This half-day briefing gives experienced JSF-1.x developers an introduction to the much-improved JSF-2.0 architecture. We highlight various improvements in pre-existing techniques: implicit navigation, new bean scopes, HTTP GET support, annotations, composites, and standard Ajax support. There are no lab exercises, given our target timeline; but the course is thick with working examples and instructor-led demonstrations.

Prerequisites

• Prior experience with JSF 1.x is strictly required.
• Prior experience with an Ajax-aware JSF component library will be helpful in understanding some of the new features, but is not a requirement.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the key expansions in the JSF 2.0 architecture.
• Build applications in the typical JSF 2.0 style.
• Migrate from JSP to Facelets as the JSF view definition language.
• Design page flows to take best advantage of GET, POST, and redirect navigations, and pass form parameters and server-side information effectively in all cases.
• Use the new view scope for managed beans.
• Use managed-bean annotations and connect beans with managed-property annotations.
• Build composite UI fragments or custom components using Facelets
• Build Ajax applications with JSF: client-side behaviors and partial requests and responses followed by DOM updates

Timeline: ½ day.

Server Support: Tomcat

• This version of the course works with the Tomcat server. Our Java EE courses are available in variants that support various server products, including Tomcat, GlassFish, JBoss, and WebLogic. For more details, and to find a desired server-specific version of a course, see our server-support matrix.

IDE Support: Eclipse Helios

• In addition to the primary lab files, an optional overlay is available that adds support for Eclipse Helios. Students can code, build, deploy, and test all exercises from within the IDE, and take advantage of built-in editors, integrated debugging, and wizards for JSF applications, XML files, JSPs, and more. See also our orientation to Using Capstone's Eclipse Overlays.

Chapter 1. What's New in JSF 2.0

• Overview of New Features
• Issues with JSP and JSF
• Facelets
• Implicit Navigation
• Conditional Navigation
• Support for HTTP Get
• System Events
• New Scopes
• Annotations
• Validation Enhancements
• JSR-303 Support
• Resources
• Composites
• Ajax

System Requirements