This document provides an overview of a presentation on troubleshooting XPages applications. It discusses common issues developers face with XPages, such as state management and partial refreshes not working as expected. The presentation covers techniques for debugging these issues, including using a PhaseListener to identify problems with partial refreshes and ensuring components are rendered in the correct lifecycle phases. It also provides examples of questions asked on StackOverflow about XPages.

1. "Marty, You're Just Not Thinking Fourth
Dimensionally": Troubleshooting XPages
Paul Withers / 2nd Feb 2016

2. Acknowledgements and Disclaimers
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3. About Me
“My name is Darth Vader. I
am an extraterrestrial from
the planet Vulcan”

4. Why This Session?
• XPages often doesn’t work “as expected”
 Custom Control -> XPage -> Browser
 Browser -> Server -> Browser
 SSJS / CSJS
 State management
 Partial Refresh
• Lots of StackOverflow questions
 Which wouldn’t be referenced here unless many developers hit
the same issues!

5. Agenda
• Buzz-Quote Bingo!
• Twin Pines Mall / Lone Pine Mall
• Marty’s Family Photo
• Marty McFly and the Tannens
• Power of Love
• Alternate 1985
• Indians!
• It’s Erased!

6. BuzzQuote Bingo
• http://hermes.intec.co.uk/bttf
• Enter Name and Email
• Click when you hear
• Shout if you win!

7. Twin Pines Mall / Lone
Pine Mall

8. Some Questions
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/32256155/why-does-this-
code-write-out-two-documents/32259533#32259533
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/24400934/xpages-save-
cancel-actions-scenario
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/24407003/xpages-unid-of-
documents-why-it-is-changing
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/21015953/xpages-conflict-
is-created-everytime-a-document-is-saved

9. 1. Retrieve/Create Code in documentId
• ALWAYS use ${…} when calculating properties like
documentId
• Otherwise calculated FOUR times on page load
 If attached to a Panel, TWICE AFTER beforePageLoad
 If attached to XPage, TWICE BEFORE beforePageLoad
• Can’t use scoped variables set in beforePageLoad!
 Always TWICE DURING render response

10. 1a. Timing of Initialisations
• viewScoped variables can’t be set before PAGE LOAD
 Controller frameworks put variable in requestScope and move to
viewScope
• data, dataContexts etc
 attached to XPage / Custom Control - initialised alongside
component
 Attached to Panel – initialised during PAGE LOAD

11. 2. ignoreRequestParams
• ALWAYS use ignoreRequestParams where appropriate
 If no params, computed settings respected
 If params passed, computed settings overwritten

12. 3. Submit Button Type
• DON’T use save=“true” (“Submit” button type)
 Use script, not simple actions
• Greater control, less risk
• You save only what should be saved
• Preparing you for Java / beans / beyond
• Form with single rich text field can cause problems even with
script

13. Marty’s Family Photo

14. Some Questions
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/33259105/xpages-button-
unresponsive-after-4-ajax-calls/33260337#33260337
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/32628012/xpages-losing-a-
viewscoped-bean-again/32633453#32633453
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/32482575/xpages-falling-
out-of-server-side-cache/32483154#32483154
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/33686362/xpages-page-
loosing-context-weird-behaviour
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/32628012/xpages-losing-a-
viewscoped-bean-again/32633453#32633453

15. 4. Keep Pages In Memory
• XPages is stateful
• Number of component trees restricted for performance
• Dumped xsp.session.timeout minutes after browser closed
 Browser doesn’t tell server session is no longer used!

16. 5. viewState=“nostate”
• viewState=“nostate”
 Don’t store a component tree for this page
 Best practice for XAgents / REST services

17. 6. Explanation of “nostate”
• DataView and nostate
 Toggle expand/collapse is fine
 Navigating to specific pages is fine
 Next / Previous is relative to defaults
 Toggle detail is relative to defaults
• Unless detailsOnClient=“true”
• Details pushed to browser along with rest of content
• “Toggle” is client-side show/hide

18. Marty and the Tannens

19. Some Questions
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/31561306/how-do-i-access-
a-repeat-control-from-the-outside-e-g-via-
csjs/31575723#31575723
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/27982313/xprepeat-inside-
xedataview/27982614#27982614
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/34158779/inherit-index-
from-repeatcontrol-in-nested-custom-
controls/34158954#34158954
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/34652364/slider-in-repeat-
control-and-manipulation-of-text-via-
jouery/34653561#34653561

20. 7. Repeat Controls and Component Tree
• Only one set of components in component tree
• repeatControls=“true” changes behaviour
 x many sets of components
 Hard-wired to specific entries at page load
 Pagers have no effect because of hard-wiring
 Allows “loaded” computations within the repeat, e.g. id’s
• Cannot compute repeatControls=“true” within compositeData

21. 8. Dynamic Content Control
• Only components from current facet exist in component tree
• Component tree dynamically updated
• Better than showing / hiding via rendered property

22. 9. Custom Controls and Scope
• Custom control is inserted into component tree
• Variable names outside custom control available
• As long as same variable used, no need to pass
• Same rules as for any component
 Is variable available by navigating upwards in tree?
 Cannot retrieve variables from another branch
• E.g. different repeat entry, repeat entry from outside repeat

23. Power of Love

24. ControllingViewHandler
• Creates component tree for specific XPage
• Runs before beforePageLoad event
• super.createView() loads component tree
• Also creates viewScope
 Not available before call to super.createView()
 Load variables to requestScope before super.createView()
 Move to viewScope after super.createView()

25. ControllingViewHandler

26. PhaseListener
• Handles XPages lifecycle
• On page load, only RENDER RESPONSE triggered
• Runs for every partial refresh
 Ensure optimised
 Ensure error handling
• Crucial for identifying why partial refresh is not behaving “as
expected”

27. PhaseListener

28. Some Questions
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/20477153/xpages-server-
validation-errors-havent-been-displayed-to-the-user
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/28339422/ssjs-onclick-
action-will-not-fire-on-xpage/28340759#28340759
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/33024777/xpages-how-to-
do-partial-refresh-correctly
• http://www.intec.co.uk/view-isrenderingphase-and-buttons/
• http://www.intec.co.uk/fully-understanding-rendered-property-
and-components-with-events/

29. 10. Understanding Partial Refresh
• Partial Refresh is SIX Phases

30. 10. Understanding Partial Refresh
• 1. RESTORE VIEW
 Get component tree again
• 2. APPLY REQUEST VALUES
 Pass String values from browser to executed component tree
• 3. PROCESS VALIDATIONS
 Run validators AND converters for executed component tree

31. 10. Understanding Partial Refresh
• 4. UPDATE MODEL VALUES
 Convert string values and update executed component tree
• 5. INVOKE APPLICATION
 Run application logic (SSJS / Java)
• 6. RENDER RESPONSE
 Update HTML for executed component tree and post refresh area

32. 11. Conditionally Hidden Save Button
• Set rendered property on button
 For best practice, use view.isRenderingPhase()
 Ensure set to true for other phases or code will not run
• Add partial refresh where appropriate
 Ensure refresh area correct or button will not show
 Ensure disableValidators=“true” or button will not hide again if
invalid

33. 12. Reasons Code May Not Work!
• CSJS returning false – check Firebug for POST event
• Conversion error – 1,2,3,6
• Validation error – 1,2,3,6
• Exec id not including components being used by application
logic
• Exec id not including component triggering application logic
• Event handler not rendered in phase 4
• Refresh area not including errors control

34. 13. Troubleshooting
• Use PhaseListener
• java.util.logging.ConsoleHandler.level manages console
logging of server validation errors, since 8.5.3
 In workspace.configrcpinstall.properties
• ALWAYS including errors control in refresh area
• Be conscious of rendered property

35. BONUS 1: Data View
• dataCache=“id” setting available on View datasource
• Better for performance, only caches id, not full ViewEntry
(wrapped)
• “var” not available during Apply Request Values
 Compute value only in Render Response

36. BONUS 2 - Dialog
• To refresh area,
getComponent(“dialog1”).hide(“myRefreshArea”)
 POST
• Run SSJS
• view.postScript - XSP.closeDialog
 GET
• Refresh myRefreshArea

37. Alternate 1985

38. 14. What Requires Restart Task HTTP?
• Picked up immediately
 Classic design elements
 XPages*
 Custom Controls*
 Java classes*
* Provided not in SCXD - http://www.intec.co.uk/single-copy-xpage-design-
some-learning-and-why-its-not-for-me/

39. 14. What Requires Restart Task HTTP?
• Require “res task http”
 JAR files
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/30939347/jar-file-changes-in-
lotus-notes-database-not-being-picked-up-by-domino-server
 SCXD
 OSGi plugin*
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/33233724/while-in-development-
in-xpages-libraries-changes-are-not-picked-up/33234041#33234041
 Servlet / OSGi application*
* Without JRebel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHbVgA2oqD0

40. Indians!

41. Question
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/33190731/value-picker-get-
error-typeerror-resp-is-null-in-xpages/33210520#33210520

42. 15. “Resp is null”
• Understand page load and dynamically
 “resp is null” – options for picker are not available
 Picker is client-side, but values are passed to renderer server-
side

43. 16. SSJS in CSJS
• SSJS in CSJS
 Computed server-side as part of script renderer
 Only re-computed by partial refresh
• To access component values
 Use dojo.byId or variants to access client-side element
 Trigger partial refresh to update SSJS embedded into CSJS

44. It’s Erased!

45. Some Questions
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/24735862/best-practice-for-
storing-datetime-values-in-xpages
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/34417067/xpages-
notserializableexception-on-
datetime/34417335?noredirect=1#comment56612210_344173
35
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/33168499/cannot-serialize-
javascript-function/33168732#33168732

46. 17. Domino Objects in Scopes
• Domino objects can’t be stored in scopes.
 DateTimes are the most common culprit
 Use .toJavaDate() to store Java Date
• Similar issues with SSJS functions stored in variables

47. 18. Impact of Persistence Setting
• For Domino objects in scopes, depending on persistence
setting
 Keep pages in memory – value just lost
 Keep pages on disk – error thrown to server, redirect to error
page (fails to display)
 Keep current page in memory – value just lost, error 500 on
navigating

48. Summary
• Understand ignoreRequestParams
• Avoid simple actions
• Keep Pages in Memory – understand impacts
• Use viewState=“nostate”
• Understand detailsOnClient=“true”
• Understand repeatControls=“true”

49. Summary
• Understand scope and custom controls
• Understand partial refresh is more than just “partial
refresh”
• Understand SSJS is computed and injected into CSJS
• Use Firebug or comparable tool
• Don’t store Domino objects in scopes
• Understand impact of serialization

50. Thank You!
Paul Withers
Intec Systems Ltd
IBM Champion
OpenNTF Board Member
@paulswithers
pwithers@intec.co.uk
http://www.intec.co.uk/blog

51. Thank you