Submit popup panel content, rich:popupPanel - jsf

Question

I am trying to submit values in a pop-up panel inside another panel that has a submit/action event. But before opening pop-up panel I need to invoke a function on my managed bean that create a new entity object. The outer panel has the only h:form, since you can't nest them. I have wrapped the pop-up panel in a a4j:region to submit only this part when the use submits the values inside the pop-up panel. This works, but not the execution of the preparing function that need to be invoked when the pop-up panel executes. I have tried a4j:commandLink but that component don't work together with the rich:popupPanel (strange since both of them are Richfaces components?!). So I have to relay on the h:commandLink and use ajax.
How can I invoke a function on my managed bean when the link to open/render the pop-up panel fires?
(What is the correct pattern for this?)
PS. The initial question has changed, but not the problem concerning submitting values in a pop-up panel.
Part of the xhtml file:
<h.form>
...
<a4j:region>
<rich:popupPanel id="popup_sys_user_req" modal="false" autosized="true" resizeable="false">
<f:facet name="header">
<h:outputText value="Request New Sector/Category" />
</f:facet>
<f:facet name="controls">
<h:outputLink value="#"
onclick="#{rich:component('popup_sys_user_req')}.hide(); return false;">
X
</h:outputLink>
</f:facet>
<h:panelGrid columns="2">
<h:outputLabel value="Request New:" />
<h:selectOneMenu id="sys_req_type" value="#{userController.selectedSysUserRequest.sysrequesttype}" required="true" >
<f:selectItems value="#{userController.getSysRequestTypeItems('SECTOR_CATEGORY')}">
</f:selectItems>
</h:selectOneMenu>
<h:outputLabel value="Description:" />
<h:inputTextarea id="user_req_desc" value="#{userController.selectedSysUserRequest.description(desc)}" required="true" requiredMessage="Decription is missing" />
</h:panelGrid>
<a4j:commandButton action="#{userController.CreateSysUserRequest()}" value="Send Request" execute="sys_user_req_form" oncomplete="#{rich:component('popup_sys_user_req')}.hide(); return false;"/>
</rich:popupPanel>
</a4j:region>
</h:form>
The commandLink (re-edit)
<h:commandLink actionListener="#{userController.prepareCreateSysRequest}" value="Request New Sector/Category">
<f:ajax execute="popup_sys_user_req #this" render="popup_sys_user_req">
<rich:componentControl id="popup_ctr" event="click" target="popup_sys_user_req" operation="show"/>
</f:ajax>
</h:commandLink>
----------------------------
//Managed Bean:
public void prepareCreateSysRequest(ActionEvent event ) {
selectedSysUserRequest = new Sysuserrequest();
JsfUtil.log("Prepare Create System User Request");
}
This post continues the dicussion about the pop-up panel.
Greetings Chris.

Answer 1

If I understand correctly you want to submit all form elements inside popupPanel but not outside the panel when you invoke someAction1? I can think of two ways to do this:
1. a4jcommandButton has a limitToList attribute, you can list which components you want to be updated on the server
2. create your popupPanel outside of the first form and then use its own form:
<h:form>
...
<a4j:commandButton action="someAction2"...
</h:form>
<rich:popupPanel>
<h:form>
...
<a4j:commandButton action="someAction1"...
</h:form>
</rich:popupPanel>
Update
If you are using RichFaces 4 you can replace the limitToList attribute with limitRender

Answer 2

The problem is that the popup isn't a child of the form in jsf, you only need to use the domElementAttachment attribute to change that. So your code would look like this:
<h.form>
...
<a4j:region>
<rich:popupPanel id="popup_sys_user_req" modal="false" autosized="true" resizeable="false" domElementAttachment="form">
<f:facet name="header">
...