NetUI Tag Library Documentation (Version 1.0.1)

netui
netui:form Tag

Renders an HTML form that can be submitted to a Java method in the Controller file for processesing.

Syntax

<netui:form
    action="string_action"
    [beanName="string_name"]
    [beanScope="string_scope"]
    [beanType="string_type"]
    [dir="string_dir"]
    [enctype="string_enctype"]
    [focus="string_focus"]
    [genJavaScriptFormSubmit="boolean_formSubmit"]
    [lang="string_lang"]
    [location="string_location"]
    [method="string_method"]
    [onClick="string_onClick"]
    [onDblClick="string_onDblClick"]
    [onKeyDown="string_onKeyDown"]
    [onKeyPress="string_onKeyPress"]
    [onKeyUp="string_onKeyUp"]
    [onMouseDown="string_onMouseDown"]
    [onMouseMove="string_onMouseMove"]
    [onMouseOut="string_onMouseOut"]
    [onMouseOver="string_onMouseOver"]
    [onMouseUp="string_onMouseUp"]
    [onReset="string_onSubmit"]
    [onSubmit="string_onSumbit"]
    [style="string_style"]
    [styleClass="string_styleClass"]
    [tagId="string_tagId"]
    [target="string_windowTarget"]
    [targetScope="string_targetScope"]
    [title="string_title"] >
    ... JSP content ...
</netui:form>

Description

Renders an HTML form that can be submitted to a Java method in the Controller file for processesing.

Submitting Data

When a <netui:form> is submitted, the form data is passed to a method for processessing. The data is passed as a Form Bean instance. The <netui:form>'s input fields correspond to the properties of the Form Bean. When the form is submitted the following sequence of events occurs: (1) a new Form Bean instance is created, (2) the form data is loaded into the corresponding Form Bean properties, and (3) the Form Bean instance is passed to the method where the data is processed.

The action attribute determines the target method of the submission. The parameter of the target method determines the Form Bean instance that carries the submitted data.

For example, if a <netui:form>'s target method is someAction ...

      <netui:form action="someAction">
               //
               // input fields go here
               //
          <netui:button value="Submit" type="submit"/>
      </netui:form>

...and the someAction method takes a Form Bean parameter of type SomeFormBean...

     @Jpf.Action(
        forwards={
            @Jpf.Forward(name="success", path="showData.jsp")
        }
    )
    protected Forward someAction(SomeFormBean form)

...then an instance of SomeFormBean will carry the submitted data.

Pre-populating Form Fields with the Session Object

The name, type, and scope attributes can be used together to pre-populate the form fields with default values when they are first rendered in the browser.

In the Controller file, instantiate the appropriate Form Bean, set default values, and store the Form Bean instance in the Session object.

    protected void onCreate()
    {
      // Create a new Form Bean instance
      ProcessDataForm formInstance = new ProcessDataForm();

      // Set default values.
      formInstance.setAge(32);
      formInstance.setName("John");

      // Store the instance in the Session object.
      getSession().setAttribute("defaultValues", formInstance);
    }

Then, use the name, type, and scope attributes to pre-populate the form fields.

    <netui:form
        action="processData"
        name="defaultValues"
        type="tagSamples.netui.form.FormController$ProcessDataForm"
        scope="session">

Note: when the data is submitted, the data is passed as a Request-scoped Form Bean, *not* as the Session-scoped Form Bean used to pre-populate the fields. However, you may pass the data as a Page Flow-scoped Form Bean, if the annotation .( .="someFormBeanMemberVariable" ...) is set on the receiving method.

Pre-populating Form Fields By Passing a Form Bean Instance to the JSP Page

As an alternative to the pre-population technique above, you can set the pre-population values in a Form Bean instance and then pass that instance to the JSP page. For example, assume that index.jsp contains the <netui:form> and input elements. The following action method sets the pre-population values in a Form Bean instance and passes that instance to the <netui:form> and its input elements. Note that the Forward object returned by the method has two parameters, the String "success" and the pre-populated form.

     @Jpf.Action(
        forwards={
            @Jpf.Forward(name="success", path="index.jsp")
        }
    )
  protected Forward begin(ProcessDataForm form)
  {
      form.setAge(44);
      form.setName("Mark");
      return new Forward("success", form);
  }

Attributes
action
Required: Yes  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

Required. The action method invoked on form submit. Form data is passed to this method.
beanName
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The attribute key under which the associated Form Bean used to populate the input form is stored. This Form Bean is found in the scope defined by the scope attribute.
beanScope
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The scope (request or session) under which the associated Form Bean used to populate the form input fields is stored. Using the name, type and scope attributes defines the Form Bean used.
beanType
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The Java class name of the Form Bean to be created, if necessary. This Form Bean will be created if the name and scope attributes are set. The Form Bean is then used to populate the form input fields.
dir
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

Specifies the direction of text. (LTR | RTL)
enctype
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The content encoding to be used on a POST submit.
focus
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The tagID of an input field which should receive initial focus.
genJavaScriptFormSubmit
Required: No  |   Type: boolean  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

Generate the form submit JavaScript even if the form does not contain anchors. Default is false.
lang
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

Sets the language code for the base language of an element's attribute values and text content.
location
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The location hash to append to the URL.
method
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The request method used when submitting this form.
onClick
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The onClick JavaScript event.
onDblClick
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The onDblClick JavaScript event.
onKeyDown
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The onKeyDown JavaScript event.
onKeyPress
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The onKeyPress JavaScript event.
onKeyUp
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The onKeyUp JavaScript event.
onMouseDown
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The onMouseDown JavaScript event.
onMouseMove
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The onMouseMove JavaScript event.
onMouseOut
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The onMouseOut JavaScript event.
onMouseOver
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The onMouseOver JavaScript event.
onMouseUp
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The onMouseUp JavaScript event.
onReset
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The JavaScript onReset event.
onSubmit
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The JavaScript onSubmit event.
style
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

Specifies style information for the current element.
styleClass
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The style class (a style sheet selector).
tagId
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

String value. Sets the id (or name) attribute of the rendered HTML tag. Note that the real id attribute rendered in the browser may be changed by the application container (for example, Portal containers may change the rendered id value to ensure the uniqueness of id's on the page). In this case, the real id rendered in the browser may be looked up through the JavaScript function lookupIdByTagId( tagId, tag ).

For example, assume that some tag's tagId attribute is set to foo.

    <netui:textBox tagId="foo" />

Then the following JavaScript function will return the real id attribute rendered in the browser:

    lookupIdByTagId( "foo", this )

To get a <netui:form> element and all of its children elements in JavaScript, use the same JavaScript function lookupIdByTagId( tagId, tag ). For example, assume that there is a <netui:form> whose tagId attribute is set to bar.

    <netui:form tagId="bar" >

Then the following JavaScript function will return the <netui:form> element and its children (packaged as an array).

    document[lookupIdByTagId( "bar", this )]

To retreive the value entered into a <netui:textBox> within the <netui:form> tag, use the following JavaScript expression.

    document[lookupIdByTagId("bar", this)][lookupIdByTagId("foo", this)].value

The second parameter ensures that the JavaScript function begins its search within the correct Portlet scope. Pass the JavaScript keyword this as the second parameter.

target
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The window target
targetScope
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The target scope in which the associated action's page flow resides.
title
Required: No  |   Type: String  |   Supports runtime evaluation / JSP Expression Language: Yes

The title.

Example

In this first sample, the <netui:form> tag invokes the processData action method in the Controller file when the form is submitted.

      <netui:form action="processData">
              Name:
              <netui:textBox dataSource="actionForm.name"/>
              Age:
              <netui:textBox dataSource="actionForm.age"/>
              <netui:button value="Submit" type="submit"/>
      </netui:form>

Notice that the processData action method takes a parameter of type ProcessDataForm.

     @Jpf.Action(
        forwards={
            @Jpf.Forward(name="success", path="showData.jsp")
        }
    )
    protected Forward processData(ProcessDataForm form)
    {
        //
        // Process the submitted data here.
        //

        return new Forward("success");
    }

This means that the submitted data is loaded into an instance of ProcessDataForm before it is passed to the action method.

In this next sample, the form fields are pre-populated based upon default values stored in the Session object.

      <netui:form action="Action" type="corp.Controller$NameBean"
          scope="session" name="nameBean">
          Name: <netui:textBox dataSource="actionForm.name" />
          <netui:button value="Submit"/>
      </netui:form>


Tag Information
Tag Classorg.apache.beehive.netui.tags.html.Form
TagExtraInfo ClassNone
Body ContentJSP
Display NameNone