Creating JSF Pages with Pure Java Code

[pavel.ponec]

Hello,
I would like to ask if it is possible to create HTML pages using pure Java code according to the ideas of this article:

https://dzone.com/articles/creating-jsf-pages-pure-java

If so, whether it is possible to take this approach as a vendor-supported solution and possibly where I can find some guidance.

Best regards,
Pavel

[kukeltje]

Don't do this. From https://stackoverflow.com/questions/351 ... orm-fields

Noted should be that there is absolutely nothing which is only possible in Java (way #2) and impossible in XHTML+XML (way #1). Everything is possible in XHTML+XML as good as in Java. A lot of starters underestimate XHTML+XML (particularly <ui:repeat> and JSTL) in dynamically creating components and incorrectly think that Java would be the "one and only" way, while that generally only ends up in brittle and confusing code.

[pavel.ponec]

Everything is possible in XHTML+XML as good as in Java

Here are some reasons for using the Java code:

1. Java coding is usually faster and type-safe, better refactoring is supported in a NetBeans IDE for example
2. The compiler does not recognize typing errors of the XHTML to Java API
3. It is difficult to implement a component factory service to provide a graphical component in XHTML (according to some meta-data model for example)
4. XHTML technology does not know the simple inheritance of components. A component extended of SelectBooleanCheckbox (for special use) is difficult to use in XHTML for example.
5. There are probably more reasons for this.

Regards,
Pavel

[mdzaebel]

Pavel,

of course, this is natural thought. I started the same many years ago. However, I just learned, that separating presentation and business logic is quite usefull. The second learning was, that XHTML is indeed a shorter and better method to represent the view. You can go through some years of experience but you will finally end up with this insight. There will be some problems that get bigger and bigger using low level API's. So just use the 30 man years of Primefaces that deliver components already optimized with their API (and the implementation is sometimes quite complex!). Of course, you'll use Java but only for lists/graphs of objects, that are traversed via view iterators and methods, that you can apply to them.

Marc

[kukeltje]

Java coding is usually faster and type-safe, better refactoring is supported in a NetBeans IDE for example

no need to if you encapsulate what you need in 'wrappers' https://stackoverflow.com/questions/682 ... m-componen

The compiler does not recognize typing errors of the XHTML to Java API

When do you make those? EL mismatch with @Named beans and its methods IS recognized in a decent IDE

It is difficult to implement a component factory service to provide a graphical component in XHTML (according to some meta-data model for example)

Please provide a concrete example? I've done a complex form solution with a 'sort of' factory and many input types that can be compared with what you describe that works perfectly

XHTML technology does not know the simple inheritance of components. A component extended of SelectBooleanCheckbox (for special use) is difficult to use in XHTML for example.

Why is this needed, example? There are options to override/extend things if required.

Effectively all you seem to have are arguments of things that you need IF you use java to write components.

[pavel.ponec]

separating presentation and business logic is quite usefull.

It is possible that my view may be influenced by the relatively short experience of JSF, however I have many years of experience with the Apache Wicket component framework where there was no problem separate the presentation layer from business logic in the Java code. Therefore, my question remains the same: can anyone advise me how to try it?

Regards,
Pavel

[pavel.ponec]

Hello Ronald, thank you for a detail response.

SelectBooleanCheckbox (for special use) ... Why is this needed?

For some historical reasons, my project uses Enum instead of Boolean in data model.
I'd like to implement missing customer data adapter into the SelectBooleanCheckbox component for general data type.

component factory ... Please provide a concrete example?

Imagine that the property of each attribute of a domain object is described by a class containing information:

• the attribute name
• data type
• value validator
• max length of input text field

Then it will be possible to create a factory method for the production of graphical components according to the model. The development of forms using the factory method is very fast and ensures standard components throughout the all project. Here's a real example of how to use it on components of the Apache Wicket framework:

• form creation: https://hotels.ujorm.org/source?src=org ... able&idx=1
• table creation: https://hotels.ujorm.org/source?src=org ... able&idx=0

I'm afraid that such a solution is very difficult to implement using XHTML of JSF.

[mdzaebel]

You can simply use your logic to create the model with pojos, that are not view components but value objects. This model can be traversed by sequencable view components like p:dataTable, p:TreeTable etc. in the XHTML view. That's it!

Marc

[kukeltje]

Besides https://www.primefaces.org/showcase-ext ... naForm.jsf being available

I'm afraid that such a solution is very difficult to implement using XHTML of JSF.

No it is not... See the link I already posted. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/351 ... orm-fields. You can wrap things even in a custom component/tag/...

And

SelectBooleanCheckbox (for special use) ... Why is this needed?

For some historical reasons, my project uses Enum instead of Boolean in data model.
I'd like to implement missing customer data adapter into the SelectBooleanCheckbox component for general data type.

The second sentence this is still hard to understand.