Redirecting browser back button in jsf 2.0

Question

I am writing an application using Primefaces 3.4.1, Jboss AS 7.1 and MyFaces CODI. The problem that I got is that I am using conversation scope provided by CODI and I need a way to deal with the browser back button once the conversation ends.

More precisely- when the conversation ends and the user is on a different page (think about it like a wizard finishing and making a commit to database) if the back button is pressed I recieve the following exception:

javax.ejb.EJBTransactionRolledbackException

Ideally, since the conversation is finished I would like this to redirect back to some other page (menu, dashboard).

Can this be done with JSF 2.0 navigation rules?

EDIT:

I have created a navigation rule like this:

<navigation-rule>
    <from-view-id>/page1.xhtml</from-view-id>
        <navigation-case>
            <from-outcome>outcome1</from-outcome>
            <to-view-id>/page2.xhtml</to-view-id>
            <redirect/>
        </navigation-case>
        <navigation-case>
            <from-outcome>*</from-outcome>
            <to-view-id>/dashboard.xhtml</to-view-id>
            <redirect/>
        </navigation-case>
</navigation-rule>

Hoping that this will make the redirection to dashboard.xhtml if we press back button. I assumed that there is a different action fired in the back end when you press it. Clearly I assumed wrong. Is it any way one could catch whatever is sent by the bakc button using these cases? Possibly with tag?

UPDATE 1:

Apparently the back button from the browser will not trigger the JSF navigation case. Is it clear what it will trigger? I implemented the following filter: https://stackoverflow.com/a/10305799/1611957 What wil it trigger now? Does that make the job of catching it easier?

Solution 1

I have finally managed to resolve the issue and it may be helpful for others:

The first thing to do is to make sure that you are not caching pages. You can do it with the filter explained here:

https://stackoverflow.com/a/10305799/1611957

After that you will know that the page is going to be rendered, so you need to do a check before rendering if your conversation beans are instantiated correctly. How to do such a check is explained here:

https://stackoverflow.com/a/7294707/1611957

The code that I used is similar to the code posted by BalusC in this question:

<f:metadata>
    <f:event type="preRenderView" listener="#{authenticator.check}" />
</f:metadata>

With the java code:

public void check() {
    if (someCondition) {
        FacesContext facesContext = FacesContext.getCurrentInstance();
        NavigationHandler navigationHandler =
            facesContext.getApplication().getNavigationHandler();
        navigationHandler.handleNavigation(facesContext, null, "outcome");
    }
}

With that you will dispatch the JSF navigation rule for the "outcome"

<navigation-rule>
    <from-view-id>*</from-view-id>
    <navigation-case>
        <from-outcome>outcome</from-outcome>
        <to-view-id>/defaultPage.xhtml</to-view-id>
        <redirect/>
    </navigation-case>
</navigation-rule>

And this is how you can gracefuly handle back button with JSF2.

Solution 2

We are using @ConversationRequired for it.

Comments

[bjedrzejewski]

Is that a CODI notation? Also, does it allow you to redirect? It sounds exactly like the thing I need.

[bjedrzejewski]

I can't find much about it in CODI documentation- could you give me some more information about it?

[Dar Whi]

Per default it doesn't do a redirect, but we just integrated it that way. I guess because you would get an issue with wizards in a dialog (so it replaces the View-Root with the view of the entry point). You just need to read a bit source-code which is in ConversationRequiredUtils.ensureExistingConversation. I'm sorry that I'm not allowed to share how we are using it.

[Luiggi Mendoza]

It would be better if you explain how you use it.

[BalusC]

This does not answer the question at all. Have you read the question beyond its title? It clearly says "Ideally, since the conversation is finished I would like this to redirect back to some other page (menu, dashboard).". But your answer basically completely kills the default behavior of the back button and does not redirect back to "some other page".