How can I dynamically specify a Column Name in a Where Clause of a DB

Question

I have a page that query the Database based on the column Name and values entered by the user. on this page I have a drop down list of all the Column names and a text field. The user can choose from any of the dropdown list option to set the column Name and also enter a value.How can I dynamically pass the option choosed by the user from the drop down list to the dataProvider in seesionBean1 as a column Name???Help

Answer 1

Hi,
This is a working example of a search form.
In the JSP page we have several texts box, a table bound to a DataProvider with the rowSet in the SessionBean and a search button.
JSP source:
                <ui:body binding="#{PackageAirtime.body1}" id="body1">
                    <ui:form binding="#{PackageAirtime.form1}" id="form1">
                        <table border="0">
                            <tr>
                                <td>
                                    <table border="0" width="100%">
                                        <tr>
                                            <td>
                                                <ui:label binding="#{PackageAirtime.pageTitle}" id="pageTitle" text="Package Airtime"/>
                                                <br/>
                                                <br/>
                                            </td>
                                        </tr>
                                        <tr>
                                            <td>
                                                <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2">
                                                    <tr>
                                                        <td>Package ID:</td>
                                                        <td>
                                                            <ui:textField binding="#{PackageAirtime.textPackageID}"
                                                                id="textPackageID"/>
                                                            <ui:button
                                                                binding="#{PackageAirtime.buttonPackageID}" id="buttonPackageID"
                                                                onClick="handlePackageIDPopup(); return false;" text="..." toolTip="Open package locator"/>
                                                        </td>
                                                    </tr>
                                                    <tr>
                                                        <td>Airtime Code:</td>
                                                        <td>
                                                            <ui:textField binding="#{PackageAirtime.textAirtimeCode}"
                                                                id="textAirtimeCode"/>
                                                            <ui:button
                                                                action="#{PackageAirtime.buttonAirtimeCode_action}"
                                                                binding="#{PackageAirtime.buttonAirtimeCode}" id="buttonAirtimeCode"
                                                                onClick="handleAirtimeCodePopup(); return false;" text="..." toolTip="Open airtime code locator"/>
                                                        </td>
                                                    </tr>
                                                    <tr>
                                                        <td></td>
                                                        <td>
                                                            <ui:button action="#{PackageAirtime.searchButton_action}" binding="#{PackageAirtime.searchButton}"
                                                                id="searchButton" text="Search" toolTip="Search records"/>
                                                        </td>
                                                    </tr>
                                                </table>
                                                <br/>
                                                <ui:staticText binding="#{PackageAirtime.staticTextSearchResults}" id="staticTextSearchResults"/>
                                                <br/>
                                                <ui:table binding="#{PackageAirtime.searchResults}" id="searchResults" paginationControls="true">
                                                    <script>
/* ----- Functions for Table Preferences Panel ----- */
* Toggle the table preferences panel open or closed
function togglePreferencesPanel() {
  var table = document.getElementById("form1:table1");
  table.toggleTblePreferencesPanel();
/* ----- Functions for Filter Panel ----- */
* Return true if the filter menu has actually changed,
* so the corresponding event should be allowed to continue.
function filterMenuChanged() {
  var table = document.getElementById("form1:table1");
  return table.filterMenuChanged();
* Toggle the custom filter panel (if any) open or closed.
function toggleFilterPanel() {
  var table = document.getElementById("form1:table1");
  return table.toggleTableFilterPanel();
/* ----- Functions for Table Actions ----- */
* Initialize all rows of the table when the state
* of selected rows changes.
function initAllRows() {
  var table = document.getElementById("form1:table1");
  table.initAllRows();
* Set the selected state for the given row groups
* displayed in the table.  This functionality requires
* the 'selectId' of the tableColumn to be set.
* @param rowGroupId HTML element id of the tableRowGroup component
* @param selected Flag indicating whether components should be selected
function selectGroupRows(rowGroupId, selected) {
  var table = document.getElementById("form1:table1");
  table.selectGroupRows(rowGroupId, selected);
* Disable all table actions if no rows have been selected.
function disableActions() {
  // Determine whether any rows are currently selected
  var table = document.getElementById("form1:table1");
  var disabled = (table.getAllSelectedRowsCount()>0)?false : true;
  // Set disabled state for top actions
  document.getElementById("form1:table1:tableActionsTop:deleteTop").setDisabled(disabled);
  // Set disabled state for bottom actions
  document.getElementById("form1:table1:tableActionsBottom:deleteBottom").setDisabled(disabled);
}</script>
                                                    <f:facet name="title">
                                                        <ui:staticText binding="#{PackageAirtime.table1Title}" id="table1Title" text="Package Airtime search results"/>
                                                    </f:facet>
                                                    <ui:tableRowGroup binding="#{PackageAirtime.tableRowGroup1}"
                                                        emptyDataMsg="No records matching the search criteria" id="tableRowGroup1"
                                                        sourceData="#{PackageAirtime.s23_package_airtimeDataProvider}" sourceVar="currentRow">
                                                        <ui:tableColumn binding="#{PackageAirtime.tableColumn1}" headerText="Package ID" id="tableColumn1" sort="S23_PACKAGE">
                                                            <ui:staticText binding="#{PackageAirtime.staticText1}" id="staticText1" text="#{currentRow.value['S23_PACKAGE']}"/>
                                                        </ui:tableColumn>
                                                        <ui:tableColumn binding="#{PackageAirtime.tableColumn2}" headerText="Airtime Code" id="tableColumn2" sort="S23_AT_CODE">
                                                            <ui:staticText binding="#{PackageAirtime.staticText2}" id="staticText2" text="#{currentRow.value['S23_AT_CODE']}"/>
                                                        </ui:tableColumn>
                                                        <ui:tableColumn binding="#{PackageAirtime.tableColumn7}" headerText="Prepaid Value" id="tableColumn7">
                                                            <ui:staticText binding="#{PackageAirtime.staticText6}" id="staticText6" text="#{currentRow.value['SUBR_AT_PREPAID_PERIOD_VAL']}"/>
                                                        </ui:tableColumn>
                                                        <ui:tableColumn binding="#{PackageAirtime.tableColumn8}" headerText="Prepaid Type" id="tableColumn8">
                                                            <ui:staticText binding="#{PackageAirtime.staticText7}" id="staticText7" text="#{currentRow.value['SUBR_AT_PREPAID_TYPE']}"/>
                                                        </ui:tableColumn>
                                                        <ui:tableColumn binding="#{PackageAirtime.tableColumn4}" headerText="Start" id="tableColumn4" sort="PRSM_PK_START">
                                                            <ui:staticText binding="#{PackageAirtime.staticText3}" id="staticText3" text="#{currentRow.value['PRSM_PK_START']}"/>
                                                        </ui:tableColumn>
                                                        <ui:tableColumn binding="#{PackageAirtime.tableColumn5}" headerText="End" id="tableColumn5">
                                                            <ui:staticText binding="#{PackageAirtime.staticText4}" id="staticText4" text="#{currentRow.value['PRSM_PK_END']}"/>
                                                        </ui:tableColumn>
                                                        <ui:tableColumn binding="#{PackageAirtime.tableColumn6}" headerText="Units" id="tableColumn6">
                                                            <ui:staticText binding="#{PackageAirtime.staticText5}" id="staticText5" text="#{currentRow.value['PRSM_PK_UNITS']}"/>
                                                        </ui:tableColumn>
                                                        <ui:tableColumn binding="#{PackageAirtime.tableColumn9}" headerText="Carry-over limit" id="tableColumn9" valign="Top">
                                                            <ui:staticText binding="#{PackageAirtime.staticText8}" id="staticText8" text="#{currentRow.value['ROM_PLAN_CARRY_LMT']}"/>
                                                        </ui:tableColumn>
                                                        <ui:tableColumn binding="#{PackageAirtime.tableColumn3}" headerText="Details" id="tableColumn3" width="100">
                                                            <ui:hyperlink action="#{PackageAirtime.viewpackageAT_action}" binding="#{PackageAirtime.hyperlink1}"
                                                                id="hyperlink1" text="View"/>
                                                        </ui:tableColumn>
                                                    </ui:tableRowGroup>
                                                </ui:table>
                                            </td>
                                        </tr>
                                    </table>
                                </td>
                            </tr>
                        </table>
                    </ui:form>
                </ui:body>
...JAVA source:
    public void prerender() {
        search_action();
    public String search_action() {
        try {
            String command = "SELECT s23_package, s23_at_code, prsm_pk_start, prsm_pk_end,  prsm_pk_units, subr_at_prepaid_period_val,  subr_at_prepaid_type, subr_disc_type, subr_disc_rate,  subr_disc_value, subr_disc_perm,  subr_at_prepaid_bill_per_val, subr_at_prepaid_recurring,  s23_package_fwd, s23_at_code_fwd, prsm_pk_start_fwd,  subr_ppa_infinite, subr_ppa_carry_over, rom_plan_carry_lmt  FROM s23_package_airtime, ROM_23_PPLAN_COMP  where rom_23_pack_plan = s23_package";
            String where = "";
            String packageID = (String)textPackageID.getText();
            if (packageID == null) {
                packageID = "";
            packageID = packageID.replace("'", "''");
            if (packageID != "") {
                if (where != "") {
                    where += " AND ";
                where += "upper(S23_PACKAGE) LIKE upper('" + packageID + "%')";
            String airtimeCode = (String)textAirtimeCode.getText();
            if (airtimeCode == null) {
                airtimeCode = "";
            airtimeCode = airtimeCode.replace("'", "''");
            if (airtimeCode != "") {
                if (where != "") {
                    where += " AND ";
                where += " upper(S23_AT_CODE) LIKE upper('" + airtimeCode + "%')";
            if (where != "") {
                command += " AND " + where;
            this.getSessionBean1().getS23_package_airtimeRowSet().setCommand(command);
            this.staticTextSearchResults.setText(tdi.business.Utils.getRowCountMessage(s23_package_airtimeDataProvider.getRowCount()));
        catch (Exception e) {
            log("Error during search for packages airtime", e);
        return null;
    public String searchButton_action() {
        search_action();
        this.tableRowGroup1.setFirst(0);
        return "";
    }I put the search_action() call in the prerender() to have data in my table when the page is open. For a large resultset the best aproach is to let the user select some search criteria and then call the search_action() using a button (searchButton_action() ).
I've added a hyperlink column to my table, it is used to display the current record details in a new page.
I have defined in my SessionBean a getRowkey/setRowkey methods.
When the user click on a "View" hiperlink the following code is executed:
    public String viewpackageAT_action() {
        RowKey row = tableRowGroup1.getRowKey();
        this.getSessionBean1().setPackageAirtimeRowKey(row);
        return "packageairtime_details";
    }I will step over the "Page Navigation".
In the Detail Page I have the following code:
    public void init() {
       this.s23_package_airtimeDataProvider.setCursorRow(this.getSessionBean1().getPackageAirtimeRowKey());
}Now I have the detail page opened and also the DataProvider opened at the saved RowKey value.
Finally, in the SessionBean:
     * Holds value of property packageAirtimeRowKey.
    private RowKey packageAirtimeRowKey;
     * Getter for property packageAirtimeRowKey.
     * @return Value of property packageAirtimeRowKey.
    public RowKey getPackageAirtimeRowKey() {
        return this.packageAirtimeRowKey;
     * Setter for property packageAirtimeRowKey.
     * @param packageAirtimeRowKey New value of property packageAirtimeRowKey.
    public void setPackageAirtimeRowKey(RowKey packageAirtimeRowKey) {
        this.packageAirtimeRowKey = packageAirtimeRowKey;
    }Note: You should enable page navigation in the result(s) table.
That's about it :)
Hope this helps,
Catalin Florean.