The Java EE 5 Tutorial

Using the Core Tags

The tags included in the JavaServer Faces core tag library are used to perform core actions that are independent of a particular render kit. These tags are listed in Table 11–1.

Table 11–1 The jsf_core Tags


Tag Categories	Tags	Functions
Event-handling tags	`actionListener`	Registers an action listener on a parent component
	`phaseListener`	Registers a `PhaseListener` instance on a `UIViewRoot` component
	`setPropertyActionListener`	Registers a special action listener whose sole purpose is to push a value into a backing bean when a form is submitted
	`valueChangeListener`	Registers a value-change listener on a parent component
Attribute configuration tag	`attribute`	Adds configurable attributes to a parent component
Data conversion tags	`converter`	Registers an arbitrary converter on the parent component
	`convertDateTime`	Registers a `DateTime` converter instance on the parent component
	`convertNumber`	Registers a `Number` converter instance on the parent component
Facet tag	`facet`	Signifies a nested component that has a special relationship to its enclosing tag
Localization tag	`loadBundle`	Specifies a `ResourceBundle` that is exposed as a `Map`
Parameter substitution tag	`param`	Substitutes parameters into a `MessageFormat` instance and adds query string name-value pairs to a URL
Tags for representing items in a list	`selectItem`	Represents one item in a list of items in a `UISelectOne` or `UISelectMany` component
Tags for representing items in a list	`selectItems`	Represents a set of items in a `UISelectOne` or `UISelectMany` component
Container tag	`subview`	Contains all JavaServer Faces tags in a page that is included in another JSP page containing JavaServer Faces tags
Validator tags	`validateDoubleRange`	Registers a `DoubleRangeValidator` on a component
	`validateLength`	Registers a `LengthValidator` on a component
	`validateLongRange`	Registers a `LongRangeValidator` on a component
	`validator`	Registers a custom validator on a component
Output tag	`verbatim`	Generates a `UIOutput` component that gets its content from the body of this tag
Container for form tags	`view`	Encloses all JavaServer Faces tags on the page

These tags are used in conjunction with component tags and are therefore explained in other sections of this tutorial. Table 11–2 lists the sections that explain how to use specific jsf_core tags.

Table 11–2 Where the jsf_core Tags Are Explained


Tags	Where Explained
Event-handling tags	Registering Listeners on Components
Data conversion tags	Using the Standard Converters
`facet`	Using Data-Bound Table Components and Laying Out Components with the `UIPanel` Component
`loadBundle`	Rendering Components for Selecting Multiple Values
`param`	Displaying a Formatted Message with the `outputFormat` Tag
`selectItem` and `selectItems`	The `UISelectItem`, `UISelectItems`, and `UISelectItemGroup` Components
`subview`	Setting Up a Page
`verbatim`	Rendering a Hyperlink with the `outputLink` Tag
`view`	Setting Up a Page
Validator tags	Using the Standard Validators and Creating a Custom Validator