10.1 Introduction to More Complex Pages

Once you create a basic page and add navigation capabilities, you may want to add more complex features to your pages, such as the ability to pass parameter values from one page to another, or the ability to search for and return certain records. ADF provides many features that allow you to add this complex functionality using very little actual code.

For example, you can create command components, such as buttons, that directly execute methods on your service bean. You only need to drag the method from the data control and drop it as a command button.You can also use command components to pass parameter values to another page.

In addition to creating basic forms that display information from a data store, you can also create forms that display only certain records (determined by parameter values), forms that allow you to create new records, and forms that search through and return objects based on a user's input.

Read this chapter to understand:

• How to create an use a managed bean to store parameter values or flags

• How to create command components bound to methods

• How to set parameter values

• How to add logic to a method bound to a command component

• How to create forms and tables that display only certain records

• How to create forms that allow users to create new records

• How to create search forms with result tables