Setting a custom object relationship with the SOAP API

Question

I've been using the SOAP API to load different SObjects into an org. When I have a relationship, I can normally use an external ID as follows in order to set up relationships that exist between objects:

Opportunity opp = new Opportunity();
Account acc = new Account();
acc.setExternalId__c(ACC_EXT_ID);
opp.setAccount(opp);

This creates a lookup from an opportunity to an account that I have the external id for.

however, for some reason I have run into a situation where the API is not offering me a setter method with a signature that I can use to perform the above.

I am being offered:

myCustomObj.setAnotherCustomObj__c(String AnotherCustomObj__c)

and

myCustomObj.setAnotherCustomObj__r(QueryResult AnotherCustomObj__c)

whereas, in order to use the external ids in the same way as I have been doing, I would need:

myCustomObj.setAnotherCustomObj__r(AnotherCustomObj__c anotherCO)

Does anyone know why I am not being offered this method signature?

Thanks

EDIT:

As @superfell suggested, I'll post the field definition:

In addition, and along the same lines, I have run into an issue trying to set the Owner of the Order_Status__c object using an external ID. I was hoping to be able to do the following:

Order_Status__c orderStatus = new Order_Status__c();
User owner = new user();
owner.setUserExtId__c(USER_EXT_ID);
orderStatus.setOwner(owner);

yet I am not being offered a method on the Order_Status__c object whereby I can set the owner using a User object. Instead the methods I am being offered by the SOAP API are:

setOwner(String Owner__c)
setOwner(Name Owner)
setOwnerId(String OwnerId)

In order to use these method, I would first have to select information (e.g. the owner id) from the database, whereas I would ideally like to set the Owner using an external id which I would already have.

Answer 1

Your AnotherCustomObj__r relationship is a parent to child relationship, not a lookup, in these case, the child object has a lookup to the parent, the parent doesn't have a direct lookup to the child (as there can be many child rows)