---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ryan de Laplante <ryan@ijws.com>
Date: Sat, Sep 12, 2009 at 11:15 AM
Subject: [jsr-314-open] AJAX library in JSF 2.0
To: jsr-314-comments@jcp.org

Hi,

I read about the new RichFaces 4.0 being built for JSF 2.0 here:

http://www.jroller.com/a4j/entry/richfaces_4_0_0_alpha1

They are still using AJAX4JSF instead of JSF 2.0's built-in AJAX library because:

JSF 2 Ajax implementation still very limited and not contains our autoupdatable zones, limitations for autoupdate, statuses, table partial updates, server side processing options and so on. Queue in JSF not configurable at all..

Some of these points could be solved at application level by using some event's handling for example. But for some features - you will even not have a point to attach the functionality to. If the features that we provides with our ajax enchancements was implemented in JSF - we would not started reimplementing the weel for sure ;)

This makes me worry that none of the majorJSF UI component libraries will be using the built-in AJAX library because it doesn't have enough features.  Will JSF 2.1 complete the AJAX functional requirements of RichFaces and IceFaces?

Can anyone comment on how the JSF 2.0 AJAX library compares to other major Java web frameworks?  Is it on-par, ahead of, or behind other web frameworks?

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Another question I have is about hiding managed beans from views.  If I were to build a JSF 2.0 application that lets users customize the screens with themes/skins, I would not want them to be able to access any and every scoped bean in the system.  To have this level of control I might need to use a web framework that gives me more control such as Struts 2, because it uses Freemarker and/or Velocity.

Have you heard of anyone mixing JSF with Freemarker?


Thanks,
Ryan

--
Ryan de Laplante - Senior Programmer
It Just Works Software Corporation
17 Colborne St. E #202 Orillia, ON L3V1T4
Tel: 705-326-4254 ext 132
Fax: 647-341-9336
ryan@ijws.com