"Marty, You're Just Not Thinking Fourth Dimensionally": Troubleshooting XPages

Paul Withers / 2nd Feb 2016

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About Me

“My name is Darth Vader. I am an extraterrestrial from

the planet Vulcan”

Why This Session?

• XPages often doesn’t work “as expected”

Custom Control -> XPage -> Browser

Browser -> Server -> Browser

SSJS / CSJS

State management

Partial Refresh

• Lots of StackOverflow questions

Which wouldn’t be referenced here unless many developers hit the same issues!

Agenda

• Buzz-Quote Bingo!

• Twin Pines Mall / Lone Pine Mall

• Marty’s Family Photo

• Marty McFly and the Tannens

• Power of Love

• Alternate 1985

• Indians!

• It’s Erased!

BuzzQuote Bingo

• http://hermes.intec.co.uk/bttf

• Enter Name and Email

• Click when you hear

• Shout if you win!

Twin Pines Mall / Lone Pine Mall

Some Questions

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/32256155/why-does-this-code-write-out-two-documents/32259533#32259533

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/24400934/xpages-save-cancel-actions-scenario

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/24407003/xpages-unid-of-documents-why-it-is-changing

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/21015953/xpages-conflict-is-created-everytime-a-document-is-saved

1. Retrieve/Create Code in documentId

• ALWAYS use ${…} when calculating properties like documentId

• Otherwise calculated FOUR times on page load

If attached to a Panel, TWICE AFTER beforePageLoad

If attached to XPage, TWICE BEFORE beforePageLoad

• Can’t use scoped variables set in beforePageLoad!

Always TWICE DURING render response

1a. Timing of Initialisations

• viewScoped variables can’t be set before PAGE LOAD

Controller frameworks put variable in requestScope and move to viewScope

• data, dataContexts etc

attached to XPage / Custom Control - initialised alongside component

Attached to Panel – initialised during PAGE LOAD

2. ignoreRequestParams

• ALWAYS use ignoreRequestParams where appropriate

If no params, computed settings respected

If params passed, computed settings overwritten

3. Submit Button Type

• DON’T use save=“true” (“Submit” button type)

Use script, not simple actions

• Greater control, less risk

• You save only what should be saved

• Preparing you for Java / beans / beyond

• Form with single rich text field can cause problems even with script

Marty’s Family Photo

Some Questions

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/33259105/xpages-button-unresponsive-after-4-ajax-calls/33260337#33260337

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/32628012/xpages-losing-a-viewscoped-bean-again/32633453#32633453

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/32482575/xpages-falling-out-of-server-side-cache/32483154#32483154

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/33686362/xpages-page-loosing-context-weird-behaviour

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/32628012/xpages-losing-a-viewscoped-bean-again/32633453#32633453

4. Keep Pages In Memory

• XPages is stateful

• Number of component trees restricted for performance

• Dumped xsp.session.timeout minutes after browser closed

Browser doesn’t tell server session is no longer used!

5. viewState=“nostate”

• viewState=“nostate”

Don’t store a component tree for this page

Best practice for XAgents / REST services

6. Explanation of “nostate”

• DataView and nostate

Toggle expand/collapse is fine

Navigating to specific pages is fine

Next / Previous is relative to defaults

Toggle detail is relative to defaults

• Unless detailsOnClient=“true”

• Details pushed to browser along with rest of content

• “Toggle” is client-side show/hide

Marty and the Tannens

Some Questions

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/31561306/how-do-i-access-a-repeat-control-from-the-outside-e-g-via-csjs/31575723#31575723

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/27982313/xprepeat-inside-xedataview/27982614#27982614

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/34158779/inherit-index-from-repeatcontrol-in-nested-custom-controls/34158954#34158954

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/34652364/slider-in-repeat-control-and-manipulation-of-text-via-jouery/34653561#34653561

7. Repeat Controls and Component Tree

• Only one set of components in component tree

• repeatControls=“true” changes behaviour

x many sets of components

Hard-wired to specific entries at page load

Pagers have no effect because of hard-wiring

Allows “loaded” computations within the repeat, e.g. id’s

• Cannot compute repeatControls=“true” within compositeData

8. Dynamic Content Control

• Only components from current facet exist in component tree

• Component tree dynamically updated

• Better than showing / hiding via rendered property

9. Custom Controls and Scope

• Custom control is inserted into component tree

• Variable names outside custom control available

• As long as same variable used, no need to pass

• Same rules as for any component

Is variable available by navigating upwards in tree?

Cannot retrieve variables from another branch

• E.g. different repeat entry, repeat entry from outside repeat

Power of Love

ControllingViewHandler

• Creates component tree for specific XPage

• Runs before beforePageLoad event

• super.createView() loads component tree

• Also creates viewScope

Not available before call to super.createView()

Load variables to requestScope before super.createView()

Move to viewScope after super.createView()

ControllingViewHandler

PhaseListener

• Handles XPages lifecycle

• On page load, only RENDER RESPONSE triggered

• Runs for every partial refresh

Ensure optimised

Ensure error handling

• Crucial for identifying why partial refresh is not behaving “as expected”

PhaseListener

Some Questions

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/20477153/xpages-server-validation-errors-havent-been-displayed-to-the-user

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/28339422/ssjs-onclick-action-will-not-fire-on-xpage/28340759#28340759

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/33024777/xpages-how-to-do-partial-refresh-correctly

• http://www.intec.co.uk/view-isrenderingphase-and-buttons/

• http://www.intec.co.uk/fully-understanding-rendered-property-and-components-with-events/

10. Understanding Partial Refresh

• Partial Refresh is SIX Phases

10. Understanding Partial Refresh

• 1. RESTORE VIEW

Get component tree again

• 2. APPLY REQUEST VALUES

Pass String values from browser to executed component tree

• 3. PROCESS VALIDATIONS

Run validators AND converters for executed component tree

10. Understanding Partial Refresh

• 4. UPDATE MODEL VALUES

Convert string values and update executed component tree

• 5. INVOKE APPLICATION

Run application logic (SSJS / Java)

• 6. RENDER RESPONSE

Update HTML for executed component tree and post refresh area

11. Conditionally Hidden Save Button

• Set rendered property on button

For best practice, use view.isRenderingPhase()

Ensure set to true for other phases or code will not run

• Add partial refresh where appropriate

Ensure refresh area correct or button will not show

Ensure disableValidators=“true” or button will not hide again if invalid

12. Reasons Code May Not Work!

• CSJS returning false – check Firebug for POST event

• Conversion error – 1,2,3,6

• Validation error – 1,2,3,6

• Exec id not including components being used by application logic

• Exec id not including component triggering application logic

• Event handler not rendered in phase 4

• Refresh area not including errors control

13. Troubleshooting

• Use PhaseListener

• java.util.logging.ConsoleHandler.level manages console logging of server validation errors, since 8.5.3

In workspace\.config\rcpinstall.properties

• ALWAYS including errors control in refresh area

• Be conscious of rendered property

BONUS 1: Data View

• dataCache=“id” setting available on View datasource

• Better for performance, only caches id, not full ViewEntry (wrapped)

• “var” not available during Apply Request Values

Compute value only in Render Response

BONUS 2 - Dialog

• To refresh area, getComponent(“dialog1”).hide(“myRefreshArea”)

POST

• Run SSJS

• view.postScript - XSP.closeDialog

GET

• Refresh myRefreshArea

Alternate 1985

14. What Requires Restart Task HTTP?

• Picked up immediately

Classic design elements

XPages*

Custom Controls*

Java classes*

* Provided not in SCXD - http://www.intec.co.uk/single-copy-xpage-design-some-learning-and-why-its-not-for-me/

14. What Requires Restart Task HTTP?

• Require “res task http”

JAR files

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/30939347/jar-file-changes-in-lotus-notes-database-not-being-picked-up-by-domino-server

SCXD

OSGi plugin*

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/33233724/while-in-development-in-xpages-libraries-changes-are-not-picked-up/33234041#33234041

Servlet / OSGi application*

* Without JRebel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHbVgA2oqD0

Indians!

Question

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/33190731/value-picker-get-error-typeerror-resp-is-null-in-xpages/33210520#33210520

15. “Resp is null”

• Understand page load and dynamically

“resp is null” – options for picker are not available

Picker is client-side, but values are passed to renderer server-side

16. SSJS in CSJS

• SSJS in CSJS

Computed server-side as part of script renderer

Only re-computed by partial refresh

• To access component values

Use dojo.byId or variants to access client-side element

Trigger partial refresh to update SSJS embedded into CSJS

It’s Erased!

Some Questions

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/24735862/best-practice-for-storing-datetime-values-in-xpages

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/34417067/xpages-notserializableexception-on-datetime/34417335?noredirect=1#comment56612210_34417335

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/33168499/cannot-serialize-javascript-function/33168732#33168732

17. Domino Objects in Scopes

• Domino objects can’t be stored in scopes.

DateTimes are the most common culprit

Use .toJavaDate() to store Java Date

• Similar issues with SSJS functions stored in variables

18. Impact of Persistence Setting

• For Domino objects in scopes, depending on persistence setting

Keep pages in memory – value just lost

Keep pages on disk – error thrown to server, redirect to error page (fails to display)

Keep current page in memory – value just lost, error 500 on navigating

Summary

• Understand ignoreRequestParams

• Avoid simple actions

• Keep Pages in Memory – understand impacts

• Use viewState=“nostate”

• Understand detailsOnClient=“true”

• Understand repeatControls=“true”

Summary

• Understand scope and custom controls

• Understand partial refresh is more than just “partial refresh”

• Understand SSJS is computed and injected into CSJS

• Use Firebug or comparable tool

• Don’t store Domino objects in scopes

• Understand impact of serialization

Thank You!

Paul Withers

Intec Systems Ltd

IBM Champion

OpenNTF Board Member

@paulswithers

pwithers@intec.co.uk

http://www.intec.co.uk/blog

Thank you