Passing javascript variable to custom Primefaces component

Question

I'm trying to retrieve the content of a javascript variable (array) in the JS widget code of a Primefaces custom component... I know I'm missing steps in the component and its renderer java code!

As a matter of fact, I want to add a completion feature (among others) on the Primefaces Terminal based on a list of commands stored in a javascript array and which I'd like to be provided in an attribute of the extended terminal component eg: <my:terminal completion="commandsList" /> having: var commandsList = ["foo", "bar"];

Here's the code so far:

MyTerminal.java

@ResourceDependencies({
@ResourceDependency(library="primefaces", name="terminal/terminal.css"),
@ResourceDependency(library="primefaces", name="primefaces.css"),
@ResourceDependency(library="primefaces", name="jquery/jquery.js"),
@ResourceDependency(library="primefaces", name="jquery/jquery-plugins.js"),
@ResourceDependency(library="primefaces", name="primefaces.js"),
@ResourceDependency(library="primefaces", name="terminal/terminal.js"),
@ResourceDependency(library="js", name="terminal.js")
 })
 @FacesComponent(MyTerminal.COMPONENT_TYPE)
 public class MyTerminal extends Terminal {
public static final String COMPONENT_FAMILY = "com.jsf.components";
public static final String COMPONENT_TYPE = "com.jsf.components.MyTerminal";

@Override
public String getFamily() {
    return COMPONENT_FAMILY;
}

@Override
public String getRendererType() {
    return MyTerminalRenderer.RENDERER_TYPE;
}

private enum PropertyKeys {
    completion
}

public String getCompletion() {
    return (String) getStateHelper().eval(PropertyKeys.completion, null);
}

public void setCompletion(String completion) {
    getStateHelper().put(PropertyKeys.completion, completion);
}
}

MyTerminalRenderer.java

@FacesRenderer(
componentFamily = MyTerminal.COMPONENT_FAMILY,
rendererType = MyTerminalRenderer.RENDERER_TYPE
 )
 public class MyTerminalRenderer extends TerminalRenderer {

public static final String RENDERER_TYPE = "com.jsf.components.MyTerminalRenderer";

protected void encodeScript(FacesContext context, Terminal terminal) throws IOException {
    String clientId = terminal.getClientId(context);
    WidgetBuilder wb = getWidgetBuilder(context);
    wb.init("MyTerminal", terminal.resolveWidgetVar(), clientId);
    wb.finish();
}

@Override
public void encodeEnd(FacesContext context, UIComponent component)
           throws java.io.IOException {
     MyTerminal terminal = (MyTerminal) component;
     /* TREATMENT HERE ? */
     super.encodeEnd(context, component);
}
 }

terminal.js

PrimeFaces.widget.MyTerminal = PrimeFaces.widget.Terminal.extend({

init : function(cfg) {
    this._super(cfg);
    // WOULD LIKE TO GET commandsList VAR HERE!
},

Any help will be really appreciated, I know I could access commands list array directly from widget's init function, but I'd really like to ensure extensibility. Many thanks in advance!

Answer 1

As what I consider a workaround, I manage to do it using passthrough arguments, this way:

<my:terminal ... pt:completion="commandsList" />

with xmlns:pt="http://xmlns.jcp.org/jsf/passthrough"

and retrieving it in the widget's javascript code by evaluating 'completion' attribute value which is the name of the javascript array:

PrimeFaces.widget.MyTerminal = PrimeFaces.widget.Terminal.extend({

init : function(cfg) {
    this._super(cfg);
    commandsList = window[this.jq.attr('completion')];
},

... but I'm not satisfied with this solution, seems like patch up job to me :s

Edit : changed to window[varname] instead of eval(varname) ... at least safer.