JSF:adding dynamic components on update.

Question

Well I am using a same form for two purposes. One if for creating a new service and one for editing it. In this I have a button on clicking it I get two new input text boxes.
<h:panelGrid binding="#{provisioning.localPanelGrid}" />
          <h:panelGrid columns="2" columnClasses="localhost_list_heading">
               <h:commandButton value="Add LocalHost" type="submit"
                    action="#{provisioning.addNewLocalHost}" />
               <h:commandButton value="Delete LocalHost" type="submit"
                    action="#{provisioning.deleteLocalHost}" />
          </h:panelGrid>In which on clicking Add LocalHost I perfom the function addNewLocalHost which adds two input boxes.
public static int localid = 0;
public String addNewLocalHost() {
          log.debug("In addNewLocalHost");
          try{          
               /*------------------ Creating Local Host Name Input Text Component --------------------*/
               log.debug("creating local host name Input Text");
               log.debug("Local Host Input Box no is " + localid);
               //Setting the value of host name to empty string
               localhostName.setValue("");
               //Setting id of the HtmlInputText.
               localhostName.setId("localhost" + Integer.toString(localid));
               log.debug("Input Text for host name created");
               String val="#{provisioning.localhostname[" + Integer.toString(localid) + "]" + "}";
               //Creating value binding for HtmlInput Text for localhost name.
               ValueBinding value= app.createValueBinding(val);
               //Setting value binding.
               localhostName.setValueBinding("value",value);
               /*------------------ Creating Local Host Port Input Text Component --------------------*/
               log.debug("creating local host port Input Text");
               //Setting the value of host port to empty string
               localportNumber.setValue("");
               //Settig id for port number
               localportNumber.setId("localport" + Integer.toString(localid));
               String portValue="#{provisioning.localport[" + Integer.toString(localid) + "]" + "}";
               log.debug("Input Text for port created");
               ValueBinding portvalue= app.createValueBinding(portValue);
               log.debug(portvalue);
               //setting value binding for port number.
               localportNumber.setValueBinding("value",portvalue);
               //Setting Converter Message.
               log.debug("Setting Converter Message.");
               localportNumber.setConverterMessage("Please Enter a numerical value.");
               /*------------------------- Getting Local Panel Grid --------------------------*/
               log.debug("Getting existing Local Host Name Grid");
               localPanelGrid = getLocalPanelGrid();
               /*------------ Add components to the Local Panel Grid --------------------------*/
               log.debug("Grid:" + localPanelGrid);
               localPanelGrid.setColumns(2);
               localPanelGrid.getChildren().add(localhostName);
               localPanelGrid.getChildren().add(localportNumber);
               log.debug("Children Size of Local Panel Grid is " + localPanelGrid.getChildren().size());
               log.debug("Children added");     
               //incrementing the value of localid.
               localid++;
               log.debug("added new Local Host Component successfully");
               return "success";
          catch(Exception e){
               log.error("addNewComponent " + e.getMessage(),e);
               return "failure";
     }Now I am facing the problem in case of update where I have the same form and after getting the values from database I want to add initially the no. of input boxes according to the size of data retrived. What should I do?
I tried using a inputHidden field to do the same. I mentioned a input Hidden field in jsf page just above the panelGrid
<h:inputHidden value="#{provisioning.createInputTextBoxes}" />and in its getter I included
public String getCreateInputTextBoxes() {
          log.debug("Checking if update or not for host list input text boxes to be created");
          if(isModify()){
               log.debug("Creating pages for input boxes");
               for(int i=0;i<localHostListSize;i++){ //localHostListSize is the size retrived from database.
                    addNewLocalHost();
          return createInputTextBoxes;
     }Now the problem is that the function is getting called the same number of times as the localHostListSize but I am seeing only one inputbox and I am seeing no data in it whereas I have explicitly set the value of localhostname[] to the data retrieved and I am getting the data in logs (except for the last one).
Logs for my page execution were :
11:57:20,161 DEBUG ProvisioningManagedBean:85 - Checking if update or not for host list input text boxes to be created
11:57:20,161 DEBUG ProvisioningManagedBean:87 - Creating pages for input boxes
11:57:20,161 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:84 - In addNewLocalHost
11:57:20,161 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:88 - creating local host name Input Text
11:57:20,161 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:89 - Local Host Input Box no is 0
11:57:20,161 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:94 - Input Text for host name created
11:57:20,177 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:104 - creating local host port Input Text
11:57:20,177 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:110 - Input Text for port created
11:57:20,177 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:112 - [email protected]cb98
11:57:20,177 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:116 - Setting Converter Message.
11:57:20,177 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:121 - Getting existing Local Host Name Grid
11:57:20,177 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:47 - Getting local panel grid
11:57:20,177 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:125 - Grid:javax.faces.component.html.HtmlPanelGrid@14c8822
11:57:20,177 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:129 - Children Size of Local Panel Grid is 2
11:57:20,177 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:130 - Children added
11:57:20,177 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:134 - added new Local Host Component successfully
11:57:20,177 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:84 - In addNewLocalHost
11:57:20,177 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:88 - creating local host name Input Text
11:57:20,177 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:89 - Local Host Input Box no is 1
11:57:20,177 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:94 - Input Text for host name created
11:57:20,177 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:104 - creating local host port Input Text
11:57:20,177 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:110 - Input Text for port created
11:57:20,177 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:112 - [email protected]cf59
11:57:20,192 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:116 - Setting Converter Message.
11:57:20,192 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:121 - Getting existing Local Host Name Grid
11:57:20,192 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:47 - Getting local panel grid
11:57:20,192 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:125 - Grid:javax.faces.component.html.HtmlPanelGrid@14c8822
11:57:20,192 DEBUG ProvisioningDynamicComponents:129 - Children Size of Local Panel Grid is 2and the data was back as in the logs
12:31:00,817 DEBUG ProvisioningManagedBean:890 - Local Host List
12:31:00,817 DEBUG ProvisioningManagedBean:894 - Host = h6
12:31:00,817 DEBUG ProvisioningManagedBean:895 - Port = 6
12:31:00,817 DEBUG ProvisioningManagedBean:894 - Host = 123.12.0.15
12:31:00,817 DEBUG ProvisioningManagedBean:895 - Port = 123
12:31:00,817 DEBUG ProvisioningManagedBean:894 - Host =
12:31:00,817 DEBUG ProvisioningManagedBean:895 - Port = 0What should i try?

Answer 1

Why don't you make use of a h:dataTable? Just adding a new SomeObject to a List<SomeObject> would be enough then.