gistfile1.php

<?php
// Step 1: create form through annotations

        $test = new TestEntity();
        $builder = new AnnotationBuilder();
        $form = $builder->createForm($test);
        $viewModel = new ViewModel();

// Step 2: populate select elements

        $form->get('owner')->setValueOptions(
            $this->doctrineSelectOptions(
                'AppleConnect\Entity\User',
                [],
                ['nickName' => 'ASC'],
                ['Application\Service\Security', 'view']
            )
        );

// Step 3: fetch data, compose selects.  Annotations would remove this step but using them doesn't give us fine grained
// handling as seen in step 2

        $data = $test->getArrayCopy();

        $data['owner'] = ($data['owner'] instanceof \AppleConnect\Entity\User) ? $data['owner']->getId(): null;
        $data['operator'] = ($data['operator'] instanceof \AppleConnect\Entity\User) ? $data['operator']->getId(): null;
        $data['testType'] = ($data['testType'] instanceof \DbLoadCd\Entity\TestType) ? $data['testType']->getId(): null;
        $data['testStatus'] = ($data['testStatus'] instanceof \DbLoadCd\Entity\TestStatus) ? $data['testStatus']->getId(): null;
        $data['testResult'] = ($data['testResult'] instanceof \DbLoadCd\Entity\TestResult) ? $data['testResult']->getId(): null;

        $form->setData($data);

// Step 4: when a form is submitted recompose the getArrayCopy to a exchangeArray 

// Merge current entity data with form data so fields which may be required by exchangeArray will be populated with
// their current values and ignored by form data
        $data = array_merge($test->getArrayCopy(), $form->getData());

        $data['owner'] = ($data['owner']) ?
            $em->getRepository('AppleConnect\Entity\UserGroup')->find($data['owner']):
            null;

        $data['operator'] = ($data['operator']) ?
            $em->getRepository('AppleConnect\Entity\UserGroup')->find($data['operator']):
            null;

        $data['testType'] = ($data['testType']) ?
            $em->getRepository('DbLoadCd\Entity\TestType')->find($data['testType']):
            null;

        $data['testStatus'] = ($data['testStatus']) ?
            $em->getRepository('DbLoadCd\Entity\TestStatus')->find($data['testStatus']):
            null;

        $data['testResult'] = ($data['testResult']) ?
            $em->getRepository('DbLoadCd\Entity\TestResult')->find($data['testResult']):
            null;

        $test->exchangeArray($data);
        $em->flush();

// Step 5: field setters 
// If an association can be set to null do not use type hinting in the setter.  But you may check possible values
// manually
    public function setStartDate($value) {
        if (is_null($value) or $value instanceof \DateTime) {
            $this->startDate = $value;
            return $this;
        } else {
            throw new \Exception('Invalid Estimated Completion Date');
        }
    }