Provide custom namespace element(s) to simplify configuration required for processing JSF 2 requests. [SWF-1375]

[spring-operator]

Rossen Stoyanchev opened SWF-1375 and commented

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Affects: 2.1.1

Issue Links:

• Add support for handling JSF 2 resource requests [SWF-1366] #551 Add support for handling JSF 2 resource requests
  ("depends on")

[spring-operator]

Erwin Vervaet commented

Wouldn't it be better to provide a custom namespace element to do all required configuration to set SWF up for use with JSF 2?
For instance:

• FacesJsfResourceRequestHandler
• JsfAjaxHandler
• FlowFacesContextLifecycleListener
• ...

[spring-operator]

Rossen Stoyanchev commented

I agree that would be a worthwhile goal. For example adding this element should plug in all additional configuration required for processing JSF 2 requests:

faces:jsf-request-handling/

That raises a couple of extra questions:

1. An AjaxHandler may be set on a FlowHandlerAdapter but also on FlowController of which there could be more than one. A reasonable default for that might be set all FlowControllers and allow customizing the list of FlowController bean id's.

2. Since FlowExecutor instances are typically defined with a custom namespace element, faces:jsf-request-handling/ would have to appear below any flow:executor/ elements. However relying on the order of elements is unusual in Spring configuration. The only other solution I see is providing a faces:flow-executor.

[spring-operator]

Rossen Stoyanchev commented

1. A <faces:resources /> custom namespace element is now available that is equivalent to this configuration:

<bean class="org.springframework.web.servlet.handler.SimpleUrlHandlerMapping">
<property name="order" value="0"/>
<property name="mappings" value="/javax.faces.resource/**=jsfResourceHandler"/>
</bean>
<bean class="org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.HttpRequestHandlerAdapter" />
<bean id="jsfResourceHandler" class="org.springframework.faces.webflow.FacesJsfResourceRequestHandler"/>
2. JsfFlowHandlerAdapter can now be used instead of FlowHandlerAdapter to ensure a JsfAjaxHandler is used by default with JSF 2.

3. An IllegalStateException with a helpful message is thrown if FacesContext is null when processing a Web Flow request to suggest configuring a FlowFacesContextLifecycleListener.

Note that #2 and #3 were not covered by any custom namespace elements. Hopefully the provided solution is a good balance between simple and flexible.