Building Apache Geronimo applications using JavaServer Faces, part 4th

Using the Apache Trinidad component to extend JSF

So far, in this five-part series, Java™server Faces (JSF) has been studied, including deploying simple JSF applications to Apache Geronimo, integrating Apache Tomahawk with applications, and learn how to use the Sun AJAX4JSF Open source framework to add asynchronous JavaScript + XML (Ajax) functionality to JSF applications. This section is part 4th and you will learn how to use the open source version of the Apache TRINIDAD,ADF Faces. Trinidad provides a free set of components that you can use to further enhance the interface of your JSF application.

Before you start

This tutorial introduces Java programmers to the use of JSF components to build a highly interactive Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE) application that is deployed on Apache Geronimo. This tutorial assumes that the reader uses the Eclipse IDE as the development platform.

About this tutorial

This tutorial introduces you to the Apache Trinidad, a free set of components that you can use to improve the interface of your JSF application. We will convert the Developer Forum login page at the front end of the existing sample application to use the Trinidad component.

About this series of tutorials

This tutorial is the fourth part of a series of tutorials on using JSF to build an Apache Geronimo application (a total of five parts). The following is a summary of the entire series of tutorials:

Part 1th: Building basic applications with Eclipse and Apache Myfaces Core describes how JSF standard Apache myfaces implementations are used in conjunction with the Free Application Server Geronimo (also from Apache). This tutorial shows you how to build a JSF application using the Eclipse IDE's Web Tool Platform (WTP).

Part 2nd: Using Tomahawk in JavaServer Faces shows how to integrate the Apache Tomahawk component with the Geronimo application. Tomahawk provides a number of custom components that are fully compatible with JSF.

Part 3rd: Using AJAX4JSF in JavaServer Faces shows how to use the Sun's free open source framework AJAX4JSF to add Ajax functionality to the Geronimo application.

Part 4: Using the Apache Trinidad component to extend JSF describes how to integrate the Apache Trinidad (open source ADF Faces component) into a Geronimo application to enhance the interface of the JSF application.

Part 5th: Integrating JSF applications with spring integration shows how JSF applications can be integrated into the spring framework (a popular framework that helps Geronimo developers build Java EE applications more easily).

Prerequisite

This tutorial applies to experienced Java developers who have access to back-end systems to extract or process data. Also, you must understand the basics of SQL. Ideally, as a developer, you should have experience using a previous version of one or more Java Database connectivity (JDBC) APIs, leveraging interfaces such as ResultSet and Connection. In addition, you should have the basics of JavaServer Pages (JSP) technology.

System Requirements

You must be equipped with the following tools to learn this tutorial:

Geronimo,apache Java EE Server project. Geronimo offers two styles of Tomcat and Jetty, depending on your needs. We use Jetty (version 1.1) because it is smaller. Note: You must use the Geronimo 1.2 or later version to use the Apache Trinidad.

JSF implementation of the Myfaces,apache. Download the core version from Apache (no Tomcat included). We use the 1.1.3 version in this tutorial.

Eclipse, an extensible open source IDE, supports a variety of languages and platforms.

The additional components and input validators of the Apache Trinidad can be used in conjunction with any JSF implementation. Depending on Oracle's ADF Faces,trinidad is in the development phase of the Apache incubator, you must get the current development snapshot: Go to the main snapshot page and select Trinidad-api and Trinidad-impl until you find trinidad- Api-incubator-m1-snapshot.jar and Trinidad-impl-incubator-m1-snapshot.jar.

Eclipse Web Tools Platform (WTP) for adding XML and JavaScript editing support and initial JSF support to Eclipse. Use Eclipse's update Manager to install the Web Tools Platform from the update site.

Install Java 1.4 or later in the system. The Eclipse binaries are shipped with its own Java runtime, but Geronimo and myfaces are not shipped with (this greatly increases the download archive file). I'm using Java 1.5 on Mac OS X 10.4, but there shouldn't be much difference.