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Date: Fri, 06 Dec 2002 19:13:04 -0800
From: Christopher Oliver <res1cf5x@verizon.net>
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To: cocoon-dev@xml.apache.org
Subject: Re: [Proposal] Implementing XMLForm with Flow
References: <3DEDBE60.90100@cbim.it> <159501c29c18$c7c7bf60$0100a8c0@MAUCHI>
 <3DEF1007.9090306@cbim.it> <177701c29ce9$58bfc0f0$0100a8c0@MAUCHI>
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Um, I think Daniel basically answered this question a long time ago: 
http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=xml-cocoon-dev&m=102052662705449&w=2.

Sorry, I don't have an actual implementation, but I think it's clear 
that the corresponding flow code would be much more readable than the 
action code in the XML form howto (namely something like below). That is 
the whole point of the flow layer - that you don't have to write 
state-machine code as in XMLForm actions.  Compare the flow version to 
the original XMLForm action code reproduced below, and judge for yourself.

//  display form, wait for submission, and
//  apply validations; repeat until no violations
function sendView(form, view, uri) {
    form.clearViolations();
    if (uri == undefined) {
        uri = view + ".xml";
    }
    sendPageAndWait(uri, {id: view});
    form.populate(cocoon.request);
    if (form.violations != null) {
        sendView(form, view, uri);
    }
}

function createForm() {
    // create the Form object
    // ...
}

function howToWizard() {
    // different form views
    // participating in the wizard
    var VIEW_START = "start";
    var VIEW_REGISTRATION = "registration";
    var VIEW_INTEREST = "interest";
    var VIEW_GARDENING = "organicGardening";
    var VIEW_COOKING = "cooking";
    var VIEW_SMALLHOLDING = "smallholdingManagement";
    var VIEW_CONFIRM = "confirm";
    var VIEW_END = "end";

    var form = createForm();
    var jBean = form.getModel();
    sendView(form, VIEW_START);
    sendView(form, VIEW_REGISTRATION);
    sendView(form, VIEW_INTEREST);
    if (jBean.organicGardening) {
        sendView(form, VIEW_GARDENING);
    } else if (jBean.cooking) {
        sendView(form, VIEW_COOKING);
    } else if (jBean.smallholdingManagement) {
        sendView(form, VIEW_SMALLHOLDING);
    }
    sendView(form, VIEW_CONFIRM);
    sendView(form, VIEW_END);
}

------------------------------------------------------------

 From HowToWizardAction.java:

      ....

     // apply control flow rules
      if ( formView.equals ( VIEW_REGISTRATION ) )
      {
        if ( command.equals( CMD_NEXT ) )
        {
          return page(  VIEW_INTEREST );
        }       
      }
      else if ( formView.equals ( VIEW_INTEREST ) )
      {
        if ( command.equals( CMD_NEXT ) )
        {
           if ( jBean.getOrganicGardening() == true )
           {
             return page( VIEW_GARDENING );
           }
           else if ( jBean.getCooking() == true )
           {
             return page( VIEW_COOKING );
           }
           else if ( jBean.getSmallholdingManagement() == true )
           {
             return page( VIEW_SMALLHOLDING );
           }
           //else if ( getForm().get
          return page(  VIEW_CONFIRM );
        }
        if ( command.equals( CMD_PREV ) )
        {
           return page( VIEW_REGISTRATION );
        }
      }
      else if ( formView.equals ( VIEW_GARDENING ) )
      {
        if ( command.equals ( CMD_NEXT ) )
        {
           if ( jBean.getCooking() == true )
           {
             return page( VIEW_COOKING );
           }
           else if ( jBean.getSmallholdingManagement() == true )
           {
             return page( VIEW_SMALLHOLDING );
           }         
          return page( VIEW_CONFIRM );
        }
        else if( command.equals( CMD_PREV ) )
        {
          return page( VIEW_INTEREST );
        }
      }
      else if ( formView.equals ( VIEW_COOKING ) )
      {
        if ( command.equals ( CMD_NEXT ) )
        {
           if ( jBean.getSmallholdingManagement() == true )
           {
             return page( VIEW_SMALLHOLDING );
           }         
          return page( VIEW_CONFIRM );
        }
        else if ( command.equals( CMD_PREV ) )
        {         
          if ( jBean.getOrganicGardening() == true )
          {
            return page( VIEW_GARDENING );
          }
          return page( VIEW_INTEREST );
        }
      }
      else if ( formView.equals ( VIEW_SMALLHOLDING ) )
      {
        if ( command.equals( CMD_NEXT ) )
        {
          return page( VIEW_CONFIRM );
        }
        else if ( command.equals( CMD_PREV ) )
        {
          if ( jBean.getCooking() == true )
          {
            return page( VIEW_COOKING );
          }
          else if ( jBean.getOrganicGardening() == true )
          {
            return page( VIEW_GARDENING );
          }
          return page( VIEW_INTEREST );
        }
      }
      else if ( formView.equals ( VIEW_CONFIRM ) )
      {
        if ( command.equals( CMD_NEXT ) )
        {
           return page( VIEW_END );
        }
        else if( command.equals( CMD_PREV ) )
        {
           if ( jBean.getOrganicGardening() == true )
           {
             return page( VIEW_GARDENING );
           }         
          return page( VIEW_INTEREST );
        }
      }
    }

Ivelin Ivanov wrote:

>Sorry I wasn't clear before.
>I know you can call Java from the flow.
>The question is how to use the flow in a way which significantly reduces
>code
>while making the maintenance easier and improving the readability.
>
>Try to beat the existing XMLForm wizard demo.
>If you succeed, it will be great !
>
>Fingers crossed,
>
>Ivelin
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Ugo Cei" <u.cei@cbim.it>
>To: <cocoon-dev@xml.apache.org>
>Sent: Thursday, December 05, 2002 2:36 AM
>Subject: Re: [Proposal] Implementing XMLForm with Flow
>
>
>  
>
>>Ivelin Ivanov wrote:
>>    
>>
>>>I hope you are the last hero trying to confront this monster.
>>>
>>>The discussion how to combine the two has been going on forever, but we
>>>      
>>>
>have
>  
>
>>>not come to an agreement.
>>>      
>>>
>>I'm currently recovering the previous threads from the archive and
>>reading them.
>>
>>    
>>
>>>I would gladly offer my tactical guidance for your effort.
>>>      
>>>
>>Thank you.
>>
>>    
>>
>>>If I was to do this with Actions, I could use well known and
>>>      
>>>
>standardized
>  
>
>>>Java APIs - JWSP or JDBC.
>>>      
>>>
>>But, as Ovidiu pointed out, you can!
>>
>>var schemaFactory =
>>   Packages.org.apache.cocoon.components.validation.SchemaFactory.lookup
>>     ("http://www.ascc.net/xml/schematron");
>>var is = new Packages.org.xml.sax.InputSource
>>   ("flows/newuser-schema.xml");
>>var schema = schemaFactory.compileSchema(is);
>>var validator = schema.newValidator();
>>validator.setProperty("http://xml.apache.org/cocoon/validator/phase",
>>   "NewUser");
>>violations = validator.validate(userBean);
>>
>>This is just a quick hack I put together looking at the code for the
>>AbstractXMLFormAction and Form, but it works. I just need to define some
>>symbolic constants for the namespaces and find a way to access a
>>SourceResolver from JavaScript to make it pretty.
>>
>>Anyway, if you prefer to write complex business logic in Java (and I'd
>>agree wholeheartedly with that), you can encapsulate it in a Java method
>>that returns a boolean or an index to drive the flow that will be
>>implemented by an if/then/else or a switch in JavaScript.
>>
>>What do we gain by this? We remove flow logic from the sitemap in the
>>form of actions and put it in the flowscript, where it belongs (IMHO).
>>
>>Ugo
>>
>>--
>>Ugo Cei - http://www.beblogging.com/blog/
>>
>>
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>>    
>>
>
>
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>  
>


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