How to Create a Java EE 6 Application with JSF 2, EJB 3.1, JPA, and NetBeans IDE 6.8

@sreedhar637 where is application.zip file? I am not able to find any attachment with this article.

 

Thanks for the tutorial, this has been add to PrimeFaces external articles wiki.

http://code.google.com/p/primefaces/wiki/ExternalArticles

Download link works fine for me:

http://netbeans.dzone.com/sites/all/files/CustomerApp_PrimeFaces.zip

I created the zip file on my Mac, I thought that created some problem for the non-Mac users, but I tried setting it up from scratch on my Windows XP virtual machine (Virtualbox), and it seems fine. But I notice there are 2 things you need to do before opening the sample project:

1. Turn on the "Java Web and EE" feature; either from the Plugins Manager or simply ensure the Glassfish v3 can be started
2. Create the Global library for PrimeFaces as mentioned in the article

The above was all that I have to do on a new installation of NB6.8 (on WinXP) before unzipping and opening the project. Let me know if you still encounter problem.

Hello Christopher

 Excellent work!, thanks for share with DZone 

Best Regards

-Manuel

 

 

Henk, Upcoming PrimeFaces 2.0 release takes advantage of JSF 2.0's resource loading features so there's absolutely no need to configure anything with the new release.

Hi Christopher,

I have fixed the issue. It was a wrong configuration of the application. But now I can not start up the application because I get another exception,

Initializing Sun's JavaServer Faces implementation (1.2_04-b20-p03) for context '/CustomerApp-war'
WebModule[/CustomerApp-war]PWC1275: Exception sending context initialized event to listener instance of class com.sun.faces.config.ConfigureListener
javax.faces.FacesException: Can't parse configuration file: jndi:/server/CustomerApp-war/WEB-INF/faces-config.xml: Error at line 12 column 47: cvc-pattern-valid: Value 'DETAILS' is not facet-valid with respect to pattern '#\{.*\}' for type 'faces-config-el-expressionType'.
        at com.sun.faces.config.ConfigureListener.parse(ConfigureListener.java:1438)
        at com.sun.faces.config.ConfigureListener.contextInitialized(ConfigureListener.java:376)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.listenerStart(StandardContext.java:4523)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.start(StandardContext.java:5184)
        at com.sun.enterprise.web.WebModule.start(WebModule.java:326)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChildInternal(ContainerBase.java:973)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChild(ContainerBase.java:957)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHost.addChild(StandardHost.java:688)
        at com.sun.enterprise.web.WebContainer.loadWebModule(WebContainer.java:1584)
        at com.sun.enterprise.web.WebContainer.loadWebModule(WebContainer.java:1222)
        at com.sun.enterprise.web.WebContainer.loadJ2EEApplicationWebModules(WebContainer.java:1147)
        at com.sun.enterprise.server.TomcatApplicationLoader.doLoad(TomcatApplicationLoader.java:141)
        at com.sun.enterprise.server.AbstractLoader.load(AbstractLoader.java:244)
        at com.sun.enterprise.server.ApplicationManager.applicationDeployed(ApplicationManager.java:336)
        at com.sun.enterprise.server.ApplicationManager.applicationDeployed(ApplicationManager.java:210)
        at com.sun.enterprise.server.ApplicationManager.applicationDeployed(ApplicationManager.java:645)
        at com.sun.enterprise.admin.event.AdminEventMulticaster.invokeApplicationDeployEventListener(AdminEventMulticaster.java:928)
        at com.sun.enterprise.admin.event.AdminEventMulticaster.handleApplicationDeployEvent(AdminEventMulticaster.java:912)
        at com.sun.enterprise.admin.event.AdminEventMulticaster.processEvent(AdminEventMulticaster.java:461)
        at com.sun.enterprise.admin.event.AdminEventMulticaster.multicastEvent(AdminEventMulticaster.java:176)
        at com.sun.enterprise.admin.server.core.DeploymentNotificationHelper.multicastEvent(DeploymentNotificationHelper.java:308)
        at com.sun.enterprise.deployment.phasing.DeploymentServiceUtils.multicastEvent(DeploymentServiceUtils.java:226)
        at com.sun.enterprise.deployment.phasing.ServerDeploymentTarget.sendStartEvent(ServerDeploymentTarget.java:298)
        at com.sun.enterprise.deployment.phasing.ApplicationStartPhase.runPhase(ApplicationStartPhase.java:132)
        at com.sun.enterprise.deployment.phasing.DeploymentPhase.executePhase(DeploymentPhase.java:108)
        at com.sun.enterprise.deployment.phasing.PEDeploymentService.executePhases(PEDeploymentService.java:919)
        at com.sun.enterprise.deployment.phasing.PEDeploymentService.start(PEDeploymentService.java:591)
        at com.sun.enterprise.deployment.phasing.PEDeploymentService.start(PEDeploymentService.java:635)
        at com.sun.enterprise.admin.mbeans.ApplicationsConfigMBean.start(ApplicationsConfigMBean.java:744)
        at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
        at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39)
        at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25)
        at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:585)
        at com.sun.enterprise.admin.MBeanHelper.invokeOperationInBean(MBeanHelper.java:375)
        at com.sun.enterprise.admin.MBeanHelper.invokeOperationInBean(MBeanHelper.java:358)
        at com.sun.enterprise.admin.config.BaseConfigMBean.invoke(BaseConfigMBean.java:464)
        at com.sun.jmx.mbeanserver.DynamicMetaDataImpl.invoke(DynamicMetaDataImpl.java:213)
        at com.sun.jmx.mbeanserver.MetaDataImpl.invoke(MetaDataImpl.java:220)
        at com.sun.jmx.interceptor.DefaultMBeanServerInterceptor.invoke(DefaultMBeanServerInterceptor.java:815)
        at com.sun.jmx.mbeanserver.JmxMBeanServer.invoke(JmxMBeanServer.java:784)
        at sun.reflect.GeneratedMethodAccessor17.invoke(Unknown Source)
        at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25)
        at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:585)
        at com.sun.enterprise.admin.util.proxy.ProxyClass.invoke(ProxyClass.java:90)
        at $Proxy1.invoke(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.enterprise.admin.server.core.jmx.SunoneInterceptor.invoke(SunoneInterceptor.java:304)
        at com.sun.enterprise.interceptor.DynamicInterceptor.invoke(DynamicInterceptor.java:174)
        at com.sun.enterprise.admin.jmx.remote.server.callers.InvokeCaller.call(InvokeCaller.java:69)
        at com.sun.enterprise.admin.jmx.remote.server.MBeanServerRequestHandler.handle(MBeanServerRequestHandler.java:155)
        at com.sun.enterprise.admin.jmx.remote.server.servlet.RemoteJmxConnectorServlet.processRequest(RemoteJmxConnectorServlet.java:122)
        at com.sun.enterprise.admin.jmx.remote.server.servlet.RemoteJmxConnectorServlet.doPost(RemoteJmxConnectorServlet.java:193)
        at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:738)
        at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:831)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.servletService(ApplicationFilterChain.java:411)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:290)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invokeInternal(StandardContextValve.java:271)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:202)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.doInvoke(StandardPipeline.java:632)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.doInvoke(StandardPipeline.java:577)
        at com.sun.enterprise.web.WebPipeline.invoke(WebPipeline.java:94)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:206)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.doInvoke(StandardPipeline.java:632)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.doInvoke(StandardPipeline.java:577)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.invoke(StandardPipeline.java:571)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.invoke(ContainerBase.java:1080)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngineValve.invoke(StandardEngineValve.java:150)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.doInvoke(StandardPipeline.java:632)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.doInvoke(StandardPipeline.java:577)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.invoke(StandardPipeline.java:571)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.invoke(ContainerBase.java:1080)
        at org.apache.coyote.tomcat5.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:272)
        at com.sun.enterprise.web.connector.grizzly.DefaultProcessorTask.invokeAdapter(DefaultProcessorTask.java:637)
        at com.sun.enterprise.web.connector.grizzly.DefaultProcessorTask.doProcess(DefaultProcessorTask.java:568)
        at com.sun.enterprise.web.connector.grizzly.DefaultProcessorTask.process(DefaultProcessorTask.java:813)
        at com.sun.enterprise.web.connector.grizzly.DefaultReadTask.executeProcessorTask(DefaultReadTask.java:341)
        at com.sun.enterprise.web.connector.grizzly.DefaultReadTask.doTask(DefaultReadTask.java:263)
        at com.sun.enterprise.web.connector.grizzly.DefaultReadTask.doTask(DefaultReadTask.java:214)
        at com.sun.enterprise.web.connector.grizzly.TaskBase.run(TaskBase.java:265)
        at com.sun.enterprise.web.connector.grizzly.WorkerThreadImpl.run(WorkerThreadImpl.java:116)
 

I have been googling and it seems there is a bug about this point. I would like you give me your opinion and if the issue can be fixed. I forgot to say that I am using glassfish v2ur2.

 

Thanking in advance,

Jose

thanks for the great tutorial!. I've noticed that the retrive() method of CustomerSession is called 6 times when invoked from http://localhost:8080/CustomerApp-war/CustomerList.jsf, could you explain why ?

It seems the author had made a basic JSF simplicity error here. Note that the data table binds to the CustomerMBean.customers method. This method on its turn directly invokes the session bean's method.

However, in JSF the component tree is processed in multiple phases, and EL references are resolved multiple times. This is simple because the data is needed multiple times. The simple solution is to just cache the retrieved list temporarily in an instance variable.

E.g.

public List getCustomers() {
   if (customers != null) {
      customers = customerSessionBean.retrieve();
   }
   return customers;
}

This pattern is so pervasive in JSF code that I'm surprised JSF hasn't provided a solution for this (like a @Retain annotation or something).

Be aware that you can't really apply the above presented solution to the code as-is. Namely, the author has chosen to put the backing bean in session scope, which is actually not really recommended. Many things might go wrong if the user happens to open the same page twice at the same time (and in practice, they actually do that a lot).

Another classical basic mistake the author seemed to have made here is binding the datatable directly to the customers list, without any guarantee that the data is still the same when the postback happens (i.e. when the customer ID link is clicked to invoke the details action).

If the data in the database has changed between calls, then the CustomerSessionBean.retrieve method will return different data. At least in the JSF 1.2 standard datatable, a click on a row is matched on row number. So, if the list contains different data (or the same data, but ordered differently), you'll click on one customer, but get to see the details of a totally different customer. Unless of course either JSF 2.0 or PrimeFaces retains the list automatically in view state. I'll have to test whether this indeed happens or not. If you however see that after a postback and before the invocation of the details action method the CustomerSessionBean.retrieve is called again, then this automatic retainment most likely doesn't happen.

Thanks for the feedback.

The web tier is simplified by using only one Managed Bean, CustomerMBean, which has a scope of Session, and all the properties are provided there. I admit that this is over simplified, esp. so when the life-cycle of JSF causes it to call the method several times when actually one is enough. Caching the customer list in CustomerMBean will also pose a problem because then the list will never get updated throughout the session.

So the right thing to do in this case is to create a new Managed Bean, I called it CustomerListMBean and scope it as View or Request, then provide the getCustomers() method there with the list cached as follows:

    private List<Customer> custList = null;

    public List<Customer> getCustomers()
    {
        if (custList == null)
        {
            custList = customerSessionBean.retrieve();
        }
        return custList;
    }

Because this new bean only survives during the View or the Request, the caching will not pose a problem. Hope this helps.

Christopher Lam

The risk of a total overwrite is a little mitigated here, since the author also posts the ID of the customer back (which normally doesn't always happen) but it's still very much an anti-pattern. If the user would somehow posts two updates to each page in rapid succession, then you might end up with two entities in the DB that are a mix of each other. Gavin King talked about this a LONG time ago, and specifically for this SEAM introduced the conversation scope. JSF 2.0 in Java EE 6 inherits this via CDI managed beans.

Thank you Christopher for this great tutorial. Also thanks to those who read this tutorial and provided their opinions, especially Henk De Boer for his constructive criticism. I learned a lot from from this discussion.

Niggly.

#2 Dialog of section that describes the creation of the system beans instructs to create the CustomerSessionBean as simply CustomerSession. It's referred to as it's former name throughout the rest of the tutorial.

Hi, Anybody else having a 'log in' screen pop up when you try to edit content of the table? Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I'm clearly missing something. :) Thanks in advance for any advise!

Hi everybody, I encountered many problems for creating this very interesting tutorial. If anyone could help me it would be great. the listing :

1. the archive of Christopher does not work for me. Is it a EAR archive ? I have to rename this archive ?

2. I can not replace my xhtml template by Christopher's one.

${encoding} is not accepted.
${project.license} is not accepted.
xmlns:f="http://java.sun.com/jsf/core" is not accepted.
xmlns:h="http://java.sun.com/jsf/html" is not accepted.
xmlns:p="http://primefaces.prime.com.tr/ui" is not accepted.

3. In the Projects window, right-click on the Web project, CustomerApp-war, and select "New > JSF Managed Bean...", specify CustomerMBean as the Class Name, "com.customerapp.web" as the Package Name, customer as the Name, and the scope to be session. ==> I can not add data to configuration file.

It is maybe a problem with jsf and primerfaces libraries but I put it in my application. So, I do not see what it is wrong ?

Very grateful for your possible answer.

Rudy.

Hi, download the zip file from the summary page. however i am not able to unzip the file.