Category Repository gets fancy.

src/main/java/com/mousetech/gourmetj/CategoryRepository.java

@@ -1,10 +1,30 @@
 package com.mousetech.gourmetj;
 
+import java.util.List;
+
 import org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.JpaRepository;
+import org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.Query;
 import org.springframework.stereotype.Repository;
 
 import com.mousetech.gourmetj.persistence.model.Category;
 
+/**
+ * JpaRepositort for Categories, which relate ManyToOne to Recipe.
+ * Service method is @see CategoryService
+ * 
+ * @author timh
+ * @since Dec 28, 2021
+ */
+
 @Repository
-public interface CategoryRepository extends JpaRepository<Category, Long> {
+public interface CategoryRepository
+		extends JpaRepository<Category, Long> {
+
+	final static String SQL_FIND_CATEGORIES =
+			"SELECT DISTINCT category from categories"
+					+ " where category is not null and category <> ''"
+					+ " ORDER BY category ASC";
+
+	@Query(value = SQL_FIND_CATEGORIES, nativeQuery = true)
+	public List<String> findDistinctCategoryNative();
 }

src/main/java/com/mousetech/gourmetj/CategoryService.java

@@ -24,4 +24,12 @@ public class CategoryService implements Serializable {
   public List<Category> findAll() {
     return categoryRepository.findAll();
   }
+  
+  /**
+   * 
+   * @return All Category names that are not null/blank, sorted.
+   */
+  public List<String> findCategoryNames() {
+	 return categoryRepository.findDistinctCategoryNative(); 
+  }
 }

src/main/java/com/mousetech/gourmetj/CategoryView.java

@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ import javax.faces.view.ViewScoped;
 import javax.inject.Inject;
 import javax.inject.Named;
 
+import org.slf4j.Logger;
+import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
+
 import com.mousetech.gourmetj.persistence.model.Category;
 
 @Named
@@ -15,6 +18,8 @@ public class CategoryView implements Serializable {
 
   private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
+  private static final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(CategoryView.class);
+  
   @Inject
   private CategoryService categoryRepository;
 
@@ -23,6 +28,11 @@ public class CategoryView implements Serializable {
   @PostConstruct
   public void init() {
     categories = categoryRepository.findAll();
+    
+    List<String> catNames = categoryRepository.findCategoryNames();
+    for (String name : catNames ) {
+    	log.info("CAT="+name);
+    }
   }
 
   public List<Category> getCategories() {