3-6 Java EE Developers Guide for Oracle Application Development Framework
Example 3–4 JSF Page Code for an Attribute Dropped as an Input Text wLabel
af:inputText value={bindings.address1.inputValue} label={bindings.address1.hints.label}
required={bindings.address1.hints.mandatory} columns={bindings.address1.hints.displayWidth}
maximumLength={bindings.address1.hints.precision} shortDesc={bindings.address1.hints.tooltip} id=it1
f:validator binding={bindings.address1.validator} af:inputText
You can change any of these values to suit your needs. For example, the isNotNull control hint on the structure file is set to false by default, which means that the
required attribute on the component will evaluate to false as well. You can
override this value by setting the required attribute on the component to true. If you decide that all instances of the attribute should be mandatory, then you can
change the control hint in the structure file, and all instances will be required. For more information about these properties, see
Section 2.3.2, What Happens When You Use the Data Controls Panel to Create UI Components.
3.3 Creating a Basic Form
Instead of dropping each of the individual attributes of a collection to create a form, you can create a complete form that displays or collects data for all the attributes on an
object. For example, the form on the Edit Suppliers Details page was created by dropping the productFindAll accessor collection from the Data Controls panel.
You can also create forms that provide more functionality than simply displaying data from a collection. For information about creating a form that allows a user to update
data, see Section 3.6, Creating a Form to Edit an Existing Record.
For information about creating forms that allow users to create a new object for the collection, see
Section 3.7, Creating an Input Form. You can also create search forms. For more
information, see Chapter 7, Creating Databound Search Forms.
3.3.1 How to Create a Form
To create a form using a data control, you bind the UI components to the attributes on the corresponding object in the data control. JDeveloper allows you to do this
declaratively by dragging and dropping a returned collection from the Data Controls panel.
To create a basic form: 1.
From the Data Controls panel, select the collection that returns the data you wish to display.
Figure 3–3 shows the productFindAll accessor returned collection.
Figure 3–3 productFindAll Accessor in the Data Controls Panel
Creating a Basic Databound Page 3-7
2.
Drag the collection onto the page, and from the context menu choose the type of form that will be used to display or collect data for the object. For a form, you are
given the following choices:
– ADF Form
: Launches the Edit Form Fields dialog that allows you to select individual attributes instead of having JDeveloper create a field for every
attribute by default. It also allows you to select the label and UI component used for each attribute. By default, ADF inputText components are used for
most attributes. Each inputText component has the label attribute populated.
Attributes that are dates use the InputDate component. Additionally, if a control hint has been created for an attribute, or if the attribute has been
configured to be a list, then the component set by the hint is used instead. InputText
components contain a validator tag that allows you to set up validation for the attribute, and if the attribute is a number or a date, a
converter is also included.
– ADF Read-Only Form
: Same as the ADF Form, but read-only outputText components are used. Since the form is meant to display data, no validator
tags are added converters are included. Attributes of type Date use the outputText
component when in a read-only form. All components are placed inside panelLabelAndMessage components, which have the label
attribute populated. The panelLabelAndMessage components are placed inside a panelFormLayout component.
– ADF Dynamic Form
: Creates a form whose bindings are determined at runtime. For more information, see
Section 3.8, Using a Dynamic Form to Determine Data to Display at Runtime.
3.
In the Edit Form Fields dialog, configure your form. You can elect to include navigational controls that allow users to navigate through
all the data objects in the collection. For more information, see Section 3.4,
Incorporating Range Navigation into Forms. You can also include a Submit
button used to submit the form. This button submits the HTML form and applies the data in the form to the bindings as part of the JSFADF page lifecycle. For
additional help in using the dialog, click Help. All UI components are placed inside a panelFormLayout component.
4.
If you are building a form that allows users to update data, you now need to drag and drop a method that will perform the update. For more information, see
Section 3.6, Creating a Form to Edit an Existing Record.
3.3.2 What Happens When You Create a Form
