JSF (JAVA SERVER FACES): A Framework For Rapid Enterprise Application Development

 

Keywords: JSF, JSF development, JSF Application Development

 

• Why JSF Development
• JSF Focus
• Advantages of JSF Application Development

 

Java Server Faces (JSF) refers to a Java based web application type of framework that effectively simplifies the development of user interfaces by using a component based approach unlike the more conventional, request-driven type of MVC web frameworks.

 

With this distinct component-based approach, JSF uses JSP namely JavaServer Pages to its display technology but that does not imply that other technologies like XUL cannot be displayed by JSF.

 

Why JSF Development

 

While it is fine to join an ongoing debate as to whether or not JSF offers the best option, the facts we have prove that vast advantages are guaranteed because of the technology used by JavaServer Faces such as the well organized separation to distinguish behavior and presentation.

 

JSF Focus

 

The main focus of JSF is to make Java web application development much simpler by facilitating an effective standard web user interface framework. This means that vendors of international repute and standing like Sun, IBM, and Oracle would wholeheartedly accept and support this design. When you enjoy this kind of support, you can take a further step of visually building web pages by just dragging and dropping the user interface components on behalf of the client side. You can then connect them to the server-side using data sources, JavaBean classes and so on. When JSF is your main option, you won't have to worry about wasting time to get through many types of framework tools so that you can finally come to get what suits your project requirements best.

 

Fine-grained separation

 

JSF has the kind of technology that lets you develop and create web applications that make it possible to bring about remarkable fine-grained separation which is totally unlike the traditional options that were earlier presented by most of the client-side UI architectures. This separation became possible due to web applications built via JSP technology but it is important to note that a JSP application can’t map HTTP requests to be component-specific.

 

This kind of separation endows every person who is an integral part of the web application development team to concentrate solely on his or her aspect pertaining to the overall development process.

 

Rich Architecture

 

Most importantly, it becomes pertinent to highlight that JavaServer Faces technology offers a luxurious palette of architecture that facilitates aspects such as handling events, managing component state, validating a user’s inputs and processing component data. JavaServer Faces has a rich architecture that makes it easy for developers to get familiar with and later use with confidence. By improving upon the traditional Model 2 architecture, JavaServer Faces makes it easier to move off the aspects of presentation as well as business logic from off the controller.

 

Page Controller Pattern

 

The Page Controller Pattern used by JavaServer Faces technology brings forth the creation of applications that are page rich. This also enables components to respond easily to events on a given page.

 

API Layering

 

JSF has an API to represent UI components and manage their state. Other aspects include event handling, conversion of data, server-side validation, defining page navigation and supporting internationalization as well as accessibility. The layering of APIs brings forth a great number of application use cases that are of vast significance such as using another presentation technology rahter than the JSP pages, creating your own custom components which you can do directly from the component classes, and finding the best means to generate output for several client devices. Another interesting aspect relating to API is that ddevelopers would be encouraged to make use of every opportunity to create their own components. In fact, it is known that a number of third parties have done this already and let their component libraries be publicly available.

 

User Interface Management

 

In JavaServer Faces technology, it is a point of significance that user interfaces are created most easily using the built-in UI component library that tackles all the emerging complexities of user interface management. The power and endless opportunities of JavaServer Faces lie in its strong user-interface component model. In this model, you would find that applications are built just from the collections of components that in turn are competent to render themselves in a variety of ways for multiple client types.

 

Because of the quality with which JSF's UI Component model technology is able to ensure unparalleled degree of productivity to developers by letting them construct Web user interfaces with already pre-built user-interface components rather than get started with constructing the user interface right from the scratch.

 

JSF has a fine-tuned event model. The advantage of this is that your applications don’t get so tied down with HTTP related details which in turn means that your development based efforts would be made much simpler.

 

Diverse User Advantages of JSF Application Development

 

Diverse kinds of users would benefit from JavaServer Faces technology including:

• Page authors, who make use of HTML like markup languages will definitely benefit from JavaServer Faces technology. Such authors can make use of the JSP tag library for using JSF’s highly effective user interface components.
• Application developers, who write out the event handlers as well as model objects, would also benefit from this technology.
• Component developers would be able to create custom components that are based on JSF components.
• Tools vendors will offer tools that have JSF technology built into its brand new generation of tools. These tools would help to simplify development of applications that are multi tier and web-based.
• Application Server vendors ensure a runtime environment which has JSF technology as part of its latest generation of Application Servers which benefit by deploying applications that are multi tier, web-based and based on JSF technology.
• JavaServer Faces technology throws opens the market pertaining to reusable web user interface components. This means that developers as well as vendors would be able to make adequate use of JSF to work as the necessary building blocks in developing custom faces.

 

Pluggable rendering capability

 

JSF is known to have an extremely well-defined request lifecycle that permit plugability at different levels. When you want to know what that means, it simply refers to the ability to make your own render toolkit as well as learn to separate the rendering portion from the controller portion of the said framework. This compelling advantage of pluggable rendering capability makes it possible for JSF UI Components to render themselves quite differently and based on the client type who would be looking through to view the said component.