Spring data jpa tries to abstract mostly used predefined methdos as much as possible, it hides the boilerplate code and give user a mechanism to create method name in such a way which will eventually be parsed and resolved to created a underlying data base sql query from it.
The core principla of the query builder mechanism is to strips the prefix like find…By, read…By, query…By, count…By, and get…By ect from method name and parse the rest of the name,clause such as Distinct is also condisderd as prefix. The first By is works as a delimiter which indicates that actual criteria has started. multiple entity properties can be concatinated using And and Or.
| Keyword | Sample | JPQL snippet |
|---|---|---|
| findBy | findByAppleName | where a.apple_name= ? |
| And | findByLastnameAndFirstname | … where x.lastname = ?1 and x.firstname = ?2 |
| Or | findByLastnameOrFirstname | … where x.lastname = ?1 or x.firstname = ?2 |
| Is,Equals | findByFirstname, findByFirstnameIs, findByFirstnameEquals | … where x.firstname = ?1 |
| Between | findByStartDateBetween | … where x.startDate between ?1 and ?2 |
| LessThan | findByAgeLessThan | … where x.age < ?1 |
| LessThanEqual | findByAgeLessThanEqual | … where x.age <= ?1 |
| GreaterThan | findByAgeGreaterThan | … where x.age > ?1 |
| GreaterThanEqual | findByAgeGreaterThanEqual | … where x.age >= ?1 |
| After | findByStartDateAfter | … where x.startDate > ?1 |
| Before | findByStartDateBefore | … where x.startDate < ?1 |
| IsNull | findByAgeIsNull | … where x.age is null |
| IsNotNull,NotNull | findByAge(Is)NotNull | … where x.age not null |
| Like | findByFirstnameLike | … where x.firstname like ?1 |
| NotLike | findByFirstnameNotLike | … where x.firstname not like ?1 |
| StartingWith | findByFirstnameStartingWith | … where x.firstname like ?1 (parameter bound with appended %) |
| EndingWith | findByFirstnameEndingWith | … where x.firstname like ?1 (parameter bound with prepended %) |
| Containing | findByFirstnameContaining | … where x.firstname like ?1 (parameter bound wrapped in %) |
| OrderBy | findByAgeOrderByLastnameDesc | … where x.age = ?1 order by x.lastname desc |
| Not | findByLastnameNot | … where x.lastname <> ?1 |
| In | findByAgeIn(Collection<Age> ages) | … where x.age in ?1 |
| NotIn | findByAgeNotIn(Collection<Age> ages) | … where x.age not in ?1 |
| True | findByActiveTrue() | … where x.active = true |
| False | findByActiveFalse() | … where x.active = false |
| IgnoreCase | findByFirstnameIgnoreCase | … where UPPER(x.firstame) = UPPER(?1) |
