Handling a Programmatic Dropdown Error

Question

Screwy subject line, I know, but I am having a problem where when a dropdown box, which is populated from database values, is submitted with a value that was in the database values, but isn't there after the submit. I'm creating my selectOneMenu like this:
<h:selectOneMenu binding="#{e.eDropdown}" id="eDropdown" styleClass="dropdown">
    <f:selectItems id="eList" value="#{e.eList}"/>
</h:selectOneMenu>My getEList() method returns a SelectItem[] and pulls available records from the database. If someone pulls up the page and waits a few minutes, chances are that the value they're going to select is no longer available in the database. When they eventually choose their value, nothing happens. The action logic behind my submit button isn't called. The screen just refreshes. I've walked through it in the debugger and the getEList() method is executed 3 times and the page refreshes. I'm guessing that an exception is being caught when the selected item does not match an item in the SelectItem[], but how do I add logic to act on if that happens?
I'd like to show a simple error message, i.e. "You selection is no longer available." How do I do this? I tried creating a ValueChangeEvent listener, but it would not fire before the getEList() method, even set to <i>immediate</i>.
Help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Answer 1

Hi,
Please go through the tutorial titled "Customizing a Standard Validator Message" which is available at:
http://developers.sun.com/prodtech/javatools/jscreator/learning/tutorials/2/custommessage.html
Hope this is what you were looking for
Cheers
Giri