I want to develope a JSF composite component using PrimeFaces library.
Basically I want to update my composite component. I have read some SO questions about it (JSF updating a composite component or JSF Updating Composite Component (Primefaces)). But in this case I only want to update certain parts of the component.
Here is an example. My component should be a label/message/value-part of a <p:panelGrid /> to get rid of all the noise of the <p:column/>-tags.
<composite:interface>
<composite:attribute name="label" required="true" />
<composite:attribute name="value" required="true" />
</composite:interface>
<composite:implementation>
<p:column>
<!-- label -->
<p:outputLabel value="#{cc.attrs.label}" for="id_inputtext"/>
</p:column>
<p:column>
<!-- message -->
<p:message for="id_inputtext" />
</p:column>
<p:column>
<!-- inputtext -->
<p:inputText id="id_inputtext" value="#{cc.attrs.value}"/>
</p:column>
</composite:implementation>
To use this composite component I can simply put it in a panelgrid like so.
<p:panelGrid>
<p:row>
<mycomponent:columnSet id="c1" label="label" value="hello world"/>
<mycomponent:columnSet id="c2" label="label2" value="hello world2"/>
</p:row>
<p:row>
<mycomponent:columnSet id="c3" label="label3" value="hello world3"/>
<mycomponent:columnSet id="c4" label="label4" value="#{bean.someValue}"/>
</p:row>
</p:panelGrid>
In this case I can not surround the content of the component with an HTML container element like <div/> or <span/> like it is described in the above links. That would result in weird HTML because it would be within the generated table.
What I want to do in the example above is to update the <p:outputLabel/>, the <p:message/> and the <p:inputText/> from outside of the component. In a perfect world I want to update these three components independently from each other (but I guess that is even more complicated than updating all at once).
What I currently do to get this to work is kind of cheating. I create a <composite:attribute name="id" /> and give the three components fixed IDs based on a convention using the composite component id. That works but is pretty poor because using the composite component, one needs to know the inner implementation of the it.
Does anyone have an idea to solve this requirement in a nicer way?
<composite:interface>
<composite:attribute name="id" required="true" />
</composite:interface>
<composite:implementation>
<p:column>
<!-- label -->
<p:outputLabel id="#{cc.attrs.id}_label"/>
</p:column>
<p:column>
<!-- message -->
<p:message id="#{cc.attrs.id}_message" />
</p:column>
<p:column>
<!-- inputtext -->
<p:inputText id="#{cc.attrs.id}_value"/>
</p:column>
</composite:implementation>
EDIT
Thanks for the quick response in the comments.
As to the tag files: Indeed, I must admit that I avoided dealing with tag files because composite components are so much easier to handle, my bad.
Anyway, I just read some stuff, made a quick-and-dirty prototype, but came to the conclusion that (although it might be a good and proper way to use tag files in this label/message/input-situation) I have the same issue as with the composite component: To update the components inside the tag file I need to know the inner implementation of it (that is the same as described in my workaround).
I want to update the composite component/tag file from outside with a «single handle» and treat it as a black box.
If I could wish for a feature I want something to say «do the update» on the composite component/tag file. And within the composite component/tag file I can define which components should be updated if «do the update» is triggered. Something like three separate <div id="#{cc.clientId}"/> surrounding every component I want to update (which obviously is not possible like that).
Because I guess that this is nearly impossible, I would also be happy with a way to update a composite component/tag file as a whole, meaning to update every component within the black box.
I am working on creating a dynamic table using JSTL forEach and a h:dataTable and have all of the controls and potential error message showing nicely, but am now stuck on getting the value set for each of the control. I will need to create (I think) a dynamic EL expression to set the value, but have not been able to get any of my versions to work. I was hoping to build out the expression using c:out, but found out that that tag is not available in JSF2.
So, is it possible to build a dynamic expression in the page?
How can I set the expression in the backing bean if the control hasn't been built yet ?
<h:dataTable id="dtDetails" styleClass="slate_table" value="#{remediationDetail.eventList}" var="dataItem">
<c:forEach items="#{remediationDetail.eventHeaders}" var="key">
<h:column>
<f:facet name="header">#{key.fieldDefinition.fieldConfiguration.customLabel}</f:facet>
<h:inputText value="" id="txtNumber" styleClass="remediation_textbox error_marker" title="#{remediationDetail.errorMessages(dataItem.id, key.fieldDefinition.id)}">
<f:convertNumber maxFractionDigits="0" maxIntegerDigits="19"/>
</h:column>
</c:forEach>
</h:dataTable>
As always, any help or direction is appreciated.
Regards,
Mike
I was not being able to create a Dynamic EL Expression. So, I ended using the index of the c:forEach to help define what values I am looking for. The only catch for this result is that I would be expecting the data that I am about to display to have the same number of positions in the array.
<c:forEach items="#{remediationDetail.eventHeaders}" var="key" varStatus="looper">
<h:column>
<f:facet name="header">#{key.fieldDefinition.fieldConfiguration.customLabel}</f:facet>
<h:inputText id="txtNumber" value="#{dataItem.entityList[looper.index].val}">
<f:convertNumber maxFractionDigits="0" maxIntegerDigits="19"/>
</h:inputText>
</h:column>
</c:forEach>
In my case the following helped to build dynamic EL.
<ui:param name="beanName" value="myBackedBean"/>
<ui:param name="propertyName" value="field1"/>
<ui:param name="nestedPropertyName" value="field1"/>
<p:inputTextarea value="#{sessionScope[beanName][propertyName][nestedPropertyName]}"/>
Inspired of this topic
I am trying to fetch the questions and the associated answers. I am able to get the questions fine but the nested datatable does not even recognize the properties each answer has, and this is also pointed out by the IDE as well. Maybe this is not the right way to go about this. How do I iterate over the answers associated with each question ?
<h:dataTable value="#{questionBacking.recentlyAskedQuestions}" var="questions"
rendered="#{questionBacking.recentlyAskedQuestions.size() > 0}"
border="1">
<h:column>
<h:outputText value="#{questions.questionTitle}" />
<br/>
<h:outputText value="#{questions.questionBody}" />
</h:column>
<h:dataTable value="#{questions.answers}" var="answers">
<tr>
<h:outputText value="#{answers.answer}" />
</tr>
</h:dataTable>
</h:dataTable>
You need to put columns inside a <h:column>.
<h:dataTable value="#{questionBacking.recentlyAskedQuestions}" var="question" rendered="#{not empty questionBacking.recentlyAskedQuestions}">
<h:column>
<h:outputText value="#{question.questionTitle}" />
<br/>
<h:outputText value="#{question.questionBody}" />
</h:column>
<h:column>
<h:dataTable value="#{question.answers}" var="answer">
<h:column>
<h:outputText value="#{answer.answer}" />
</h:column>
</h:dataTable>
</h:column>
</h:dataTable>
(note that I changed the rendered and the var attributes to be a bit more self-documenting, you might want to rename questionTitle, questionBody and answer to title, body and body respectively as well so that you don't keep duplicating the meaning)
You can do the same thing mentioned in BalusC's answer using PrimeFaces as well. Just replace <h:dataTable> with <p:dataTable> and the same goes for column tags as well. You can create nested datatable with PrimeFaces. I recommend people to use PrimeFaces as it reduces the amount of time people spend on writing/modifying css definitions.
I would like to be able to conditionally omit a footer from a PrimeFaces panel element:
<p:panel header="some text">
<f:facet name="footer">
#{message}
</f:facet>
<!-- ... -->
</p:panel>
I hoped that the rendered attribute would work:
<p:panel header="some text">
<f:facet name="footer" rendered="#{!empty message}">
#{message}
</f:facet>
<!-- ... -->
</p:panel>
But the footer is still rendered, with empty content. It appears that facet does not have the rendered attribute: http://www.jsftoolbox.com/documentation/help/12-TagReference/core/f_facet.html.
What's the right way to do this?
I was able to solve this by swapping the facet out for an attribute. To summarize:
This works
<p:panel ...>
<f:attribute name="footer" value="#{message}"/>
<!-- ... -->
</p:panel>
But this doesn't work
<p:panel footer="#{message}">
<!-- ... -->
</p:panel>
Neither does this
<p:panel ...>
<f:facet name="footer">#{message}</f:facet>
<!-- ... -->
</p:panel>
Nor this
<p:panel ...>
<f:facet name="footer">
<h:outputText value="#{message}" rendered="#{!empty message}"/>
</f:facet>
<!-- ... -->
</p:panel>
by "works" I mean:
"renders no footer — not just an empty footer — when #{message} is empty or null; otherwise, correctly renders the footer with the specified text."
PrimeFaces forum thread on this issue
You could declare a ui:param and let the template check the param while renderring.
The facet in the template could then be declared as:
<f:facet name="#{hideFooter == null or not hideFooter ? 'footer' : ''}">
#{message}
</f:facet>
Any page can then declare this param
<ui:param name='hideFooter' value='#{some rule}' />
and set the appropriate rule for the param. For any page that does not declare the param, the footer will be displayed.
Here's what I did in trying to conditionally render a facet within a composite component.
<composite:interface>
<composite:facet name="header" required="false" />
</composite:interface>
<composite:implementation>
<p:panel>
<c:if test="#{empty component.facets.header}" >
<f:facet id="#{cc.attrs.id}_default_header" name="header">
all sorts of stuff here
</f:facet>
</c:if>
<c:if test="#{not empty component.facets.header}">
<composite:insertFacet id="#{cc.attrs.id}_custom_header" name="header" />
</c:if>
<composite:insertChildren id="#{cc.attrs.id}_content"/>
</p:panel>
</composite:implementation>
This let's the user of the composite component supply the header facet if they want, and if they don't, we supply a default. Obviously, instead of providing a default, you could simply not do anything.
This mixes c:if in jsf controls, but we didn't see any adverse effects.
I have come across a similar issue with plain JSF. I am not sure how a <p:panel> is rendered, but if it is rendered as a table, you can try this:
First, declare a CSS-class like this:
.HideFooter tfoot {
display: none;
}
Then set that class conditionally on the panel:
<p:panel styleClass="#{renderFooterCondition ? null : 'HideFooter'}">
The footer is still rendered in the JSF-sense, but it is not displayed and does not take up any space in the page when viewed by the user-agent.
I successfully solved this problem using ui:fragment
<ui:fragment rendered="...Test...">
<f:facet name="footer">
...
</f:facet>
</ui:fragment>
works for example to conditionnaly render the footer of a primefaces datatable (the rendered attribute of the facet does not work).
Not sure how well this would work for your footer, but I had the same issue with a legend I was trying to conditionally render. I fixed it by using the rendered on anything inside the facet tag.
<p:fieldset>
<f:facet name="legend">
<h:outputText value="#{header1}" rendered="#{header1.exists}"/>
<h:outputText value="#{header2}" rendered="#{not header1.exists}"/>
</f:facet>
content
</p:fieldset>
I had difficulty trying c:if with my ui:repeat, so this was my solution. Not quite the same as your problem, but similar.
Facets are not intended to render HTML, which is why it doesn't have the rendered attribute. Facets add functionality to a page. The term facet is probably a poor choice of name. It's very ambiguous.
..if the list compiled by ITworld's Phil Johnson has it right, the
single hardest thing developers do is name things.
ie.
JSF facets
A project facet is a specific unit of functionality that you can add to a project when that functionality is required. When a project facet is added to a project, it can add natures, builders, classpath entries, and resources to a project, depending on the characteristics of the particular project. JSF facets define the characteristics of your JSF enabled web application. The JSF facets specify the requirements and constraints that apply to your JSF project.
The JSF facets supply a set behaviors and capabilities to your web application.
This is a counter-answer to the answer from Ludovic Pénet.
This worked for me in <f:facet name="footer"> in selected p:column items of a p:dataTable (Primefaces 5.3):
...
Note how I have the ui:fragment inside the f:facet, not outside (not wrapping) it. It definitely completely removes the entire row when every footer facet is tested to NOT render (as far as I can tell, independent of the content within the ui:fragment).
Try with this, from primefaces web page
<p:columnGroup type="footer">
<p:row>
<p:column colspan="3" style="text-align:right" footerText="Totals:" />
<p:column footerText="your value in ajax" />
<p:column footerText="your value in ajax" />
</p:row>
</p:columnGroup>
clik here, to view primefaces' webpage
For those who landed here trying to hide the footer, instead of header, but the syntax component.facets.footer didn't work, should try this:
<p:panel id="panelContent">
<c:if test="#{not empty cc.facets.footer}">
<f:facet name="footer" height="100%">
your content
</f:facet>
</c:if>
</panel>
Why don't you enclose the content of the footer into a panelGroup which has the rendered attribute?
This way:
<p:panel header="some text">
<f:facet name="footer">
<h:panelGroup rendered="#{!empty message}">
#{message}
</h:panelGroup>
</f:facet>
<!-- ... -->
</p:panel>
I do it in my weapp and it works, no footer is rendered.
I don't use primefaces though, I do it with h:datatable, but I think that it must works with p:panel too.
I try this solution and ok. (http://www.coderanch.com/t/431222/JSF/java/dynamically-set-panel-header-condition)
<rich:dataGrid value="#{myMB.student.list}" rendered="#{!empty myMB.student and !empty myMB.student.list}" var="st" rowKeyVar="row">
<rich:panel>
<f:facet name="header">
<h:panelGroup id="panelHeader">
<h:outputText value="Just one student" id="header1" required="true" rendered="#{!myMB.manyStudents}"/>
<h:outputText value="#{row+1}º Student" id="header2" required="true" rendered="#{myMB.manyStudents}"/>
</h:panelGroup>
</f:facet>
<rich:panel>
My problem is that RichFaces reRender does not work 'under' the current element in the element tree; only upper elements get rerendered.
Is there any way to access lower elements with AJAX?
Any help would be appreciated!
Daniel
EDIT I edited this question to a more general one. See revisions if interested in the original question.
reRender works with providing an the id of the target object you want to reRender (inside the same naming container - form most often)
the id should be a unique string, according to html spec
reRender allows dynamic value - i.e. reRender="#{myBean.currentItemsToRerender}
Based on that I think you should be able to achieve what you want (although it's not entirely clear)
Update:
UIComponent.findComponent(..) has a well-defined algorithm for resolving ids. So for absolute referencing your reRendered id should start with : and then continue through the hierarchy of the naming containers.
Here is an example where changePanel111() changes the content of a lower element:
<h:form id="form" prependId="true">
<rich:panel id="PANEL1">
<h:outputText id="PANEL1TEXT" value="#{ajaxTestBean.panel1}"/>
<rich:panel id="PANEL11">
<h:outputText id="PANEL11TEXT" value="#{ajaxTestBean.panel11}"/>
<rich:panel id="PANEL111">
<h:outputText id="PANEL111TEXT" value="#{ajaxTestBean.panel111}"/>
</rich:panel>
</rich:panel>
<rich:panel id="PANEL12">
<h:outputText id="PANEL12TEXT" value="#{ajaxTestBean.panel12}"/>
<br/>
<a4j:commandLink value="CHANGE PANEL12" action="#{ajaxTestBean.changePanel12}">
<a4j:support reRender="PANEL12" event="onclick"/>
</a4j:commandLink>
<br/>
<a4j:commandLink value="CHANGE PANEL111" action="#{ajaxTestBean.changePanel111}">
<a4j:support reRender="form:PANEL111" event="onclick"/>
</a4j:commandLink>
</rich:panel>
</rich:panel>
</h:form>
Notice how the lower element needs to be identified as form:PANEL111.
Hope this helps!
reRender can point to any component outside the form as well. For example this works:
<h:form>
<a4j:commandButton reRender="panel"/>
</h:form>
<h:panelGrid id="panel">
...
</h:panelGrid>
For my MyFaces+Richfaces App, <rich:panel> tag was not working as described in the selected answer. When I changed it to <a4j:outputPanel ajaxRendered="true" />, it started working as given here "<a4j:commandLink> Not Rerendering"
Configuration: MyFaces 2.1.10(Facelets used for templating) and Richfaces 4.2.3.
Hope this will help.