Table of Attributes

The second part of the MBean view is a table containing all attributes exposed by the MBean. For each attribute, this table lists its name, its Java type, its read-write access, and a string representation of its current value.

While MBean attributes can be of any type, not all types can be displayed in the MBean view. The HTML adaptor is limited to basic data types that can be displayed and entered as strings. Read-only attributes whose type supports the toString method are also displayed. Enumerated types that are concrete subclasses of com.sun.jdmk.Enumerated are displayed as a menu with a pop-up selection list. Boolean attributes are represented as true-false radio buttons. Finally, attributes with array types are represented by a link to a page that displays the array values in a table. If the attribute is writable, you can enter values for the array elements to set them.

For the complete list of supported types, see the Javadoc API of the HtmlAdaptorServer class. If an attribute type is not supported, this is indicated in place of its value. If there was an error when reading an attribute's value, the table shows the name of the exception that was raised and the message it contains.

The name of each attribute is a link that displays a window containing the description for this attribute. Like the MBean description, attribute descriptions can only be provided by dynamic MBeans. The MBean server inserts a generic description for standard MBean attributes. Figure 6–3 shows the attributes of the HTML adaptor with a description of the Active attribute:

Figure 6–3 MBean Attributes With a Description Window

To View an Attribute Description

1. Click on an attribute name in the table of attributes to read its description.

   Because the HTML adaptor is implemented as a dynamic MBean, its attribute descriptions are meaningful.

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   Note –

   Due to the use of JavaScript commands in the generated HTML, these pop-up windows might not be available on browsers that are not JavaScript-enabled.

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Writable attributes have a text field for entering new values. To set the value of a writable attribute, type or replace its current value in the text field and click the Apply button at the bottom of the attributes table.

Do not try to modify the attributes of the HTML protocol adaptor here. See Instantiating and Managing MBeans.

Because there is only one Apply button for all the attributes, this systematically invokes the setter for all writable attributes, whether or not their fields have actually been modified. This might affect the MBean if setters have side effects, such as counting the number of modifications, as in the SimpleStandard and SimpleDynamic examples given in Part I

The HTML adaptor detects attributes of the ObjectName type and provides a link to the view of the corresponding MBean. This link is labeled view and is located just under the displayed value of the object name. Because MBeans often need to reference other MBeans, this provides a quick way of navigating through MBean hierarchies.