Luc Bors, june 2013, ODTUG KScope 2013 New Orleans
Tips and Tricks for UI Reuse in Oracle ADF
Don't Reinvent the Wheel
Who Am I
• Luc Bors
• Principal Consultant
• AMIS Nieuwegein Netherlands
• Friends of Oracle & Java
• 5 Oracle ACE(D)
• Oracle Partner
Topics
• Reuse – ADF Controller and Faces
– Page Templates
– Declarative Components
– Stylesheets
– Task Flows
The (somewhat ugly)Sample Application
Page Templates
• Specify the layout structure (of groups) of pages
– For example: top bar, side bar, footer
– Predefine placeholders for pages to inject their contents
• Page can be based on template
– It will provide the content for the placeholders (seen as facets)
– It can pass parameters to the template – for example for the title of the page or the
page bread crumb trail
Page Templates
• Centrally specifying the overall structure and some of the look & feel for all or specific types of pages
• Can also be applied dynamically, depending on some context settings
– This allows a single page to be presented in different ways to different users or under
different conditions
– Templates allow different structure and component ordering for the same page
• Page Templates make maintenance of the overall layout structure much easier
Page Templates
• Create a Page Template
– Embed one or more facetRef elements for the holes to be filled by the pages based on the template
– Publish the template “API” – the input parameters it supports
• Create pages based on the template
– In these pages, provide content for the facets exposed by the template
– Provide values for input parameters supported by template
• At any point in time:
– change the template (reusing same facetRefs and parameters)
– change the facet contents in any page
– change template ref in a page (to template with same facets)• Can be done dynamically
Defining the template
Building the Layout
Using the Attributes
The Template Definition
The Template UI components
Demo
Custom Components
• Compose reusable ‘packages’ for frequently occurring combinations of ADF Faces/JSF components
– Declarative reuse for consistency and productivity
– Better encapsulation than page fragments
– Internally a declarative component is built out of a combination of JSF components
• Declarative components can be used like normal JSF components
– They expose a number of attributes (that are wired to attributes of the internal JSF
components)
– They may have facets (to embed other JSF components)
• Examples: LOV/DropDown Switcher, InputTime, Selection components for static domains, Button bars
Custom Components
• Choose JSF Declarative Component in the New Gallery
• Specify the properties for the component
– Name, Package, TaglibName
– The attributes exposed to consumers of the components• And default values for the attributes
– Methods – name and signature – to use for method bindings
– Names of the facets that are published (and that will be used to embed JSF content
inside the declarative component)
• Create the content of the Component by assembling JSF components –much like you do for a Page Template
– Using facetRef components, #{attrs.<attrName>} and #{component.<methodName>}
Create Custom Component
Defining the Component
Building the UI
Demo
Stylesheets
Demo
Overview
• Reusable components – Bounded Task Flows
– Multi page, isolated memory scope
– Controller and flow logic, executing business logic
– Interface with input parameters and output events
– Dynamically switching between regions
– Role based authorization
– Transaction management
– Savepoints and Rollback support
• Unbounded Task Flow
– Bookmarking, …
Examples
Create a Bounded Task Flow
Taskflows
Building a Reusable Task Flow Catalog
• Organizations may create a catalog of task flows
• Reusable services, encapsulated with clear interfaces
– Input parameters
– Result
– Events published
• Such task flows can also be published by
– Third parties
– ‘the community’
Demo
Reusing Reusables: ADF Libraries
• Sharing reusable assets
– Task Flows, Stylsheets, PageTemplates and Custom Components
– can be deployed and distributed through ADF Libraries (JAR files, design time)
– ADF Libraries are added to consuming applications
– When added, components from library can be reused in consuming application
ADF Libraries
• ADF Library enables you to reuse components:
– Package them into ADF Library JAR files
– Add them to a reusable component repository
– Add the library to a project to use its components
How does it work
• Deploy the project that contains the component(s) to an ADF Library JAR
– JDeveloper automatically adds the required Tag library for the declarative
component(s)
• Add the Library in consuming projects
– Via the Resource Palette
• Declarative components will show up on the Component Palette
– They are used like normal components with attributes, method bindings and facets
Deployment Profile
Library Deployment
Using an ADF Library
Libraries are added
What do we have so far ?
• ADF Page Template
• ADF Custom Component
• ADF Style sheet
• ADF Taskflow
Using the Template
Setting attribute values
Using the Stylesheet
Using the Custom Component
Using the Taskflow
Setting up the region
Refreshing the region
Demo
Lets make some Changes
• All Reusable components can be changed
• Will have immediate effect in the application
– After redeployment of the library
Other Topic : Reuse in ADF BC
• Declarative Model Driven functionality
– Most Recently Used, UI Hints
– List of Values, Model Driven Query Form
• Entity Object Business Logic Group
• View Criteria
– Multiple faces on the same ViewObject
• Shared Application Module
– Reuse data across sessions
Summary
• ADF Provides mechanisms for reuse
• Initial investment
• Payback time is later
• Considerations:
– Is it reusable ?
– Will I reuse it ?
• But also
– Modularity
– Maintainability
– Increased Productivity
