Template UI Logic and backingbean

Question

Hi,
I'm new to adf and i'm trying to build a sample project with jDevelopper 11.1.2.1.0 for my company to know if we can switch to it.
I've go a use case to implement but i've got some issues to understand how i can do it.
I must create a view with :
1) a top zone with a toolbar (and other stuff)
2) a center zone with a panel tabbed
2.a) In the first tab, a bounded table with some columns
2.b) In the second tab a splitter
2.b.i ) In the first facet of the splitter a second bounded table with some other columns (but linked to the same iterator)
2.b.ii) In the second facet of the splitter a form (to edit the data)
3) a bottom zone with a statut toolbar.
I've created my toolbar with a declarative component following the adf corner [079. Strategy for implementing global buttons in a page template|http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/adf/learnmore/79-global-template-button-strategy-360139.pdf], my toolbar have 5 buttons (create, edit, save, cancel and delete).
I then created a template for placing panel, and table splitter ui components with a backingbean used for binding the ui components (in backingbean scope, its' important cause the template could be on the same page with nested template tag)
I've created a taskflow following the adf corner [007.How to cancel an edit form, undoing changes with ADFm savepoints|http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/adf/learnmore/007-cancelform-savepoint-169126.pdf] for the edit form
I created a page that inherits my template, placed the declarative component toolbar at the top, placed the two bounded datatable in the facets of the template, and finally created a normal region calling the taskflow.
When i click on the create button, the template backing bean receive the "event" and handle it, changing a task flow parameter.... (updating the region)
My taskflow update and show me the create form... no problem....
But if the user is on the first tab, he sees nothing. So i would like to change the disclosed property of the showDetailItems of the panelTabbed.
I then created a variable in the pageDef of the template that would store a boolean value if the page is in EditMode or not. (create and edit is edit mode. save, cancel and delete is not)
I created a contextual event to listen when that variable change, like that a datacontrol from a bean with a single public method could handle that change :
onIsEditModeChanged(boolean newValue){
 getGUI().swicthShowDetailItem(newValue);
}The method try to get the backingbean of the template (with a el expression), and then call a updatePanel(Boolean newValue) for changing the disclosed property of the showDetailItems :
public BackingBeanTemplate001 getGUI()
 FacesContext context = FacesContext.getCurrentInstance();
 ELContext eLContext = context.getELContext();
 ExpressionFactory expressionFactory = context.getApplication().getExpressionFactory();
 ValueExpression createValueExpression =
 expressionFactory.createValueExpression(eLContext, "#{backingBeanScope.backingBeanTemplate001}", BackingBeanTemplate001.class);
 return (BackingBeanTemplate001)createValueExpression.getValue(eLContext);
public void swicthShowDetailItem(Boolean newValue) {
 if (newValue) {
  if(!showDetail2.isDisclosed()){
   showDetaill1.setDisclosed(false);
   showDetaill2.setDisclosed(true);
}Here's my issue :
When the onIsEditModeChanged method is called the backingbean of the template doesn't exist in the context.
So adf create a new instance of it but doesn't fill the ui component references of the page so i can't change the properties cause i get a NPE.
of course showDetail2 and showDetail1 have their binding property set :
<af:showDetailItem text="showDetail1" id="pt_sdi1" stretchChildren="first" binding="#{backingBeanScope.backingBeanTemplate001.showDetail1}">
And
<af:showDetailItem text="showDetail2" id="pt_sdi1" stretchChildren="first" binding="#{backingBeanScope.backingBeanTemplate001.showDetail2}">the backingBeanScope.backingBeanTemplate001 is referenced in adfc-config.xml :
<managed-bean id="__5">
     <managed-bean-name>backingBeanTemplate001</managed-bean-name>
     <managed-bean-class>org.darkink.test.backingbean.template.BackingBeanTemplate001</managed-bean-class>
     <managed-bean-scope>backingBean</managed-bean-scope>
</managed-bean>If i put a button IN the template that change my attribut value :
public void switchAction(ActionEvent actionEvent) {
         BindingContext bindingContext = BindingContext.getCurrent();
         DCBindingContainer bindingContainer = (DCBindingContainer)bindingContext.getCurrentBindingsEntry();
         AttributeBinding binding = (AttributeBinding)bindingContainer.getControlBinding("isEditModeAttr");
         binding.setInputValue(true);
}I dont have the NPE, at the "JSF Invoke Application" the bean already exists in the context (it is created at the "JSF Restore View") and all the ui component are NOT null.
BUT if a place my button in the page that inherits the template and i call that method :
public void switchAction(ActionEvent actionEvent) {
         BindingContext bindingContext = BindingContext.getCurrent();
         DCBindingContainer bindingContainer = (DCBindingContainer)bindingContext.getCurrentBindingsEntry();
         DCBindingContainer bcPtb1 = (DCBindingContainer)bindingContainer.get("ptb1");
         AttributeBinding binding = (AttributeBinding)bcPtb1 .getControlBinding("isEditModeAttr");
         binding.setInputValue(true);
}everything works the same BUT at the "JSF Invoke Application" the bean doesn't exist in the context (so adf create it, BUT doesn't fill the ui component bindings).
The strange thing is that at the "JSF Restore View" the backingbean is well created and filled with the ref of the ui components....
So here's my questions :
1) Why there is a difference when my button is on the template and when it's on the page ??? (with the backingbean)
2) Why the backingbean is not fully created (only the constructor is called and not the ui components bindings)
3) How can i realise my use case ?
4) Is there another method to implement UI Logic with template ?
5) Is there a better way to do this ?
6) How to get the context of the template ?
Thanks a lot for all of you who had the patience to read all of this, i know it's a lot
but i didn't know how to explain my problem without all thoses explanations.
I've read all the adf corner and all the given pdf books on the site (that i've found) trying to search for a solution and
didn't find one. So please don't tell me read the books, or the solution is already documented...
It would be a lot more helpfull to explain me why it's not working or why what a did is not a good solution.
Sorry for my poor english too.
Thanks a lot....
Angle
P.S 1:
In the swicthShowDetailItem method i've tried to change for using this :
if (newValue) {
 RichShowDetailItem c = (RichShowDetailItem)getComponent("pt1:pt_pt1:pt_sdi2");
 if (!c.isDisclosed()) {
    ((RichShowDetailItem)getComponent("pt1:pt_pt1:pt_sdi1")).setDisclosed(false);
    c.setDisclosed(true);
}It's working... but ugly and not efficient... so for me it's not a good answer....
P.S 2:
Another solution that i've found is that i could create an hidden button on the template
that call the change event and in the page create a button that queue a click event
on that button but for me it's not a solution.
P.S 3:
I dont like a JavaScript solution neither. for me, if a can bind my ui components to a backingbean
i want to be able to use them !!!
Edited by: 915518 on 19 févr. 2012 12:04
Edited by: 915518 on 19 févr. 2012 12:10

Answer 1

Hi,
There will not any performance issue as such as all the code will be executed by the same Dialog workprocess in the application server.
But it is alwys good to keep you flow logic and application logic seperated, so flow logic just calls the methods and the methods are in a different component like a static method of a class or function module in a function group.
Best thing is Function Group as you can have screens in a Function pool.
Regards,
Sesh