rich:column sorting can't be resolved - jsf

Question

I'm new in Richfaces framework which I'm going to use in the nearest project in my job.
I've created some simple example in which I have rich:dataTable and I'm trying to make column sorted. I've read in the tutorial ( http://docs.jboss.org/richfaces/latest_3_3_X/en/devguide/html/rich_column.html ) that everything what I need is to type "sortBy" parameter to the "rich:column" tag . Unfortunately columns can't be sort. Can anybody help me? Below source code of my simple app :
<ui:composition xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"
xmlns:h="http://java.sun.com/jsf/html"
xmlns:f="http://java.sun.com/jsf/core"
xmlns:ui="http://java.sun.com/jsf/facelets"
xmlns:a4j="http://richfaces.org/a4j"
xmlns:rich="http://richfaces.org/rich">
<f:view>
<h:head></h:head>
<h:body>
<rich:panel header="Richfaces dataTable">
<rich:dataTable value="#{TaskListBean.dataList}" var="dataItem"
rows="4" columnClasses="50,100,100,100"
onRowMouseOver="this.style.backgroundColor='#B5F3FB'"
onRowMouseOut="this.style.backgroundColor='#{a4jSkin.rowBackgroundColor}'"
width="350">
<f:facet name="caption">
<h:outputText value="This is the caption" />
</f:facet>
<f:facet name="header">
<h:outputText value="Trouble Ticket Systems" />
</f:facet>
<rich:column colspan="4">
<h:outputText value="Trouble Tickets opened" />
</rich:column>
<rich:column sortBy="#{dataItem.taskInstanceId}">
<f:facet name="header">Ticket Id</f:facet>
<h:outputText value="#{dataItem.taskInstanceId}" />
</rich:column>
<rich:column sortBy="#{dataItem.taskNode}">
<f:facet name="header">Status</f:facet>
<h:outputText value="#{dataItem.taskNode}" />
</rich:column>
<rich:column sortBy="#{dataItem.actorId}">
<f:facet name="header">Actor</f:facet>
<h:outputText value="#{dataItem.actorId}" />
</rich:column>
<rich:column>
<f:facet name="header">Description</f:facet>
<h:outputText value="#{dataItem.description}" />
</rich:column>
<f:facet name="footer">
<h:outputText value="This is the footer" />
</f:facet>
</rich:dataTable>
</rich:panel>
</h:body>
</f:view>
Menaged Bean of my app:
package richfacesr;
import java.io.Serializable;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import javax.faces.bean.ManagedBean;
#ManagedBean(name = "manager")
public class TaskListBean implements Serializable {
private ArrayList dataList;
public void loadDataList() {
dataList = new ArrayList();
TaskListData data1 = new TaskListData();
data1.setTaskInstanceId(1000l);
data1.setActorId("Willy smith");
data1.setTaskNode("In Charge");
data1.setDescription("CR 123456");
TaskListData data2 = new TaskListData();
data2.setTaskInstanceId(1001l);
data2.setActorId("Frank Sinatra");
data2.setTaskNode("Rejected");
data2.setDescription("CR 654321");
dataList.add(data1);
dataList.add(data2);
}
public List<TaskListData> getDataList() {
loadDataList();
return dataList;
}
}
and the object:
package richfacesr;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
public class TaskListData {
private String taskNode;
private long taskInstanceId;
private String actorId;
private String description;
public String getActorId() {
return actorId;
}
public void setActorId(String actorId) {
this.actorId = actorId;
}
public String getTaskNode() {
return taskNode;
}
public void setTaskNode(String currentNode) {
this.taskNode = currentNode;
}
public String getDescription() {
return description;
}
public void setDescription(String description) {
this.description = description;
}
public long getTaskInstanceId() {
return taskInstanceId;
}
public void setTaskInstanceId(long taskInstanceId) {
this.taskInstanceId = taskInstanceId;
}
}

Answer 1

Taken from the Richfaces 4 documentation, built in sorting for dataTables does not work.
The built-in sort controls are only available with the extendedDataTable component. Support for built-in sort controls in the dataTable component will be added in a subsequent release.
It did work in Richfaces 3, but it seems that they have changed a bit, so that this feature is currently not working in Richfaces 4, out of the box.
Although you say that you use Richfaces 5, which is Alpha1, I doubt that this feature is already in there. So you will need to write some code for yourself.
Looking a the Richfaces 4 showcase about table sorting you need to
put your managed bean into ViewScope - otherwise the unsorted list will be created again and again
move your loadDataList out of getDataList() into the constuctor or annotate it with #PostConstruct - otherwise the unsorted list will be created again and again
make your TaskListData Serializable
add a sort method to your TaskListBean - do the sorting there - maybe as described in Sort ArrayList of custom Objects by property
check the name of your ManagedBean TaskListBean - in the code you call it manager, but in your xhtml you call it TaskListBean
Here is my tuned version of your xhtml
<f:view>
<h:head />
<h:body>
<h:form>
<rich:dataTable id="table" var="dataItem"
value="#{manager.dataList}" width="350">
<rich:column id="ticketId" sortBy="#{dataItem.taskInstanceId}">
<f:facet name="header">
<a4j:commandLink value="Ticket Id" render="table"
action="#{manager.sortBy('Ticket Id')}" />
</f:facet>
<h:outputText value="#{dataItem.taskInstanceId}" />
</rich:column>
<rich:column sortBy="#{dataItem.taskNode}">
<f:facet name="header">
<a4j:commandLink value="Status" render="table"
action="#{manager.sortBy('Status')}" />
</f:facet>
<h:outputText value="#{dataItem.taskNode}" />
</rich:column>
<rich:column sortBy="#{dataItem.actorId}">
<f:facet name="header">
<a4j:commandLink value="Actor" render="table"
action="#{manager.sortBy('Actor')}" />
</f:facet>
<h:outputText value="#{dataItem.actorId}" />
</rich:column>
<rich:column>
<f:facet name="header">
<a4j:commandLink value="Description" render="table"
action="#{manager.sortBy('Description')}" />
</f:facet>
<h:outputText value="#{dataItem.description}" />
</rich:column>
</rich:dataTable>
</h:form>
</h:body>
</f:view>
My tuned version of your TaskListBean
import java.io.Serializable;
import java.util.*;
import javax.annotation.PostConstruct;
import javax.faces.bean.*;
#ViewScoped
#ManagedBean(name="manager")
public class TaskListBean implements Serializable {
private ArrayList<TaskListData> dataList;
#PostConstruct
public void loadDataList() {
dataList = new ArrayList<TaskListData>();
TaskListData data1 = new TaskListData();
data1.setTaskInstanceId(1000l);
data1.setActorId("Willy smith");
data1.setTaskNode("In Charge");
data1.setDescription("CR 123456");
TaskListData data2 = new TaskListData();
data2.setTaskInstanceId(1001l);
data2.setActorId("Frank Sinatra");
data2.setTaskNode("Rejected");
data2.setDescription("CR 654321");
dataList.add(data1);
dataList.add(data2);
}
public void sortBy(String aColumn) {
System.out.println("sort by: " + aColumn);
// TODO sort the list by that attribute
}
public List<TaskListData> getDataList() {
return dataList;
}
}