JSF: c:set on button click?

Question

Is it possible to "execute"/"render" various c:set tags when a certain button is pressed and a redirect will occure?

I dont want to set the properties of the backing bean code-wise, for im filling them with static data. As im not talking about one single button here but about multiple ones, doing this code-wise would produce lots of boilerplated code. Thats the reason why I want to use c:set.

Answer 1

The <c:set> is the wrong tool for the job you had in mind and therefore insuitable. It doesn't run during submitting the form, but during building the view.

Use <f:setPropertyActionListener> instead. E.g.

<h:commandButton value="Submit" action="#{bean.submit}">
    <f:setPropertyActionListener target="#{bean.property1}" value="value1" />
    <f:setPropertyActionListener target="#{bean.property2}" value="value2" />
</h:commandButton>

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A completely different alternative is to just send request parameters by <f:param>. This allows you creating bookmarkable links which is much better for user experience and SEO.

See also:

• When should I use h:outputLink instead of h:commandLink?
• What can <f:metadata>, <f:viewParam> and <f:viewAction> be used for?