Demo

JavaScript Functions

NOTE: The tooltips for the Framework are provided by Walter Zorn. Please visit his site at http://www.walterzorn.com. He is the one developer I can identity, there are many more functions that I begged, borrowed and stole(copy and pasted) from the internet – “Why think, when you can GOOGLE!”

Another point of interest, the Framework never performs a “Submit”, all interactions with the host are via AJAX. If you don’t yet know what AJAX is, it is simply a mechanism for transmitting data, and receiving data to the server. With AJAX, the framework can selectively interact with the server, and not simply to a “big bang” send of all form data.

AJAX is an acronym for ‘Asynchronous JavaScript and XML’. There is nothing new to install to use it, it is more a technique, rather than anything new. To see how we use AJAX within the F4J framework, look at the AjaxRequestPage() JavaScript function in the sbGeneral.js file. For more information on AJAX, try googling it – there is much to read.

http://java.sun.com/javaee/javaserverfaces/ajax/tutorial.jsp

Ok – Back to the topic(s) at hand….

Java Script Commands:

sbGeneral.js

The sbGeneral.js file contains the core Framework script functions for all server and form interactions.

System wide global variables:

var sysAccess = "Page";

var sysLastForm = "";

var sysCurrentForm = "";

var sysSessionStartDateTime = "";

var sysSessionEndDateTime = "";

var sysAction = "";

var localTransitionForm ="";

var FormContextArea = "ajaxcontentarea";

var FormTopArea = "ajaxtoparea";

var FormHeaderArea = "ajaxheaderarea";

var FormBottomArea = "ajaxbottomarea";

var FormFooterArea = "ajaxfooterarea";

Functions:

Function Name	Parameters
AjaxRequestData	servletName, Action
AjaxRequestPage	servletName, Action, Access, Target
AjaxRequestWSDL	servlet
AjaxSubmitPage	servletName, Action, Target
dirtyForm	bool,formObject
getAllFormValues	formID
getChildrenFor	dom, parentHandler, childHandler
getFormValue	fieldName
getFormValueOnForm	formID, fieldName
getGlobalValuesFromForm	fobj
getGlobalValuesFromMemory	formID
getListValue	fieldName
getNode	parent, tagName
getNodesWithKey	parent, tagName, key
getRequestObj
ProcessXMLResp	inXML, ParentTag, parentHandler, childHandler
rawXmlResponse	req
setFieldInError	fieldName
setFieldInErrorOnForm	formID, fieldName
setFormValue	fieldName, fieldValue
setFormValueOnForm	formID, fieldName, fieldValue
setGlobalFormValuesFromMemory	formID
validateField	formObject
validateForm
validateFormFromServer	formID
xmlGlobalChild	ChildNodeName, ChildNodeValue, ChildID
xmlGlobalParent	ParentNodeName, pID
xmlResponse	req, Target
xmlSimpleResponse	req, Target

AjaxLib.js

Provides JavaScript “class” like access to Ajax and the underlying AsyncFW/DO framework. To use it you will need to create an instance of the “Ajax” object;

var aj = new Ajax();

Once you have created an instance of the Ajax object, you can then interact with the server by using one of the four methods provided;

Asynchronous Request – do not wait for response

Ajax.requestText(servlet, handler, formvalues)

Ajax.requestXML(servlet, handler, formvalues)

Synchronous Request – wait for server response

Ajax.requestSyncText(servlet, handler, formvalues)

Ajax.requestSyncXML(servlet, handler, formvalues)

Text or XML response

The requests can return either a text string, or an XML DOM object. Text return values are harder to interrogate, but is very useful for returning simple strings. The XML DOM requests are far more useful for form, or multiple field value return types.

Request Parameters

Each of the for request methods require the same three parameters.

Servlet – This is the equivalent to the html Form “Action” attribute. It is the name of the servlet to be invoked.

Handler – This is the handler function which will be called when the server returns a respsone. The handler function must take the following form;

function AjaxReturnHandler(domObject){

alert("returned XML DOM from Server");

}

function AjaxReturnHandler (stringObject){

alert("returned Text String from Server");

}

FormValues – The data to be sent to the server.

Sample Request w/Handler

function MyServlet_Sample(){

setFormValue("sysAction", "Import");

var aj = new Ajax();

aj.requestSyncXML("/FWAdmin/MyServlet",

"SampleHandler",

getAllFormValues("MySevlet"));

}

function SampleHandler(dom){

alert("returned from Import");

}

The above JavaScript will execute a synchronous request to the /FWAdmin/MyServlet servlet using all the form values using the sbGeneral.js function getAllFormValue(formname). When the servlet returns it’s response, the handler “SampleHandler” will be invoked.

FormValidation.js

Standing on the shoulders of giants, I have assembled most of these functions by combing the web. Thanks to all you un-named developers out their!

The FormValidation functions are geared toward data manipulation, and formatting.

Functions:

Function Name	Parameters
add100Percent	strValue
addCommas	strValue
addCurrency	num
addCurrency2	strValue
addInterest	strValue
addPercent	strValue
changeDateFrmt	val
customRegExp	strValue, regEx
endsWith	strValue, strStr
inYrRangeUSDate	strValue, frmYear, toYear
isEmpty	strValue
isValidEmail	strValue
isValidInteger	strValue
isValidNotEmpty	strValue
isValidNumeric	strValue
isValidSSN	strValue
isValidUSDate	strValue
isValidUSPhone	strValue
isValidUSZip	strValue
isValidValue	strValue, strMatchPattern
leftTrim	strValue
makeInteger	strValue
parseField	inField
removeCharacters	strValue, strMatchPattern
removeCommas	strValue
removeCurrency	strValue
removeDecimal	strValue
removeInterest	strValue
removePercent	strValue
rightTrim	strValue
startsWith	strValue, strStr
trimAll	strValue

Framework Page Interface

Ok, so JavaScript doesn’t really have the concept of an ‘Interface’. That said, the Framework requires that you implement a script for every page that user will interact with, and that that page implement certain functions, and a variable. The pseudo-interface requires that these functions begin with the name of the form (case matters).

Variable:

var yourFormNameDirty = false;

Functions:

Function Name	Parameters
yourFormName_getDataToSend	Action
yourFormName_preRequestAction	Action
yourFormName_Request_Return	currForm
yourFormName_Submit_PreSubmit	Action
yourFormName_Submit_Return	Action
yourFormName_SubmitButton	ButtonObj
yourFormName_Validate	fieldName, fieldValue

S. Chappell