HTML Display Components

If you are designing forms, you will use the HTML components described in this section. To create a form, you can use the Identity Manager Form XML language (also called forms), to describe HTML display components. This language is then interpreted at runtime to build the necessary components. It allows new pages to be dynamically generated with little or no additional Java development, which greatly simplifies customization.

What Are HTML Components?

HTML display components are instances of Java classes that generate a string of HTML text. Each display component has:

• A class name (defined in the field by the class attribute of the Display element). This name identifies the component class, which determines the component’s fundamental behavior and defines the set of properties recognized by the component.

• One or more properties (defined in the field with Property elements). Properties further define field behavior and appearance.

Specifying Display Components

You can specify display components as follows:

<Field name=’Name’>
   <Display class=’Class’>
      <Property name=’Name’ value=’Value’/>
   </Display>
</Field>

Page Processor Requirements for HTML Components

Forms that implement HTML components have the following page processor requirements.

Hidden Parameters

Most components have a name that corresponds to the name of a parameter posted from an HTML form. Identity Manager reserves a few parameter names for general use. Do not use these names as component names.

Table 7–1 Hidden Parameters

Reserved Name	Description
id	Contains the ID of the object being edited
command	Contains the value of the button used to submit the form
activeControl	Contains the name of the last component that was active on the form
message	Can contain an informational message to be displayed at the top of the page
error	Can contain an error message to be displayed at the top of the page