I have setup a domain project which is being populated with an ORM. The domain contains of different aggregates each with its own root object. My question is how properties that cross the aggregate boundries should be treated?
An example:
Context A = Users
Context B = Games
Inside the Users
context there is an object UserOwnedGames
. This object has a property User
which is a reference to an object in the same Users
context. The object also has a property to a Game
which is obviously not in the Users but rather in the Games
context.
How would (or should?) this relation look like? It's clear in the database (ie 2 foreign keys) but what should the code look like?
It sounds like your User
context also needs a Game
entity. Note however that this is not necessarily the same Game
entity which is the root of the Game
context. These two bounded contexts may have different ideas of what a Game
is, and what properties it has. Only the identity ties the two Game objects together.
User Context
{
Aggregate Root User
{
Identity;
Name;
OwnedGames : List of Game value entities
}
Value Entity Game
{
Identity;
Name;
}
}
Game Context
{
Aggregate Root Game
{
Identity;
Name;
Owner : User value entity
HighScore : int
TimesPlayed : int
... A whole bunch of other properties which are not relevant in the User context
}
Value Entity User
{
Identity;
Name;
// No OwnedGames property, in this context we don't care about what other games the user owns.
}
}