This course is an extension of JavaServer Faces, adding a two day-module on advanced techniques focused on custom component libraries, JavaScript, and Ajax. Proceeding from a foundation of Java, Servlets, and JSP, the course develops the best-practice concepts of MVC architecture and command-object encapsulation that propel the JSF architecture. Students create JSF Web applications by organizing their pages as JSF component trees, and their server-side code as JSF managed beans and controllers. They add data-conversion and validation logic and learn to work with JSF's data-table control.

Then, we change our perspective a bit and start thinking in terms of reusable component libraries -- using them and also developing them. Custom components prove to be the ideal delivery vehicle for JavaScript in JSF applications, and ultimately serve as the backbone of a robust Java/Ajax architecture. We work with two popular component libraries along the way -- Tomahawk and RichFaces -- and also get a look at Direct Web Remoting, or DWR.

Java Training Prerequisites

General note: This course is intended primarily for experienced Java application developers. Page authors, component developers, and others who may have little or no Java experience (but perhaps are stronger on HTML and JSP) may well find this to be a valuable training experience, though without solid Java skills many of the coding exercises will be difficult to follow.

• Java programming experience is essential to understanding the JSF API as presented here
• JSP page-authoring experience is required.
• Servlets programming experience is recommended but not required
• Basic knowledge of XML will be helpful, as will any previous experience with HTML.