JavaServer Faces provides application developers with a visual component model for building web applications, standardized as part of the Java EE specification. Component libraries such as RichFaces abstract away the javascript, allowing one to focus on building applications with a rich user experience without fiddling with complex javascript. However, if you want to provide your user with a rich web experience, and the functionality you need isn't provided by an existing JSF component library, you can quite easily leverage existing javascript libraries to create your own JSF components. jQuery plugins exist providing functionality in a number of areas. By wrapping these plugins as JSF components, you maintain the benefits of abstracting away the javascript in your application and encapsulating the behavior within the component. Together, we'll take a look at creating custom JSF components using both the JSF 2 composite component approach, as well as with the RichFaces CDK, and demonstrate how to take advantage of the many existing jQuery plugins available, providing a rich experience in your web applications. Presenter: Brian Leathem Bio: Brian Leathem is a Senior Software Engineer at Red Hat JBoss Middleware, leading the RichFaces project. An early adopter of JavaEE 6 and the CDI programming model, Brian also is the Lead of the Seam Faces Module. Having been involved with Seam 3 from its early stages, Brian helped the project bridge framework gaps with CDI/JSF integration. A firm believer in the power of open standards, Brian is keen to help shape the evolution of the JSF standard, to be the tool developers need it to be.
