Issue with JSF Richfaces autocompletion - how to pass a hidden parameter with alternative methods?

Question

Issue with JSF Richfaces autocompletion - how to pass a hidden parameter with alternative methods?

I'm trying to create an autocomplete input text field that sets an id or an employee Object when the form is submitted, instead of just obtaining the string from the input field. Can someone help me figure out how to achieve this? Maybe using a hidden input field or a JavaScript/ajax function. THANKS!

<rich:autocomplete mode="cachedAjax" tokens="," minChars="0"
            autoFill="true" selectFirst="true"
            autocompleteMethod="#{employeeBean.employeeSuggestions}" var="employee"
            fetchValue="#{employee.firstName} #{employee.lastName}">
             <h:inputHidden id="employeeId" value="#{employee.id}"/>
            <h:column>
                <h:outputText value="#{employee.firstName}" />
                <h:outputText value="&#160;" />
            </h:column>
            <h:column>
                <h:outputText value="#{employee.lastName}" />
            </h:column>
        </rich:autocomplete>
    </h:panelGrid>

    <h:panelGrid columns="3" cellspacing="5">
        <h:commandButton value="#{messages.ok}"
            action="#{departmentBean.addOrUpdateDepartment}">
        </h:commandButton>
        <h:commandButton action="department" value="#{messages.close}"
            immediate="true" />
    </h:panelGrid>

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

javascript ajax spring jsf richfaces

Answer 1

Answer №1

I encountered a similar situation and after some trial and error, I found a solution using a combination of jsFunction and an action method in the backing bean.

Initially, the ID value is temporarily displayed in the autocomplete field before triggering the onselectitem JS function. The execute attribute in the jsFunction ensures that the retrieved ID value is linked to the backing bean field before calling the populateEmployee action. The populateEmployee method then takes the ID value from the field and updates it as needed, replacing the display value in the autocomplete field with the desired content (such as the employee's name). The autocomplete field is then refreshed to display the updated information.

Depending on the speed of your backend system for looking up employee IDs to names, there may be a brief moment where the raw ID is shown before the populateEmployee function completes. However, this approach provided the best working solution for my scenario.

Below is the JSF code:

<a4j:jsFunction name="chooseEmployee" execute="employeeSearchName" action="#{employeeSearchBean.populateEmployee}" render="selectedEmployeeId employeeSearchName"/>
<rich:autocomplete id="employeeSearchName" mode="ajax" minChars="3"
                   autocompleteMethod="#{employeeSearchBean.searchEmployees}" var="emp"
                   autofill="false" layout="table"
                   fetchValue="#{emp.employee.id}" value="#{employeeSearchBean.selectedEmployeeName}"
                   onselectitem="chooseEmployee()">
... output columns ...
</rich:autocomplete>
<h:outputText id="selectedEmployeeId" value="#{employeeSearchBean.selectedEmployeeId}"/>

And here is the relevant section from the Backing Bean:

private String selectedEmployeeName;
private Integer selectedEmployeeId;

public void populateEmployee() {
  selectedEmployeeId = Integer.parseInt(selectedEmployeeName);
  for (EmployeeSearchEntry entry : data) {
    if (entry.getEmployee().getId().equals(selectedEmployeeId)) {
      selectedEmployeeName = entry.getNameLfm();
      break;
    }
  }
}

Answer 2

I encountered a similar situation and after some trial and error, I found a solution using a combination of jsFunction and an action method in the backing bean.

Initially, the ID value is temporarily displayed in the autocomplete field before triggering the onselectitem JS function. The execute attribute in the jsFunction ensures that the retrieved ID value is linked to the backing bean field before calling the populateEmployee action. The populateEmployee method then takes the ID value from the field and updates it as needed, replacing the display value in the autocomplete field with the desired content (such as the employee's name). The autocomplete field is then refreshed to display the updated information.

Depending on the speed of your backend system for looking up employee IDs to names, there may be a brief moment where the raw ID is shown before the populateEmployee function completes. However, this approach provided the best working solution for my scenario.

Below is the JSF code:

<a4j:jsFunction name="chooseEmployee" execute="employeeSearchName" action="#{employeeSearchBean.populateEmployee}" render="selectedEmployeeId employeeSearchName"/>
<rich:autocomplete id="employeeSearchName" mode="ajax" minChars="3"
                   autocompleteMethod="#{employeeSearchBean.searchEmployees}" var="emp"
                   autofill="false" layout="table"
                   fetchValue="#{emp.employee.id}" value="#{employeeSearchBean.selectedEmployeeName}"
                   onselectitem="chooseEmployee()">
... output columns ...
</rich:autocomplete>
<h:outputText id="selectedEmployeeId" value="#{employeeSearchBean.selectedEmployeeId}"/>

And here is the relevant section from the Backing Bean:

private String selectedEmployeeName;
private Integer selectedEmployeeId;

public void populateEmployee() {
  selectedEmployeeId = Integer.parseInt(selectedEmployeeName);
  for (EmployeeSearchEntry entry : data) {
    if (entry.getEmployee().getId().equals(selectedEmployeeId)) {
      selectedEmployeeName = entry.getNameLfm();
      break;
    }
  }
}

Answer 3

Answer №2

By incorporating a a4j:param tag in your JavaScript function, you can easily assign parameter values to the designated "assignedTo" value.

Additionally, remember to utilize the

onselectitem="chooseEmployee(this.value)"

event attribute in the rich:autocomplete component.

Answer 4

By incorporating a a4j:param tag in your JavaScript function, you can easily assign parameter values to the designated "assignedTo" value.

Additionally, remember to utilize the

onselectitem="chooseEmployee(this.value)"

event attribute in the rich:autocomplete component.

Issue with JSF Richfaces autocompletion - how to pass a hidden parameter with alternative methods?

Answer №1

Answer №2

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