name("sayHello")
                .type(Scalars.GraphQLString)
                .argument(GraphQLArgument.newArgument()
                        .name("name")
                        .type(Scalars.GraphQLString)
                        .build())
        )
        .build());

GraphQLSchema schema = schemaBuilder.build();
schema.transform(builder -> {
    GraphQLCodeRegistry.Builder codeRegistryBuilder = GraphQLCodeRegistry.newCodeRegistry();

    codeRegistryBuilder
            .dataFetcher(
                    FieldCoordinates.coordinates("Query", "sayHello"),
                    (DataFetcher<String>) environment -> "Hello " + environment.getArgument("name")
            )
            .build();
});

[bbakerman]

Yes - but you can build the GraphQLCodeRegistry at the same time as the schema - no need for the schema.transform

Have a look at https://www.graphql-java.com/documentation/schema

[GavinRay97]

Got it -- thank you =)