rich dataTable can not use iterate variable for a nested loop

Question

I'm building a rich datatable with a dynamic amount of columns. It seems to me, that it is not a big thing, but I'm trying to get an answer since hours. The issue is when I want to use the iteration variable from the datatable for a nested loop. In the nested loop I try to create for every row the same dynamic amount of columns. Probably it becomes more clear when I show some code:

<rich:dataTable styleClass="waiDataTable" width="700"
rowClasses="odd,even" value="#{reportingModel.reportingDoiPoolRows}"
var="reportingDoiPoolRow"
rendered="#{not empty reportingModel.reportingDoiPoolRows}">

<!-- Start header of the data-table -->
<f:facet name="header">
    <rich:columnGroup>

        <rich:column rowspan="2">
            <h:outputText value="Pool" />
        </rich:column>

        <c:forEach items="#{reportingModel.headerList}" var="item">
            <rich:column colspan="2">
                <h:outputText value="#{item}" />
            </rich:column>
        </c:forEach>

        <rich:column breakRowBefore="true">
            <h:outputText value="New" />
        </rich:column>
        <rich:column>
            <h:outputText value="Tot" />
        </rich:column>

        <c:forEach begin="1" end="#{reportingModel.headerList.size()-1}">
            <rich:column>
                <h:outputText value="New" />
            </rich:column>
            <rich:column>
                <h:outputText value="Tot" />
            </rich:column>
        </c:forEach>

    </rich:columnGroup>
</f:facet>
<!-- End header of the data-table -->

<!-- Start values of the data-table -->

<rich:column>
    <h:outputText value="#{reportingDoiPoolRow.doiPool.name}"></h:outputText>
</rich:column>

<ui:repeat value="#{reportingDoiPoolRow.amountOfDois}" var="amount">
    <rich:column style="text-align:right;">
        <h:outputText value="#{amount}"/>
    </rich:column>
</ui:repeat>

<!-- Start values of the data-table -->

<f:facet name="footer">
    <rich:columnGroup>
        <rich:column style="text-align:left;">Totals</rich:column>

        <rich:column style="text-align:right;">
            <h:outputText value="12"></h:outputText>
        </rich:column>
        <rich:column style="text-align:right;">
            <h:outputText value="12"></h:outputText>
        </rich:column>

    </rich:columnGroup>
</f:facet>

The issue is in the following block:

<rich:column>
    <h:outputText value="#{reportingDoiPoolRow.doiPool.name}"></h:outputText>
</rich:column>

<ui:repeat value="#{reportingDoiPoolRow.amountOfDois}" var="amount">
    <rich:column style="text-align:right;">
        <h:outputText value="#{amount}"/>
    </rich:column>
</ui:repeat>

The name (reportingDoiPoolRow.doiPool.name) is rendered well but every column inside the ui:repeat is not rendered. It seems that I can't use the reportingDoiPoolRow variable for another iteration. The Collections which I use for the table are both from the type ArrayList (long). Thank you very much for your help.

Answer 1

I think <ui:repeat> doesn't work because <rich:column> is not what ui:repeat is designed to deal with (e.g. a <li> or something like that), <a4j:repeat> which you should be using instead won't work there either (and that has something to do with the way the table is built).

<c:forEach> will work, with a little hack:

<c:forEach var="index" begin="0" end="#{reportingModel.columns - 1}">
    <rich:column style="text-align:right;">
        <h:outputText value="#{reportingDoiPoolRow.amountOfDois.get(index)}" />
    </rich:column>
</c:forEach>

<c:forEach> does not have access to the attributes from <rich:dataTable> (well, it has access to rowKeyVar but that will be always 1) so you'll have to ask the bean directly for the column size but the pieces rendered by <c:forEach> will have access to the var.