JSF (JavaServer Faces) is a standard Java web framework that provides components for building user interfaces, and handles requests and responses. It uses a component-based model and a request processing lifecycle with 6 phases. Key aspects of JSF include UI components, a faces configuration file, managed beans, and event handling at the server-side. Web development with JSF involves JSP pages, UI components, custom tag libraries, JavaBeans, and a faces-config.xml configuration file.

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What is JSF?
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What is JSF?
Roosendaal - 22/09/2005
Gie Indesteege - ABIS Training & Consulting
gindesteege@abis.be
ABIS Training & Consulting 1

2. JavaServer Faces (JSF)
What is JSF?
• Web frameworks
• JSF terminology
• JSF life cycle
• Web development with JSF
• Q&A
What is JSF? 2

3. Web frameworks
What is JSF?
Strong requirements needed for e-business applications:
scalability, availability, security, flexibility, ...
No chances taken -> use reliable, well supported framework
• separation of concerns
• layering
• container/component
• extensible
• active community/active development
• standards based
What is JSF? 3

4. Model View Controller framework
What is JSF?
Request
Servlet
Browser
Controller
Logic
JavaBean EIS
Response
JSP Model
View
• Controller servlet regulates navigation
• JavaBean provides/accesses business logic
• JavaServer Page (JSP) creates presentation/view
What is JSF? 4

5. JSF goes beyond MVC (model 2)
What is JSF?
invoke
FacesServlet action method
t
es
qu
re
faces-
select
config.xml
Browser EIS
JavaBean
res
po
ns
e
JSP
• mainly view framework
• obtain configuration from external source (i.e. XML file)
• use Request Handlers as Commands to delegate control
What is JSF? 5

6. JSF architecture
What is JSF?
(JSF 1.0)
API’s
• JSF (javax.faces.*)
• JSTL
• Apache Commons
What is JSF? 6

7. JSF framework
What is JSF?
Important characteristics:
• stateful UI component model
- separation of presentation (rendering),
mark-up generation (HTML, WML, XML, ...)
- and business logic -> integration with model objects (JavaBeans)
• processing of client-side events (at server side)
• extensible type conversion system
• form handling and validation
What is JSF? 7

8. Advantages of JSF
What is JSF?
• official Java standard JSF 1.0 - JSR 127
JSR 252: JavaServer Faces 1.2 - Proposed Final Draft (22/8/2005)
• easier to create multi-channel architectures
- not restricted to JSP (HTML)
• event handling (server side)
• Swing-like GUI creation possible
• Internationalisation
http://java.sun.com/j2ee/javaserverfaces/
What is JSF? 8

9. JavaServer Faces (JSF)
What is JSF?
• Web frameworks
• JSF terminology
• JSF life cycle
• Web development with JSF
• Q&A
What is JSF? 9

10. JSF terminology
What is JSF?
Faces servlet
- controller servlet, part of the JSF framework
Faces configuration (faces-config.xml)
- configuration of web application under control of JSF
- (page) navigation rules
- managed beans (bean under control of JSF framework)
Faces JavaServer Pages
- special tag libraries (core, html, ...)
- faces expression language
What is JSF? 10

11. JSF terminology (cont.)
What is JSF?
Faces (UI) components
- standard set of graphical widgets and controls (stateful)
- based on JavaBeans
- associated with renderer
- organised in tree structure (per JSP)
What is JSF? 11

12. JavaServer Faces (JSF)
What is JSF?
• Web frameworks
• JSF terminology
• JSF life cycle
• Web development with JSF
• Q&A
What is JSF? 12

13. JSF life cycle
What is JSF?
There are 6 phases in the JSF life cycle:
• Reconstitute request tree (restore view)
• Apply request values
• Process validations
• Update model values
• Invoke application
• Render response
What is JSF? 13

14. JSF life cycle (part 1)
What is JSF?
No application data passed
JSF Framework
Restore
Request view
no data
Render
Response response
What is JSF? 14

15. JSF life cycle (part 2)
What is JSF?
Use of (HTML) form data
JSF Framework
Restore ...
Request view
no data
Update
Render ... model
Response response
values
UI components organised in hierarchical tree per JSP
bind input fields to business data in backing bean (managed bean)
What is JSF? 15

16. JSF life cycle (part 3)
What is JSF?
Navigation between pages (static vs. dynamic)
JSF Framework
Restore ...
Request view
no data
Update
Render Invoke
model
Response response application
values
rules in configuration file (faces-config.xml)
<navigation-rule>
<from-view-id>/index.jsp</from-view-id>
<navigation-case>
<from-outcome>success</from-outcome>
<to-view-id>/welcome.jsp</to-view-id>
</navigation-case>
What is JSF? 16

17. JSF life cycle (part 4)
What is JSF?
Validation
JSF Framework
Apply
Restore Process
request
Request view validations
values
no data validation
error
Update
Render Invoke
model
Response response application
values
• syntax -> faces validators working on data in UI components
• business -> logic accessing model values in managed beans
Error messages via FacesMessage objects and special tags in JSP
What is JSF? 17

18. JSF life cycle (final)
What is JSF?
Event handling
JSF Framework
Apply request values Process validations
Restore
PVE
Request view
PVE AE
immediate input
no data immediate command convervion/
validation error
Invoke application
Render Update model
AE
Response response values
PVE AE
C V VCL(n) VCL(a) AL(n) AL(a) A
• action events - when a command is pressed (button or link)
• process validation events- when value of an input field has changed
• input events - immediate commands - immediate input
• (pre- and post) phase events
What is JSF? 18

19. JavaServer Faces (JSF)
What is JSF?
• Web frameworks
• JSF terminology
• JSF life cycle
• Web development with JSF
• Q&A
What is JSF? 19

20. Web development with JSF
What is JSF?
JSF application consists of:
• JSP pages
• UI components represented as stateful objects on the server
• a custom tag library for rendering UI components
• a custom tag library for representing event handlers and validators
• JavaBeans (or model objects) containing application-specific func-
tionality and data
• event listeners
• server-side helper classes
• validators, event handlers, and navigation handlers
• application configuration resource file faces-config.xml
What is JSF? 20

21. Web development with JSF
What is JSF?
Native
Supported by IDE
• IBM WebSphere Studio and Rational Developer
• Sun Java Studio Creator
• Borland JBuilder
• Oracle JDeveloper
• ...
or
Integration of JSF with EGL (see next presentation)
What is JSF? 21

22. JavaServer Faces (JSF)
What is JSF?
• Web frameworks
• JSF terminology
• JSF life cycle
• Web development with JSF
• Q&A
What is JSF? 22

23. JavaServer Faces (JSF)
What is JSF?
Thank you
Gie Indesteege
ABIS Training & Consulting
What is JSF? 23