IBM Connect 2013 presentation on using IBM Domino XPages with managed beans.

1. JMP402 Master Class: Managed
Beans and XPages: Your Time Is Now
Russell Maher | President, QDiligence and RGM Consulting
© 2013 IBM Corporation

2. Speaker Introduction
 Russell Maher – President, QDiligence and RGM Consulting
– Independent Consultant in Chicago area
– Exclusively Notes and Domino since 1994
• Certified Instructor, Developer, Administrator
– Spoken 50+ times at LUG and The View events in U.S., Europe and Australia
• Plus…XPages Bootcamp, Advanced XPages Bootcamp
– Founded QDiligence in 2010
• Commercially hosted multi-tenant XPage SEC compliance solution
– Blogs at XPageTips.com
2

3. Attendee Introduction
 You are an XPager
– You have created and deployed actual XPage applications
 You know...
– Notes & Domino pretty well
– How to create XPages, data sources, custom controls, repeat controls, etc.
– Domino Server-Side JavaScript API well enough to get things done
 You DO NOT need to know Java™
3

4. First Things First!
 Why are we here today?
– We are learning how, when and why to use managed beans in your XPage applications
– This is a Master Class with an emphasis on “class”
• Lots of complete working code
• Lots of explanation about each step
• Enough Java instruction for you to add “Java Developer” to your resume
 THE CODE!
– http://www.rgmconsulting.com/TheCode
– You want it…I want you to have it!
– http://www.rgmconsulting.com/TheSlides
4

5. Agenda
 High Level Concepts
 Our First Managed Bean
 When Do Managed Beans Make Sense?
 Building The Audit Bean
 Debugging Managed Beans
 Generating JavaDoc
 Q&A
5 © 2013 IBM Corporation

6. High Level Concepts
 What is a Managed Bean?
– A Serializable Plain Old Java Object (POJO) with a no-argument constructor, private
properties exposed via public getter and setter methods and configured to a specific
scope
– Yep, it’s Java!
 Where are they created?
– Right in IBM Domino Designer!
– Java design elements
 How are they used?
– Programmatically: To perform the same processing previously done SSJS
– Professionally: To get Java in your fingers and expand your Java skills
6

7. High Level Concepts
 How are managed beans configured?
– Via the faces-config.xml file within the NSF
 How are they deployed?
– Right in your NSF!
– They are “hot” – no server changes required after updates
 How are they documented?
– JavaDoc
– You add JavaDoc comments
– You generate JavaDoc using, you guessed it, a JavaDoc generator!
– Easily produces standard documentation format
7

8. Agenda
 High Level Concepts
 Our First Managed Bean
 When Do Managed Beans Make Sense?
 Building The Audit Bean
 Debugging Managed Beans
 Generating JavaDoc
8 © 2013 IBM Corporation

9. Your First Managed Bean
 Four Steps To Create A Managed Bean
1. Create the managed bean class
2. Add private properties with public getters/setters
3. Configure the managed bean in faces-config.xml
4. Use your managed bean in an XPage
9

10. Step 1 – Create the Managed Bean Class
 In Domino Designer…
– Create a new Java Class Design Element
– Set the package as needed
– Set the Class name as desired
– Select…
• Constructors from superclass
• Generate comments
– Add the java.io.Serializable Interface
– Click “Finish”
10

11. Step 1 – Create the Managed Bean Class
11

12. Step 1 – Create the Managed Bean Class
 The Results: A Serializable Java Class with a no-argument constructor
12

13. Step 2 – Add Private Properties With Public Getters/Setters
 Add private properties to your Java class
13

14. Step 2 – Add Private Properties With Public Getters/Setters
 Create methods to get or set those property values (getters and setters)
– Right-click to access context menu
– Choose Source – Create getters and Setters…
– Select the properties (fields) that need get and/or set methods
– Choose a location for the new methods
– Click “OK”
14

15. Step 2 – Add Private Properties With Public Getters/Setters
15

16. Step 2 – Add Private Properties With Public Getters/Setters
 Your new getters/setters will appear in the location you chose
16

17. Step 3 – Configure The Managed Bean In Faces-config.xml
 In Application Configuration locate and edit the faces-config.xml
 Add configuration markup identifying the managed bean’s…
– Reference name
– Java class
– Scope
– Example:
<managed-bean>
<managed-bean-name>myFirstBean</managed-bean-name>
<managed-bean-class>com.rgm9.FirstBean</managed-bean-class>
<managed-bean-scope>session</managed-bean-scope>
</managed-bean>
17

18. Step 3 – Configure The Managed Bean In Faces-config.xml
18

19. Step 4 – Use Your Managed Bean In An XPage
 Connect to your managed bean using…
– Expression Language (EL)
19

20. Step 4 – Use Your Managed Bean In An XPage
 Connect to your managed bean using…
– Managed bean public methods
20

21. Creating A “First” Managed Bean
21

22. Agenda
 High Level Concepts
 Our First Managed Bean
 When Do Managed Beans Make Sense?
 Building The Audit Bean
 Debugging Managed Beans
 Generating JavaDoc
22 © 2013 IBM Corporation

23. When Do Managed Beans Make Sense?
 When there is Complexity
– Are you tracking many SSJS scoped variables?
– Do your XPages have complex/progressive disclosure
requirements?
– Would the “work item” be better represented
as an “object”?
 When you need Persistence
– Persistence = “remembering things for later”
– Do you need to track user activity across the entire application?
– Does your application require cross-document tracking?
23

24. The Demo Application
 Annual Audits Application
– Based on an existing production application
– Each year facilities are required to self audit
– Audits comprise different areas: Customs, Export, Finance and others
– Each audit “type” has a different set of questions
– Each audit type is updated annually
– The audit cycle is a 60 day window in Q4
– Audits are assigned to individuals
24

25. The Demo Application
 Complexity level is perfect for “beaning”
– Multiple audit types
– Multiple questions
– Multiple users
– Annual updates
– Hard deadlines
 Persistence is required
– User activity needs to be tracked throughout application
– We need cross-document access
– We need access to the same keywords throughout application
25

26. Annual Audits Application
26

27. Agenda
 High Level Concepts
 Our First Managed Bean
 When Do Managed Beans Make Sense?
 Building The Audit Bean
 Debugging Managed Beans
 Generating JavaDoc
27 © 2013 IBM Corporation

28. Basic Java Syntax Rules
 Java is very similar to Server-Side JavaScript
– Java is case sensitive
– Statements end with a semi-colon
– Most data types are objects
• Only a few primitives
• Integer (object) vs. int (primitive)
– If statements are used for testing
• if(x==9)
{ Do something }
28

29. Basic Java Syntax Rules
 Try/Catch blocks surround methods that throw exceptions
 Methods may or may not return values
29

30. JavaDoc Comment Rules
 In order to generate JavaDoc later you need to add JavaDoc comments now
 Best practice is to comment as you go
 Basic JavaDoc Rules
– JavaDoc is written in HTML
– Comments start with /** and end with */
– The JavaDoc comment must immediately precede the code being documented
• Class, method, field/property, package
– The first line of text until a period and a space is converted into the description
• All text after that appears in the summary
– Specific tags are used
• @author, @version, @param, @return
30

31. Adding JavaDoc Comments
 Click in the method you want to comment
 ALT + Shift + J is the keyboard shortcut to insert a JavaDoc comment
 Example:
31

32. The Bean Rules
 A Plain Old Java Object is considered a bean if it follows this basic structure
private fields
(properties)
No-Argument
Constructor
Operational
methods
Getters/Setters
32

33. The Bean Rules
 Managed beans should implement the Serializable interface
 Serialization is the ability to store the state of a Java object for later use
– Removed from memory
– Stored typically to disc
– Read from disc
– Restored into memory
 serialVersionUID value is
used to aid verification
during the process
33

34. Adding the Serial Version UID
 Domino Designer will generate the required serialVersionUID for you if
you hover over the class name
34

35. Creating The Audit Bean Class
35

36. Before You Bean…Architect Your Solution
 If you are beaning your XPage, chances are there is complexity
 Using managed beans provides a great deal of flexibility
 Spending time to plan your architecture is well worth the effort
 Questions to ask:
– What functions will beans provide?
• Reading/writing, emailing, math operations…
– What events will be handled by your managed beans?
• Saving, editing, approving/not approving…
– How many managed beans do you need and what will they do?
• Administrative bean, user bean, config bean, audit bean, utility bean…
– Exactly what properties and methods will each bean have
36

37. Annual Audits Application Beans And Classes
AdminBean AdminUtils UserBean
• Provides Keyword Choices • Provides static utility • Represents the current user
• Audit Record Maintenance functions functions to other beans
and classes
LogBean AuditQuestion AuditBean
• Provides activity logging • Represents a single • Represents a single
to all other beans and classes audit question audit in its entirety
37

38. Bean Relationships
auditBean auditQuestion Class
auditUserBean Year
•
• Format
• First Name • Type
Assigned To • Text
• Last Name •
• Key • Required?
• Full Name Control Number
• • Question Key
• Administrator? • Status
• Audit Control
• Visited home
Number
page? auditQuestion
• Answer Doc UNID
auditQuestion
auditLog Bean auditQuestion
38

39. Annual Audits Architectural Overview
 Question configuration records are separate from answers
– Each config is keyed to a specific annual audit year and type
 Answers are stored individual documents
– One answer = one document
 Audit.xsp uses a repeat control to traverse a sorted list of questions and
answers
– The list is created each time the AuditBean used
 Custom controls within the repeat are dynamically bound to the correct
answer documents
39

40. Advantages/Disadvantages
 Advantages
– Data normalization
– Individual answers can be easily maintained through code
– The data model lends itself very well to producing data exports, reports and PDF files
– Allows for individualization on a per question basis
– Unlimited flexibility for audit creation
 Disadvantages
– A lot of documents
– A little more code
– Missing answer documents are fatal
40

41. Audit Bean Task #1 – Set Basic Audit Information
 Audit.xsp uses the AuditBean properties for audit information display
– Title of the audit
– The name of the current user
– Audit record control number
– Any other information that is audit-specific
41

42. AuditBean Step #1 – Setting Basic Audit Information
42

43. Audit Bean Task #2 – Building The Questions
 Next up, the AuditBean creates a list of all the questions for this audit
– The list of questions is sorted by key
– Each question is represented as an auditQuestion object
– auditQuestion properties:
• Format of the question
• Question text
• Whether it is required
• Question key
• UNID of the associated answer document
43

44. Java TreeMaps
 Java has a wonderful object called a TreeMap
– Perfect for tracking auditQuestion objects
 Java TreeMaps…
– Sort themselves automatically
– Are comprised of MapEntry objects
– Each MapEntry object has a key and a value
44

45. AuditBean Step #3 – Building The Questions
45

46. Connecting the Audit Record to an Audit
 Audit Records contain information about the year and type of audit
 Audits are represented by an AuditBean instantiated before the audit is
accessed
 The AuditBean initialization method needs to be called from the a link in the
audit records view
 Builds the AuditBean before the audit.xsp is even opened
46

47. Path From Link To Audit
47

48. Connecting The Audit Record To The AuditBean
48

49. How Audit.xsp Works
 When audit.xsp opens…
– Its Repeat Control accesses the AuditBean
– Loops through the TreeMap of auditQuestion objects
• Automatically sorted in question order for this specific year and audit type
– A questionControl Custom Control is repeated once for every auditQuestion object
– The questionControl contains:
• Document data source
• Question Text
• Custom controls for different answer formats (Radio, Text)
• Everything the questionControl needs to know about the current question is
contained in the auditQuestion object
49

50. Creating Audit.xsp
50

51. Sharing Data Between Managed Beans
 In a complex application sharing data between beans is very common
– Why duplicate information when you can just go read it?
 There are several ways to do this:
– A managed bean can simply instantiate another Java class
• This is technically not between beans but bears mentioning
– The sessionMap can be used as a global “note passing” mechanism
• One bean writes something to the sessionMap (sessionScope)
• Other beans read that information from the sessionMap
– Bean injection and managed properties
• One managed bean can be a property of another managed bean
51

52. Using the SessionMap To Share Data
 The sessionMap is a Java Map
– Objects accessible by a key value
– You already use this when you write sessionScope.put(“x”,5)
 Utility functions can be created to read from/write to the sessionMap
 Handy mechanism especially since all of your sessionScoped managed
beans exist in the sessionMap
 Does require you to keep track of the scoped variables being passed around
– Documentation anyone?
52

53. SessionMap Utility Functions
53

54. Using Managed Properties
 Managed beans can be configured to have default values for their properties
 Set in the faces-congif.xml
54

55. Using A Managed Bean As A Managed Properties
 Managed beans often have properties that are Java objects
– questionsList property of AuditBean is a TreeMap
 A managed property can have a default value that is another managed bean
55

56. Sharing Managed Bean Data
56

57. Agenda
 High Level Concepts
 Our First Managed Bean
 When Do Managed Beans Make Sense?
 Building The Audit Bean
 Debugging Managed Beans
 Generating JavaDoc
57 © 2013 IBM Corporation

58. Debugging Managed Beans
 Domino Designer can debug your managed beans
– And other Java
– And SSJS in IBM Notes Social Edition
 Three steps to debugging
1. Start your server in debug mode
2. Create a debug configuration
3. Set breakpoints in your code and “listen”
58

59. Starting Your Server In Debug Mode
 Change your server notes.ini file by adding the following:
JavaEnableDebug=1
JavaDebugOptions=transport=dt_socket,server=y,suspend=n,address=8000
 You will see that your server is ready for Java debug connections in the
server console or log
59

60. Creating A Debug Configuration
 Open a Java design element
 Open the Debug Configurations…
60

61. Creating A Debug Configuration
 Alternatively switch to the Debug Perspective
 Open Debug Configurations…
61

62. Creating A Debug Configuration
 Create a new debug configuration
62

63. Creating A Debug Configuration
 Configure the debug configuration by adding or ensuring the Project name
includes your NSF
63

64. Add Breakpoints To Your Managed Bean
64

65. Now Go Forth And Debug!
 Connect to the server using your debug configuration
65

66. Run Your Code
 After executing your code you may see this prompt to switch to the Debug
Perspective
66

67. Run Your Code
 The Debug Perspective provides the debugging functionality
67

68. Debugging The AuditBean
68

69. Agenda
 High Level Concepts
 Our First Managed Bean
 When Do Managed Beans Make Sense?
 Building The Audit Bean
 Debugging Managed Beans
 Generating JavaDoc
69 © 2013 IBM Corporation

70. Generating JavaDoc
 JavaDoc documentation is generated from your JavaDoc comments
 Domino Designer does not ship with a JavaDoc generator
 JavaDoc configuration steps
– Install the JDK of your choice
– Install Eclipse
– Create a new Java Project in Eclipse
70

71. Generating JavaDoc
 JavaDoc generation steps:
1. Export your managed bean code to the Eclipse project folder
2. Open Eclipse and refresh your project if necessary to see the newly exported source
code
3. In Eclipse choose Project – Generate JavaDoc…
71

72. Generating JavaDoc
 JavaDoc generation steps…
(continued)
4. Complete the fields as needed
5. Click “Finish”
72

73. Generating JavaDoc
 JavaDoc generation steps…
(continued)
6. Your JavaDoc will be added to your Eclipse Java Project
73

74. Generating JavaDoc
 Open the index.html file in a browser to see your JavaDoc in all its fully
commented and correctly documented glory!
74

75. Annual Audits Managed Bean JavaDoc Generation
75

76. Recommended Resources
 The BalusC Code
– EXCELLENT resource on Java and JSF!
– http://balusc.blogspot.com/
 StackOverflow
– http://StackOverflow.com
– Your questions has already probably been answered
 Code Ranch
– JSF Forum - http://www.coderanch.com/forums/f-82/JSF
– Active discussion on All Thinge JSF and Java
 NotesIn9
– http://NotesIn9.com
– Free XPages videos. Lots of them!
76

77. Related Sessions
 Master Class: XPages Performance - Inside Out
– JMP401 Today 1:30 – 3:30 Swan Pelican 1-2
– Tony McGuckin, Maire Kehoe
 IBM Lotus Domino XPages Performance in a Nutshell
– AD 208 Tuesday 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Dolphin S. Hemisphere IV – V
– Maire Kehoe, Tony McGuckin
77

78. Thank You For Coming!
78

79. Q&A
 Questions?
 ¿Preguntas?
 Domande?
 Haben Sie Fragen?
 有问题吗？
 Spørsmål?
 Spørgsmål?
 質問はありますか？
79

80. Legal disclaimer
© IBM Corporation 2013. All Rights Reserved.
The information contained in this publication is provided for informational purposes only. While efforts were made to verify the completeness and accuracy of the information contained in this publication, it is
provided AS IS without warranty of any kind, express or implied. In addition, this information is based on IBM’s current product plans and strategy, which are subject to change by IBM without notice. IBM
shall not be responsible for any damages arising out of the use of, or otherwise related to, this publication or any other materials. Nothing contained in this publication is intended to, nor shall have the effect
of, creating any warranties or representations from IBM or its suppliers or licensors, or altering the terms and conditions of the applicable license agreement governing the use of IBM software.
References in this presentation to IBM products, programs, or services do not imply that they will be available in all countries in which IBM operates. Product release dates and/or capabilities referenced in this
presentation may change at any time at IBM’s sole discretion based on market opportunities or other factors, and are not intended to be a commitment to future product or feature availability in any way.
Nothing contained in these materials is intended to, nor shall have the effect of, stating or implying that any activities undertaken by you will result in any specific sales, revenue growth or other results.
Adobe, the Adobe logo, PostScript, and the PostScript logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States, and/or other countries.
Java and all Java-based trademarks are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both.
80 © 2013 IBM Corporation