Custom UIInput with more than one bean bound value

Question

Hi Experts,
I'm creating a custom component which will act as a search bar (thus it will contain a text input area) and which contains a css dropdown menu from which the user will be able to select the type of search. In other words this component should have two value bindings, one for the search string and one for the selected search mode. I've managed to get the search working by extending UIInput and binding the search string to my component's value attribute, but I can't get the selected search mode to reflect in the bean. In my decode() method I retrieve the value from the post and it's correct and everything, but if I call the setter on my component that value is never propogated to the value binding and thus the bean.
Please have a look at some of my code below:
The component tag looks something like this:
<my:component value="#{bean.searchString}" searchOptions="#{bean.searchOptions}" selectedOption="#{bean.selectedOption}" actionListener="#{bean.search} />
{code}
My decode method in the renderer is as follow:
{code}
public void decode(FacesContext context, UIComponent component) {     
  if (!component.isRendered()) {
    return;
  SearchBoxComponent searchBox = (SearchBoxComponent)component;
  String clientId = searchBox.getClientId(context);
  Map<String,String> requestParameterMap = context.getExternalContext().getRequestParameterMap();
  // Set the search string - this works fine
  String searchString = (String)requestParameterMap.get(clientId + ":searchString");
  searchBox.setValue(searchString);
  // Set the selected option which is stored in a hidden field - this works fine
  String selectedOption = (String)requestParameterMap.get(clientId + ":selected_option");
  searchBox.setSelectedOption(selectedOption); // This is called correctly, but it doesn't update the value binding's value?
  // Check whether the search button was pressed and queue action
{code}
The component's code is below:
{code}
public class SearchBoxComponent extends UIInput {
  // getValue and setValue is inherited
  public String getSelectedOption() {
    if (selectedOption == null) {  
      ValueExpression valueExpression = getValueExpression("selectedOption");
        if (valueExpression != null) {
          selectedOption = (String)valueExpression.getValue(getFacesContext().getELContext());
     return selectedOption;
  public void setSelectedOption(String selectedOption) {
    this.selectedOption = selectedOption;
    // Tried this - didn't help
    // ValueExpression valueExpression = getValueExpression("selectedOption");
    // valueExpression.setValue(getFacesContext().getELContext(), selectedOption);
{code}
And finally part of the tag class:
{code}
protected void setProperties(UIComponent component) { 
  super.setProperties(component); 
  SearchBoxComponent searchBox = (SearchBoxComponent)component;       
   if (selectedOption != null) { 
          searchBox.setValueExpression("selectedOption", selectedOption); 
// Standard getter and setter
{code}
Thank you,
Ristretto
Ps. When and where should setSubmittedValue() be used, and what should I do like in this case if there are two "submitted values"?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Answer 1

Could you describe more in your selectable choices in your combo box?
If you ask user about which are their favourite fruits,
You can use checkbox for selecting.
If you ask user about their gender,
You can use radio button.
You can even use more than one combo boxes for displaying result.
Could you describe your requirement in detai? If we do not know your choice for selecting, you cannot suggest which
component to use and how to implement.