8

Binding Data in an Application

Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to do

the following:
• Describe the Application Development Framework
(ADF) Model
• Define the architecture and components of the
ADF Model
• Create and use data controls
• Create and edit data bindings

8-2 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 ADF Architecture

ADF Swing ADF Faces

Swing JSP JSF View

ADF Controller
Controller
Struts JSF

Model
ADF Model

Web EJB + ADF Business Business

XML JavaBeans Services
Services TopLink Components

8-3 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 ADF Model (ADF Databinding)
ADF Model:
• Provides a wrapper and
abstraction for business
services
• Enables you to work the
same way with any UI and
any business service
• Decouples UI
from back-end
business
services
• Provides drag-
and-drop
databinding

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 Types of Data Controls

• EJB session beans

• TopLink
• ADF Business Components
• Web services
• JavaBeans
• URL (XML or CSV data)
ADF Model Model

Web EJB + ADF Business Business

XML services TopLink JavaBeans Services
Components

8-5 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Model Layer Components

• Data controls describe

the public interface of a
business service.
• Bindings connect UI
components to data or Bindings Bindings
actions.
• Data controls and
bindings are defined
using XML metadata. Data control

Business service

8-6 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Creating a Data Control

• From the Applications

Navigator:
– Select Create Data
Control in the
component’s shortcut
menu.
OR
– Drag the component to
the Data Control
Palette.

8-7 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Generated Files in the Data Model Project

• Structure definition file:

– For example, Products.xml
– It describes the attributes of each bean or component.
• Data control description file:
– DataControls.dcx
– It describes the properties
of all data controls in the
project.
• The Data Control Palette is
a visual representation of
the information in these
files.

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 Data Control Palette

It is a visual representation of your business service

that contains:
• Methods
• Parameters and results
• Attributes
• Collections
• Built-in operations

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 Creating Bindings

Bindings define the interaction between a view or

controller component and the data control. They :
• Are created automatically when you drag a
component from the Data Control Palette to a page
or panel
• Can also be created in the Structure window

e-mail: neena.kochhar@

Name: Kochhar

8-10 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Types of Bindings

• Iterator binding: Keeps track of the current row in a

data collection
• Value binding:
– Connects UI components to attributes in a data
collection
– Examples: Attribute binding, tree binding, list binding,
table binding
• Action binding: Invokes a method or operation

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 Generated Files in the View Project

When data bindings are created, two files are

generated in the UI project:
• Binding context definition file:
– DataBindings.cpx
– It maps pages to page definitions and declares data
control usages.
• Page definition file:
– xxxPageDef.xml
– It defines all the bindings for a page.
– It is created automatically when you add a
data-bound component to a page.
– It replaces the UI model file in previous versions.

8-12 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Examining the DataBindings.cpx File

Contains JSP page definition mappings

Defines all
data
controls
used

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 ADF Binding

• ADF pages can create value bindings to the ADF

binding container using Expression Language
(EL), accessing the bindings object.

#{bindings.firstName.inputValue}

• The bindings object is created by the ADF servlet

filter that is defined in the web.xml file.
• The ADF servlet filter is mapped to *.jsp and
*.jspx file types.
• The bindings object needs to be configured as a
managed property before it can be used in
Managed Beans.

8-14 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Objects and Metadata Files
Structure
definition
Page file
Binding Data
definition
container control
file
*.xml
*PageDef.xml

Binding context
Data control
description
Binding file
context
definition file
DataControls.dcx

DataBindings.cpx

8-15 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Opening a Page Definition File

pagenamePageDef.xml (for example,

searchPageDef.xml):
• Contains all the binding definitions for a page
• Is created automatically when you add a
data-bound component
to a page
• To open a page
definition:
1. Right-click in the
editor.
2. Select Go to Page
Definition.

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 Editing a Page Definition File

• The file is displayed in the Code

Editor.
• Elements are displayed in the
Structure window.

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 Editing Bindings

• To open the editor dialog box from:

– The page: In the Visual Editor, right-click the
component and select Edit Binding.
– The page definition file: In the Structure window,
double-click the binding.
• Each type of binding has a specific editor.

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 Expression Language (EL) and Bindings

• Databinding expressions are written using EL.

• These are evaluated at run time to determine what
data to display.
• ADF EL expressions typically have the form:
#{bindingVariable.BindingObject.propertyName}
• Example of an inputText component on a JSF
page:

<af:inputText
value="#{bindings.Ename.inputValue}"
label="#{bindings.Ename.label}"
required="#{bindings.Ename.mandatory}">

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 Accessing Bindings Programmatically

• Use methods in DCBindingContainer.

• Example of getting an attribute from an iterator
binding:

DCBindingContainer bc =
getBindingContainer();
String empname = (String)bc
.findIteratorBinding("empIter")
.getCurrentRow()
.getAttribute("EmpName");

8-20 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Accessing Data Controls Programmatically

• Use methods in DCBindingContainer.

• Example of accessing a ServiceRequests object
from the bindingContainerBC application
module:
DCBindingContainer bc =
(DCBindingContainer)getBindings();
DCControlBinding thisSRId =

(DCControlBinding)bc.getControlBinding("svrId");
RowImpl srRowImpl =
(RowImpl)thisSRId.getCurrentRow();
ServiceRequests thisSR =
(ServiceRequests)srRowImpl.getDataProvider();

8-21 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Understanding the Bindings On a Page

Example: A simple page to browse and search users

1. Enter a search string.
2. Click Go.
3. Use Next and Previous to step through results.
Data control

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 Search Page Bindings
• The Go button uses a method binding to call
findUsersByName().
• The value of the name parameter comes from the
text field, using an attribute binding.

Binding container Data control

Page

( )

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 Search Page Bindings
• The results come from User, the List object
returned by the method. An iterator binding keeps
track of the current row.
• The Last Name field is bound to the lastname
attribute, using an attribute binding.
Data control
Binding container
Page

( )

8-24 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Search Page Bindings
• The Next button uses an operation binding to call
the Next operation, which increments the current
row in the iterator binding.
• The table is bound to the expertiseAreas
collection, using a table binding.
Data control
Binding container
Page

( )

8-25 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Drag-and-Drop Usability

• “Drop as” context

menu
• New table and form
dialogs: Customize
your form or table
when you create it.
• Drop a method call as
an input form: Fields
are generated for the
method parameters.
• Drop a parameterized
view object as a
parameter form.
• Keyboard accessibility:
You can copy and
paste.

8-26 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 ADF Binding: Summary

DataControls.dcx

<session bean>.xml Model project

<bean name>.xml

DataBindings.cpx

<pagename>PageDef.xml
View project
web.xml

faces-config.xml

adf-faces-config.xml

adf-faces-skins.xml

8-27 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Summary

In this lesson, you should have learned how to:

• Describe the ADF Model
• Define the architecture and components of the
ADF Model
• Create and use data controls
• Create and edit data bindings

8-28 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Practice Overview:
Using Databinding

This practice covers the following topics:

• Creating a data control
• Editing a data binding
• Using a data control in a simple JSF

8-29 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

8-30 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.