How can I refresh(reset) inputText in a dataTable?

[Jeff Albertson]

I'm having what must be a simple and common problem,
but nothing I've tried has solved it. I want to be
able to refresh (reset) the inputText field values in a dataTable.

I have a dataTable that holds required inputText components.
I want to have a "cancel" button which would abandon any edits
on these components and refresh (reset) them with their backing values,
as well as removing the last row from the table (used to enter a
new record). Because the inputText components are required,
I made the cancel button immediate. I don't know what code I can
put in the button's actionListener. Right now, the displayed values
survive the round trip to the server and back to the browser, but
I want them to be reset to their backing values.

Here is the page, and the backing bean of a test example:

<%@ include file="../include/taglibs.jsp" %> 
<h:dataTable id="table" value="#{pc_Test.list}" var="x">
    <h:column>
        <h :panelGroup>
            <h:inputText id="label_value" required="true" value="#{x.value}" />
            <h:message for="label_value"/>
        </h:panelGroup>
    </h:column>
    <f:facet name="footer">
        <h:panelGroup>
            <h:commandButton id = "btnn" value="new row" actionListener="#{pc_Test.newRow}" />  
            <f:verbatim>  </f:verbatim>
            <h:commandButton id = "btnu" value="update" actionListener="#{pc_Test.update}" />   
            <f:verbatim>  </f:verbatim>
            <h:commandButton id = "btnr" value="cancel" immediate="true" actionListener="#{pc_Test.cancel}"/>
        </h:panelGroup>
    </f:facet>
</h:dataTable>
<f:verbatim>Summary=</f:verbatim>
<h:outputText value="#{pc_Test.listString}" />
 
package pagecode;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import javax.faces.event.ActionEvent;
 
public class TestPage {
    public static class Example {
        public Example(String value){this.value = value;}
        public String getValue() {return value;}
        public void setValue(String value) {this.value = value;}
        public String toString(){return getValue();}
        private String value;
    }
    
    public TestPage(){
        list.add(new Example("a"));
        list.add(new Example("b"));
        list.add(new Example("c"));
    }
    
    public List getList() {return list;}
    
    public String getListString() {return list.toString();}
    
    public void update(ActionEvent event){}
    
    public void cancel(ActionEvent event){
        if (list.size()>3)
            list.remove(list.size()-1);
    }
    
    public void newRow(ActionEvent event){
        list.add(new Example(""));
    }
    
    private boolean readOnly;
    private List list = new ArrayList();
}

If it makes a difference, my implementation of JSF is MyFaces. Thanks!
[ October 26, 2005: Message edited by: Jeff Albrechtsen ]

[Jeff Albertson]

I think I found a solution to my own problem: add the following to
my immediate, command button cancel:

o~n~c~l~i~c~k="reset()"

(The ~'s are in there because I can seem to submit a reply with
that attribute.)
That's the form's javascipt method reset. This seems cheeky to me
-- I thought there would be a server-side, JSF solution. Anyone?

[Jeff Albertson]

*bump*

I'm not happy with having javascript reseting fields in a table before submitting:
there's a noticable screen flash, and I'd like a server-side solution anyway.

Question: UIInput has methods getSubmittedValue and setSubmittedValue,
so I can use these to ignore or clear submitted values when I press an
immediate command button. This takes care of subclasses like HtmlInputText
but not for data tables. Is there a way to manipulate all the submitted values
of a data table?

[Daniel Gee]

Hi, how do you use the setSubmittedValue( "xxx" ); to take care of the HtmlInputText? Would you mind showing your code?

[Jeff Albertson]

Here's how to do it for a single field, where it works great.
I haven't been able to get it to work for fields in a data table.

<h:outputText value="value=" />
<h:inputText id="field" required="true" value="#{bean.value}" binding="#{bean.valueField}"/>
<h:message for="field"/>
<h:commandButton value="update" />  
<f:verbatim>  </f:verbatim>
<h:commandButton value="reset" immediate="true" actionListener="#{bean.resetAction}"/>
 
<f:verbatim><P>backing bean=</f:verbatim>
<h:outputText value="#{bean.value}" />
 
package pagecode;
 
import javax.faces.component.UIInput;
import javax.faces.event.ActionEvent;
 
public class Bean {
    public String getValue() {
        return value;
    }
 
    public void setValue(String string) {
        value = string;
    }
    
    public UIInput getValueField() {
        return valueField;
    }
 
    public void setValueField(UIInput input) {
        valueField = input;
    }
    
    public void resetAction(ActionEvent event){
        getValueField().setSubmittedValue("[reset value]"); 
        //getValueField().setSubmittedValue(getValue()); //<- more likely 
    }
 
    private String value = "initially";
    private UIInput valueField;
}

Anybody?
[ October 31, 2005: Message edited by: Jeff Albrechtsen ]

[Simon Prinzleve]

Hi Folks,

to refresh the bean serverside simply reset the attributes of the bean.

All details are described here:
http://liferay-portlets.blogspot.com/2009/05/jsf-refresh-bean-and-get-different.html

Hope it helps!