This JavaServer Faces (JSF) course, developed by JavaServer Faces in Action (In Action) author Kito Mann, begins by explaining JavaServer Faces, and how it relates to Struts and other web frameworks currently on the market. You will learn about key JSF concepts, and some of the architectural principals behind the framework. The course is a mixture of lecture and labs, including an in-depth case study. From a basic understanding of JSF, you will learn about IDEs that support JSF, as well as libraries that facilitate JSF development, such as Struts Shale, JBoss Seam, and Facelets. Current market is presented for off-the-shelf user interface components, such as grids, menus, toolbars, trees, and tabbed panes. In addition, you will see how JSF can simplify development of Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) user interfaces. The course then dives into the fundamentals of application development: developing views, navigation, and writing backing beans. Next, you will learn about the standard JSF components, how to use validators and converters, and how to work with Facelets instead of JavaServer Pages (JSP). After you are familiar with basic JSF application development, you examine JSF extension points, and how they can be leveraged to provide features, such as security, alternative templating technology, and access to external resources. The latter portion of the class discusses third-party component suites. Additional chapters on JSF with Struts, Apache Shale and JBoss Seam are also available.
Who Can Benefit
Experienced Java web developers, architects, and team leads who want to learn about JavaServer Faces technology.
Prerequisites
Before attending this JSF course, students should be familiar with the Java programming language. This course does not require prior understanding of Struts or other frameworks, but a basic understanding of Java web application development is required. Most of the examples in this course use JavaServer Pages (JSP), so familiarity with JSP is a plus.:
Skills Gained
After successfully completing this JSF course, students will be able to:
- Utilize component-oriented development techniques
- Work with standard JSF components
- Develop custom components, validators, and converters
- Take advantage of third-party components, IDEs, and open-source projects, such as JBoss Seam, Struts Shale and Facelets
- Put it all together in a JSF application
- Work with third-party component suites
- Integrate JSF with Struts and existing applications
Course Content
Module 1 - Introduction
- An introduction to JSF technology
- Exploring the JSF landscape
- Getting Started with JSF technology
Module 2 - Standard Features
- Creating backing beans and using managed beans
- Exploring the standard components
- Internationalization, validators, and converters
- Using Facelets
Module 3 - Application Development
- Developing with JSF technology
- Inside the JSF architecture
- Writing custom components, validators, and converters
Module 4 - Extensions and Integration
- Component frameworks overview
- Using Apache Shale (appendix)
- Migrating from Struts (appendix)
- Using JBoss Seam (appendix)
- Summary and future directions