37 Refactoring a Fusion Web Application

This chapter describes considerations for renaming, moving, and deleting files, configuration files, objects, attributes, and elements. In most cases, JDeveloper automatically performs refactoring. However, you may need to complete some manual steps to refactor.

This chapter includes the following sections:

37.1 About Refactoring a Fusion Web Application

JDeveloper provides refactoring options to rename, move, and delete attributes, named elements, and ADF Business Components objects that your application uses. These refactoring options synchronize your changes with other parts of the application that are dependent on the changes. For example, renaming an ADF Business Components object such as a view object using the Rename option renames any references to it in other XML source files.

37.1.1 Refactoring Use Cases and Examples

During the course of development, you will create objects such as entity objects, as needed, to satisfy the needs of the application. Then you might find that you need to subsequently need to delete an object that is no longer used, rename an object to fit a naming convention, or move a set of objects into a different package to consolidate their location. Using JDeveloper, you can refactor these objects so that they are updated and the references to these objects in other objects are also updated to maintain the integrity of the whole application.

37.2 Renaming Files

You can rename files such as configuration files using the following methods:

  • In the Application Navigator, select the file and choose File > Rename from the main menu.

  • In the Application Navigator, right-click the file and choose Refactor > Rename.

  • In the source editor, select a class name, right-click it, and choose Rename.

37.3 Moving JSF Pages

In addition to the other refactoring operations, you can change the package of a JSF page. In the Application Navigator, right-click a JSF page and choose Refactor > Move to Package to move the page to another package. Moving the JSF page to another package updates:

  • faces-config.xml files that reference the page and its package

  • ADF task flows containing views associated with the page

  • DataBindings.cpx mappings to the page

37.4 Refactoring pagedef.xml Bindings Objects

The pagedef.xml binding objects that you can refactor include bindings and executables. For more information, see Section 13.7, "Working with Page Definition Files."

Before you begin:

It may be helpful to have an understanding of the options you have for refactoring. For more information, see Section 37.1, "About Refactoring a Fusion Web Application."

In JDeveloper, open the application that contains the objects you want to refactor.

To refactor pagedef.xml binding objects:

  1. In the Application Navigator, select the page node on which you have added a bound object such as an ADF Form or selection list.

  2. Right-click the page node and choose Go to Page Definition.

    If the page does not already have a page definition, the Create Page Definition dialog displays. Click OK to create a page definition for the page.

  3. In the overview editor, expand the Model section.

    Data bindings such as list bindings and iterator bindings defined for the page display under Bindings and Executables, as shown in Figure 37-1.

    Figure 37-1 Page Data Binding Definition Overview Tab

    Page Data Binding Definition

  4. Right-click a data binding or executable, choose Refactor and a refactoring option such as Rename or Delete.

  5. To display the usages between bindings, executables, and data controls, right-click a binding or executable and choose Find Usages.

37.5 Refactoring ADF Business Components

ADF Business Components includes objects such as view objects and entity objects. Table 37-1 shows support for refactoring ADF Business Components.

Table 37-1 Refactoring ADF Business Components

Action Result

Move

Moves the object to a different package or directory and updates all references.

Delete

JDeveloper shows all dependencies on the object and permits a forced delete. The application may not work at this point. You may need to resolve broken references.

Rename

ADF Business Components objects are defined by an XML file. The XML file has a file name identical to the object name. For example, the name of the XML file for a view object named Persons1View is Persons1View.xml. Renaming results in changing the Name attribute, renaming the XML file, and updating all references.

For example, the name of an entity (Customer) is stored as an attribute in the XML file (name=Customer). The XML file has the same name the entity name (Customer.xml).

Find Usages

JDeveloper shows all dependencies on the object.

Note:

Refactoring does not cross abstraction layers. For example, when a view object is created based on the Dept entity object, it is named DeptView by default. Renaming the Dept entity object updates the entity usage in DeptView, but does not change the name of the view object.

Before you begin:

It may be helpful to have an understanding of the options you have for refactoring. For more information, see Section 37.1, "About Refactoring a Fusion Web Application."

In JDeveloper, open the application that contains the objects you want to refactor.

To refactor ADF Business Components objects:

  1. In the Application Navigator, expand the Projects node containing the object you want to refactor.

  2. Within the project, expand the Application Sources node and then the package containing the object you want to refactor.

  3. Right-click the object and choose Refactor > Rename or Refactor > Move.

  4. To delete the object, choose Delete.

    If the object is used elsewhere in the application, a dialog displays with the following options:

    • Ignore: Unresolved usages will remain in the code as undefined references.

    • View Usages: Display a preview of the usages of the element in the Compiler log. You can use the log to inspect and resolve the remaining usages.

37.6 Refactoring ADF Business Component Object Attributes

Table 37-1 shows support for refactoring attributes of ADF Business Component entity objects and view objects.

Table 37-2 Refactoring Attributes

Action Result

Move

Not supported.

Delete

JDeveloper shows all dependencies on the attribute and permits a forced delete. The application may not work at this point. You may need to resolve broken references.

Rename

Attributes share data elements represented in entity and view objects (see Section 4.1, "About Entity Objects" for more information). References to the attribute are updated when you rename the attribute. Renaming results in changing the Name attribute, renaming the XML file, and updating all references.

Renaming an attribute does not change the data it represents, nor does it rename the underlying table column.

Find Usages

JDeveloper shows all dependencies on the attribute.

Before you begin:

It may be helpful to have an understanding of the options you have for refactoring. For more information, see Section 37.1, "About Refactoring a Fusion Web Application."

In JDeveloper, open the application that contains the attributes you want to refactor.

To refactor attributes:

  1. In the Application Navigator, expand the Projects node containing the object you want to refactor.

  2. Within the project, expand the Application Sources node and then the package containing the object you want to refactor.

  3. Double-click the object.

  4. In the overview editor, select Attributes.

  5. In the Name column, select an attribute.

  6. Right-click and choose Rename or Delete.

  7. To delete the attribute, choose Delete.

    If the attribute is used elsewhere in the application, a dialog displays with the following options:

    • Ignore: Unresolved usages will remain in the code as undefined references.

    • View Usages: Display a preview of the usages of the attribute in the Compiler log. You can use the log to inspect and resolve the remaining usages.

37.7 Refactoring Named Elements

Table 37-3 shows support for refactoring named elements in an XML schema. Named elements are any elements in the XML schema that can be referenced by a Name attribute. A named element is not an object or an attribute.

Table 37-3 Refactoring Named Elements

Action Result

Move

Not supported.

Delete

Not supported.

Rename

One exception to the definition of named elements is the design time element Attr, which does have a Name attribute. Attr is a name-value pair, is not accessible from the code editor, and should not be renamed.

Find Usages

JDeveloper shows all dependencies on the named element.

Before you begin:

It may be helpful to have an understanding of the options you have for refactoring. For more information, see Section 37.1, "About Refactoring a Fusion Web Application."

In JDeveloper, open the application that contains the objects you want to refactor.

To refactor named elements:

  1. In the Application Navigator, expand the Projects node containing the object you want to refactor.

  2. Within the project, expand the Application Sources node and then the package containing the object you want to refactor.

  3. Double-click the object.

  4. In the overview editor, click the Source tab.

  5. Scroll down to a named element.

    Named elements are indicated by Name="<element>" in the source code, for example:

    <Key Name="PersonsAffContactChk">

    A named element is not an object or attribute.

  6. To rename the element, right-click the element and choose Rename.

  7. To delete the element, choose Delete.

    If the element is used elsewhere in the application, a dialog displays with the following options:

    • Ignore: Unresolved usages will remain in the code as undefined references.

    • View Usages: Display a preview of the usages of the element in the Compiler log. You can use the log to inspect and resolve the remaining usages.

37.8 Refactoring ADF Task Flows

For more information, see Section 18.6, "Refactoring to Create New Task Flows and Task Flow Templates."

37.9 Refactoring the DataBindings.cpx File

The DataBindings.cpx file defines the Oracle ADF binding context for the entire application and provides the metadata from which the Oracle ADF binding objects are created at runtime (see Section A.7.1, "DataBindings.cpx Syntax" for more information). This file is a registry used to quickly find all .cpx, .dcx, .jpx, and .xcfg files, which are themselves registries of metadata.

If you rename the DataBindings.cpx file to a new name, such as DataBindingsNew.cpx, the change is added to the adfm.xml file.

Example 37-1 shows the contents of the adfm.xml file after DataBindings.cpx is refactored to DataBindingsNew.cpx.

Example 37-1 Renamed DataBindings.cpx file in adfm.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?> 
<MetadataDirectory xmlns="http://xmlns.oracle.com/adfm/metainf" version="11.1.1.0.0">                 
<DataBindingRegistry path="adf/sample/view/DataBindingsNew.cpx"/>
</MetadataDirectory>

After this change, the application won't run because the data control cannot be found. Example 37-2 shows the old ID in the DataBindingsNew.cpx file. To enable the application to access the correct bindings file, update the ID value in the DataBindingsNew.cpx file to the new file.

Example 37-2 DataBindingsNew.cpx ID

<Application xmlns="http://xmlns.oracle.com/adfm/application"
version="11.1.1.49.28" id="DataBinding" SeparateXMLFiles="false"
Package="adf.sample.view" ClientType="Generic">

This should be changed to an ID similar to the one shown in Example 37-3.

Example 37-3 Updated DatabindingNew.cpx ID

<Application xmlns="http://xmlns.oracle.com/adfm/application" 
version="11.1.1.49.28" id="DataBindingNew" SeparateXMLFiles="false"
Package="adf.sample.view" ClientType="Generic">

37.10 Refactoring Limitations

Table 37-4 summarizes the limitations of JDeveloper's refactoring support.

Table 37-4 Refactoring Limitations

Area Limitation

Database

When a database artifact used in an ADF Business Components object is renamed, the object needs to be updated. This type of refactoring is currently not supported.

Service interface

A service interface defines a contract between two separate pieces of software. For example, the ADF Business Components service interface is responsible for exposing business components to the view and model layers. Changing the name of a service interface can cause a conflict. While developing the application, consider removing the service interface, refactoring the object, and regenerating the service interface. Additionally, if your service interface defines a find operation based on a view criteria that specifies bind variables, changing the number or order of the bind variables in the underlying view criteria will require that you regenerate the service interface.

For more information, see Chapter 11, "Integrating Service-Enabled Application Modules."

Java literal references

The Java code generated by ADF Business Components has literal references to the XML metadata. These literal references are updated during refactoring operations. Generated (type safe) methods are also updated. Also, the refactor delete operation is available for local Java variables.

However, if the application code directly refers to the metadata, these references are not updated.

Domain

If a domain needs to be renamed or moved, you must create the new domain, then change the type of existing domain usages.For example, you might rename a domain called EmployeeID to EmployeeNumber. In addition, the entity Emp has an attribute called Empno that is of type EmployeeID.After creating the new domain EmployeeNumber, go to the attributes page for the entity, right-click Empno and choose Change Type. This switches Empno from EmployeeID to EmployeeNumber.

Security

Security policies in the policy store may reference the name of an entity object, attribute, page, or task flow. These policy definitions are not updated in response to the refactoring of the object itself.

Resource Bundles

Entity object definitions can reference a resource in one or more arbitrary resource bundle (.properties) files that you create. You can use this file to define labels for the attributes of entity objects. However, if you rename the .properties file you created, JDeveloper will not update the entity object definitions to reflect the new file name. As an alternative to resource bundle files that you create, you can specify a project setting to generate a single, default resource bundle file for the data model project. In this case, JDeveloper will not allow you to rename this generated file. However, if you attempt to change the project-level default resource bundle file, JDeveloper will warn you about the change. The data model project will honor the new ADF Business Components project-level setting for any objects that have not yet been linked to the default resource bundle file; all existing Business Components that have already been linked to the original default file will continue to use it instead.

.jpx project configuration file

Renaming the ADF Business Components project configuration file (.jpx) is not supported.

In previous versions of JDeveloper, ADF Business Components project configuration .jpx files were created only in the root package of the src directory of a project and were named with the same base name as the project. The ADF Business Components objects (entities, views, and application modules) were all created in the model package (for example, /model/AppModule.xml), but the /Model.jpx is not.This may cause a reusability problem when attempting to package them in ADF JAR files for use on the class path. There may be name conflicts because several projects are named Model.

37.11 Moving the ADF Business Components Project Configuration File (.jpx)

Although refactoring the ADF Business Components project configuration file (.jpx) is not supported, you may need to change its name or location to avoid conflicts when sharing your project contents as an ADF library. The .jpx file contains configuration information that JDeveloper uses in the design time to allow you to create the data model project with ADF Business Components. If you need to refactor this file, you must do so manually.

Before you begin:

It may be helpful to have an understanding of the options you have for refactoring. For more information, see Section 37.1, "About Refactoring a Fusion Web Application."

To manually move the ADF Business Components project configuration file (.jpx):

  1. Move the.jpx file to the new source tree location.

    For example, you can move the Model.jpx file from src/Model.jpx to src/newpackage/name/here/Model.jpx.

  2. Change the .jpx file contents. The PackageName attribute of the root element JboProject needs to have the correct value.

    For example, you can specify PackageName="newpackage.name.here".

  3. Change the jbo.project attributes in all common/bc4j.xcfg files that contain elements referred to in the.jpx file to include the new package name.

    For example:

    <AppModuleConfig name="ScottDeptAMLocal" ApplicationName="newpackage.name.here.ScottDeptAM" DeployPlatform="LOCAL" JDBCName="scottdb" jbo.project="newpackage.name.here.Model">

  4. Change the JDeveloper project file (the.jpr file) contents:

    • Set the new.jpx package location. If you later change the default package in the project properties, you will again raise a NotFound error for the.jpx file.

      For example:

      <value n="defaultPackage" v="newpackage.name.here"/>

    • Fix any ownerURL elements in the ownerMap that contain references to the old location of the.jpx file.

      For example:

      <url n="ownerURL" path="src/newpackage/name/here/Model.jpx"/>