Java Reference
In-Depth Information
The Architecture of JSF
A JSF web framework uses the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern like request-based web
frameworks such as Struts and SpringMVC do. Figure
6-1
shows a high-level architecture of the JSF
framework.
Controller
request
Model
Client
FacesServlet
response
direct
delegated
Managed
bean
Renderer
UI Component
VDL
JSF EL
JSF tag libraries
View
Converter
Validator
Figure 6-1.
A high-level architecture of the JSF framework
Figure
6-1
presents several important parts of JSF that make its architecture rich and flexible.
This architecture allows you to do the following:
Plug in any view declaration language (VDL) such as JSP and Facelets
Render the display in different devices, such as desktops, tablets, and so on
Create pages using components
FacesServlet
FacesServlet is the controller in the MVC, as shown in Figure
6-1
, and implements the Front
Controller pattern that intercepts every interaction between Facelets (the view) and the model.
FacesServlet is configured through annotations on managed beans, converters, components,
renderers, and validators or optionally through the
faces-config.xml
descriptor file.
Managed Bean
Managed beans serve as the model for the UI component. They are responsible for the following:
Synchronizing data with components
Processing business logic
Handling navigation between pages
