JSF richfaces popup before method - jsf

Question

Want to want to do is:
On my datatable, the last column has a view, edit and delete. the View has the following method to get the row data:
public String prepareView() {
current = (TimeLoggingDetail) getItems().getRowData();
selectedItemIndex = pagination.getPageFirstItem() + getItems().getRowIndex();
return "View";
}
When view is clicked it redirects me to a page where I can view the selected values.
I want to change that into showing the values in a popup and not get redirected to a page where its displayed.
So I have tried the following:
<a4j:commandLink id="myLink" value="Action" actionListener="#{timeLoggingDetailController.prepareView}" rendered="#{item.timeLoggingId eq AdminTimeLogging.filteredId}" styleClass="auto-style5">
<rich:componentControl event="complete" target="popup" operation="show"/>
</a4j:commandLink>
If I click the button the popup does not show, when I remove the event="complete" the popup does show but with no values. If I remove the popup code completely, click on view and then add the popup code again it displays but only the old value I selected without popup code, The values that's in memory.
I have also tried:
<a4j:commandLink id="myBut" action="#{timeLoggingDetailController.prepareView}" execute="#this" value="Test" styleClass="auto-style5" render="popup" oncomplete="#{rich:component('popup')}.show()">
</a4j:commandLink>
It also does not open the popup, I have tried using #{rich:component('popup')}.show() in numerous ways but it does not open, Should I change the method prepareView to return something specific? should I do a condition to display the popup with those values? it seems like the popup opens before the method finishes. the <a4j:commandLink/> is within the code:
<h:column>
<f:facet name="header">
<h:outputText value=" "/>
</f:facet>
<a4j:commandLink id="myBut" action="#{timeLoggingDetailController.prepareView}" execute="#this" value="Test" styleClass="auto-style5" render="popup" oncomplete="#{rich:component('popup')}.show()">
</a4j:commandLink>
<h:column/>
My popup Panel:
<h:column>
<f:facet name="header">
<h:outputText value=" "/>
</f:facet>
<a4j:commandLink id="myBut" action="#{timeLoggingDetailController.prepareView}" execute="#this" value="Test" styleClass="auto-style5" render="popup" oncomplete="#{rich:component('popup')}.show()">
</a4j:commandLink>
<rich:popupPanel id="popup" modal="true" autosized="true" resizeable="false" domElementAttachment="form">
<f:facet name="header">
<h:outputText value="TEST" />
</f:facet>
<f:facet name="controls">
<h:outputLink value="#" onclick="#{rich:component('popup')}.hide();
return false;">
Close
</h:outputLink>
</f:facet>
<h:panelGrid columns="2">
<h:outputText value="#{bundle.ViewTimeLoggingDetailLabel_date}"/>
<h:outputText value="#{timeLoggingDetailController.selected.date}" title="#{bundle.ViewTimeLoggingDetailTitle_date}">
<f:convertDateTime pattern="MM/dd/yyyy" />
</h:outputText>
<h:outputText value="#{bundle.ViewTimeLoggingDetailLabel_description}"/>
<h:outputText value="#{timeLoggingDetailController.selected.description}" title="#{bundle.ViewTimeLoggingDetailTitle_description}"/>
<h:outputText value="#{bundle.ViewTimeLoggingDetailLabel_normalHours}"/>
<h:outputText value="#{timeLoggingDetailController.selected.normalHours}" title="#{bundle.ViewTimeLoggingDetailTitle_normalHours}"/>
<h:outputText value="#{bundle.ViewTimeLoggingDetailLabel_overtimeHours}"/>
<h:outputText value="#{timeLoggingDetailController.selected.overtimeHours}" title="#{bundle.ViewTimeLoggingDetailTitle_overtimeHours}"/>
<h:outputText value="#{bundle.ViewTimeLoggingDetailLabel_doubleTimeHours}"/>
<h:outputText value="#{timeLoggingDetailController.selected.doubleTimeHours}" title="#{bundle.ViewTimeLoggingDetailTitle_doubleTimeHours}"/>
<h:outputText value="#{bundle.ViewTimeLoggingDetailLabel_approvalLevelsId}"/>
<h:outputText value="#{timeLoggingDetailController.selected.approvalLevelsId}" title="#{bundle.ViewTimeLoggingDetailTitle_approvalLevelsId}"/>
</h:panelGrid>value="#{approvalLevelsController.selected.description}" title="#{bundle.ViewApprovalLevelsTitle_description}"/>
<br />
<h:panelGrid class="auto-style4">
<h:commandLink action="#{timeLoggingDetailController.update}" value="#{bundle.EditTimeLoggingDetailSaveLink}" onclick="#{rich:component('popup')}.hide();" styleClass="linkbutton"/>
</h:panelGrid>
</rich:popupPanel>
</h:column>