ADF Faces and Web Configuration Files - Explanation

           

               The following XML configuration files required in a JSF application appear in your UI project:

http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E12839_01/web.1111/b31974/web_getstarted.htm#BABBHGJA

• web.xml

• adfc-config.xml

• task-flow-definition.xml

Configuring the Application’s Unbounded Task Flow

      

       The configuration file for an ADF unbounded task flow contains metadata about the activities and control flows contained in the unbounded task flow. The default name for this file is adfcconfig.xml, but an end user can change the name.

Configuring the Application: faces-config.xml

       ADFc is an extension to the JSF controller. This means that managed beans configured in the faces-config.xml file are also accessible if your application uses ADFc for navigation.

The search order is such that the reference to a managed bean is first resolved to faces-config.xml. If the bean is not found there, the ADFc configuration file isreferenced.

Although you can use both faces-config.xml and adfc-config.xml for configuration, Oracle recommends that you use one approach consistently. Because unbounded task flows are ADFc functionality and therefore are configured in adfc-config.xml, it may

be best to use that file for managed bean configuration also.

Configuring Skins:

    A trinidad-config.xml file must be placed in the WEB-INF directory of your Web application. This file has a very simple XML structure that relies on the JSF EL for flexibility.

Each configurable property can be defined either inline with a static, constant value, or with a JSF EL expression that is reevaluated on each request.

    You define your skins in the trinidad-skins.xml file. You can define the following attributes of a skin:

• ID: Each skin must have an ID. This is a unique identifier for a skin.

• Family: Each skin must have a family. A skin belongs to a family and you set it in the

trinidad-config.xml file under <skin-family>.

• Style sheet name: This is your skin’s style sheet name URL.

Setting Run-Time Configuration Parameters

   

     When you create a project in JDeveloper that uses the JSF technology, a starter web.xml file

with default settings is created for you in the /WEB-INF folder. To edit the file, double-click

web.xml in the Application Navigator to open it in the XML editor.

    You must configure the following in web.xml for all applications that use JSF and ADF Faces:

• JSF servlet and mapping: The javax.faces.webapp.FacesServlet servlet that

manages the request processing life cycle for Web applications using JSF to construct the

user interface

• ADF Faces filter and mapping: A servlet filter to ensure that ADF Faces is properly

initialized by establishing an AdfFacesContext object. This filter also processes file

uploads.

• ADF resource servlet and mapping: A servlet to serve Web application resources

(images, style sheets, JavaScript libraries) by delegating to a ResourceLoader

The JSF servlet and mapping configuration settings are automatically added to the starter

web.xml file when you first create a JSF project. When you insert an ADF Faces component

        onto a JSF page for the first time, JDeveloper automatically inserts the configuration settings for

both the ADF Faces filter and mapping and the resource servlet and mapping.

Examining Additional Metadata Files:

An ADF Web application uses other metadata files as well, such as:

• Application-level

- <application>.jws: Lists component versions and projects in an application

- cwallet.sso: Defines the application’s database connection credentials

- jps-config.xml: Lists the configuration file for credential store service

instances

- connections.xml: Lists connections defined for the application

- adf-config.xml: Specifies application-level settings that are usually determined

at deployment (deployment profile) and often changed at run time by a managed

bean that is registered for the component configuration to specify run-time settings

• Any project

- <project>.jpr: Specifies project properties

- <project>Bundle.properties: Is the resource bundle containing translatable

strings

• Model project

- <project>.jpx: Is the project configuration file for business components

• UI project

- pagetemplate-metadata.xml: Lists page templates in the project