Object Array Data Provider Refresh Possible bug

Question

Hello
I am having a problem with Object Array Data Provider in terms that the table's data is not changed corectly after a request as expected, but after two requests.
Steps to reproduce the bug:
0. Create a new Visual Web project, call it 'test'.
Set 'Bundled Tomcat ' or 'Sun 9' as deploy target server.
Edit 'Page1' of the project.
1. Create an Entity class, simple class that has only getters and setters with a few fields (lets say 'id' and 'name').
2. In the SessionBean1 that is generated by the framework create an array of Entity class named 'entityArr', and getters and setters for this field.
3. Add a new Array Object Data Provider on the page and set in its properties as array the array created in the previous step 'entityArr (SessionBean1)'.
4. Add a new table component, and set as data provider the provider created in step 3.
In the Table's Layout map the fields from the Entity class, and set whatever compnents you desire for each component's type or leave the default ones (Static Text).
5. Add a 'property change trigger component' on the page. I called it like this because I tried the following :
5.1 A text field and a button to submit the text value
5.2 A Calendar component with autosubmit
5.3 A DropDown with autosubmit.
6. On the property change trigger component created at step 5 set a value_changed method that changes the the array that should be displayed by the table.
For Example, for a DropDown component, you will have a method like this :
public void dropDown1_processValueChange(ValueChangeEvent event) {
String idStr = (String) event.getNewValue();
System.out.println("Entity id :"+idStr);
if(idStr .equals("item1")) {
fillSessionBean1(true);
else {
fillSessionBean1(false);
getSessionBean1().setItemName(idStr);
private void fillSessionBean1(boolean fillValues) {
Entity[] values ;
if(fillValues) {
values = new Entity[4];
for ( int i=0;i<values.length; i++) {
Entity entity = new Entity();
entity.setDescription("Description "+i);
entity.setName("Name "+i);
entity.setId(i) ;
values[i] = entity;
else {
//values = new Entity[0];
values = null;
getSessionBean1().setEntityArr(values);
7. When running the program, if the selected is Item1, the table does not show the array set if on this branch.
I am using :
Netbeans 5.5 build 20061017100,
Visual Web Pack 070104_2,
Ent.Pack 20061212
jdk 1.6.0
Operating Systems : Both Linux Suse10 and Windows.
If anyone has a solution for this please let me know.

Answer 1

OK
While no one responded, I had to think for myself.
There is a bug in the code generated by netbeans or there is nowhere specified that if you attach an array to a data provider you will have to notify by hand the data provider that the array has changed.
You will have to put this line that is generated in init function in your valuechanged functions :
objectArrayDataProvider1.setArray((java.lang.Object[])getValue("#{SessionBean1.entityArr}"));
I think this aproach is a little bit wrong, even it works.
I believe the data provider should be notified the array has been changed.
There could be a much more simple aproaches :
1. In the code generated by netbeans, if you attach an array to a data provider the data provider will be notified after any set(Object[])
2. The data provider could have a function so you will ne anle to attach to the data provider an Object (the session bean, in my case) and the name of the function that retrieves the array (in my case, 'getEntityArr') .
The code generated by netbeans could add this function easily.
Maybe there are any other better aproaches, and I might be wrong.
It's good that it works.