== UI (User Interface)
:idprefix: id_ 

This addon *exports services* for use in other addons. The 'ui' addon enables the creation of host-agnostic user interface 
commands and wizards that run in any API compliant environment.

In practice, that means that your command and wizard code will run in any UI provider without requiring functional changes.
 
The UI addon is directly used by UI providers (Eclipse, IDEA, Netbeans, Shell) to render Wizards and single dialog boxes.
The Eclipse UI provider follows the http://www.eclipse.org/articles/Article-UI-Guidelines/Contents.html#Wizards[Eclipse User Interface Guidelines] 

NOTE: Implementations of UICommand are displayed in the Forge Quick Assist menu in Eclipse (When Ctrl+5 is pressed). Additionally, 
the Forge shell automatically makes UICommand instances available as functions; tab completion proposals are supported for command
names, option names, and option arguments.  

=== Depends on

[options="header"]
|===
|Addon |Exported |Optional

|org.jboss.forge.furnace.container:cdi
|no
|no

|convert
|yes
|no


|facets
|yes
|no


|ui-spi
|yes
|no

|===

== Setup

This addon requires the following installation steps.

=== Add configuration to pom.xml 

To use this addon, you must add it as a dependency in the *pom.xml* of your `forge-addon` classified artifact:

[source,xml]
----
<dependency>
   <groupId>org.jboss.forge.addon</groupId>
   <artifactId>ui</artifactId>
   <classifier>forge-addon</classifier>
   <version>${version}</version>
</dependency>
----

== Features

Consistent programming experience::
 Because the UI API provides an abstract model for creating commands and wizards, it is the standard approach for creating
 user interfaces in all addons.

=== UI Components

There are four input types which can be used to gather input from a user: 

- *UIInput* : Prompts for a single value where the set of valid values has not been pre-determined..
- *UIInputMany* : Prompts for multiple values where the set of valid values has not been pre-determined.
- *UISelectOne* : Prompts for selection of a single value from a collection of pre-determined valid values. 
- *UISelectMany* : Prompts for selection of multiple values from a collection of pre-determined valid values.


Input components may accept any Java object type. Note that for simple types such as `String`, `Integer`, and other
built in language types, simple conversion will occur automatically; however, for complex or custom data types, a
`Converter` from the link:../convert/README.asciidoc[convert] addon will be required.

Components may be created either via dependency injection, or via programmatic instantiation through the `InputComponentFactory`.

Create components via dependency injection::
+
[source,java]
----
@Inject private UIInput<String> name;
@Inject private UIInputMany<File> name;
@Inject private UISelectOne<Integer> name;
@Inject private UISelectMany<CustomType> name;
----

Create components programmatically:: 
 If the number of inputs are unknown at compile time, it is possible to create inputs using InputComponentFactory:
+
[source,java]
----
@Inject
private InputComponentFactory factory;
...
UIInput<String> firstName = factory.createUIInput("firstName", String.class);
UIInput<String> lastName = factory.createUIInput("lastName", String.class);
----
+
[TIP] 
====
If your addon uses a container that does not support "@Inject" annotations, services such as the `InputComponentFactory` may also be 
accessed via the `AddonRegistry`:

----
AddonRegistry registry = ...
Imported<InputComponentFactory> imported = registry.getServices(InputComponentFactory.class);
InputComponentFactory factory = imported.get();
----
==== 

=== Create a UICommand

Implement a simple dialog box::
 When interaction does not present a complex work-flow, a single command is typically enough to perform trivial or
independent tasks. 
+
. Create a class that implements `UICommand` and implement the required methods. You may also extend from *_org.jboss.forge.addon.ui.AbstractUICommand_*
to eliminate some boilerplate configuration.
+
[source,java]
----
public class ExampleCommand extends AbstractUICommand implements UICommand {

   @Inject
   private UIInput<String> name;

   @Override
   public void initializeUI(UIBuilder builder) throws Exception {
        builder.add(name);      
   }

   @Override
   public Result execute(UIContext context) throws Exception {
      return Results.success("Hello,"+ name.getValue());
   }

}
----
. Add inputs to your command.
+
[source,java]
----
public class ExampleCommand extends AbstractUICommand implements UICommand {
   @Inject
   private UIInput<String> name;
}
----
. Ensure that you have initialized the `UIBuilder` with all required `UIInput` instances, and performed any `UIInput`
configuration (if necessary).
+
[source,java]
----
@Override
public void initializeUI(UIBuilder builder) throws Exception {
   // Configure inputs here
   builder.add(name);      
}
----
. Implement functionality to be executed.
+
[source,java]
----
@Override
public Result execute(UIContext context) throws Exception {
   // Do the work here
   return Results.success("Hello,"+ name.getValue());
}
----

=== Implement a multi-step wizard

When interaction is complex and presents a considerable number of arguments, you may find it necessary to gather
input via a wizard flow, rather than a single command implementation. Wizards allow for multi-page, multi-path
commands to be created, where the path through a flow may differ based on user input provided in each step.

. Follow the same basic steps as if you were implementing a simple `UICommand`; however, in this case we must also
implement the `UIWizard` interface.
+ 
[source,java]
----
public class MyInitialPage extends AbstractUICommand implements UIWizard {
}
----
. Notice that the `next(UIContext context)` method must be implemented in addition to the standard `UICommand` 
methods. Be sure to store relevant values as context attributes so that they may be accessed via subsequent
wizard steps.
+
The `next` method also returns a `NavigationResult`, which is where you will specify the next wizard step (if any)
to execute.
+ 
[source,java]
----
public class MyInitialPage extends AbstractUICommand implements UIWizard {

   @Inject
   private UIInput<String> firstName;
   
   @Override
   public void initializeUI(UIBuilder builder) throws Exception {
        builder.add(firstName);      
   }
   
   @Override
   public NavigationResult next(UIContext context) throws Exception {
      context.putAttribute("firstName", firstName.getValue());
      return Results.navigateTo(MyNextStep.class);
   }

   @Override
   public Result execute(UIContext context) throws Exception {
      return Results.success();
   }
}
----
. Create a `UIWizardStep` implementation, similar to `UIWizard`. `UIWizardStep` implementations cannot be used as
standalone commands, or as entry points to a wizard flow. If your wizard step would function independently of prior
wizard steps, then it may simply implement `UIWizard`.
+
[source,java]
----

public class MyNextStep extends AbstractUICommand implements UIWizardStep {

   @Inject
   @WithAttributes(label="Last Name", required=true)
   private UIInput<String> lastName;

   @Override
   public void initializeUI(UIBuilder builder) throws Exception {
        builder.add(lastName);      
   }
   
   @Override
   public NavigationResult next(UIContext context) throws Exception {
      // End of interaction, return null
      return null;
   }

   @Override
   public Result execute(UIContext context) throws Exception {
      String firstName = (String) context.getAttribute("firstName");
      String fullName = firstName + " " + lastName.getValue(); 
      return Results.success("Hello,"+ fullName);
   }
}
----

=== UICommand execution lifecycle

. Retrieve instance of selected `UICommand`
. Call `.initializeUI(UIBuilder builder)`
. UI provider gathers input values from user.
. UI provider calls `.validate(UIValidationContext context)`
 - if inputs are valid, proceed, if not, return to step #3
. UI provider converts user supplied values (if necessary) and populates input components.
. UI provider calls `.execute(UIContext context)`

=== UIWizard execution lifecycle

. Retrieve instance of selected `UIWizard`
. Call `initializeUI(UIBuilder builder)`
. UI provider gathers input values from user.
. UI provider calls `.validate(UIValidationContext context)`
 - if inputs are valid, proceed, if not, return to step #3
. UI provider converts user supplied values (if necessary) and populates input components.
. UI provider calls `.next(UIContext context)`
 - if `NavigationResult` is contains a `UIWizard` or `UIWizardStep` type instance, repeat from step #1 for the next result type.
 - if `NavigationResult` is null, UI provider calls `.execute(UIContext context) for each visited step, in the order in which they were visited.`

=== Use CommandScoped objects to store model state

There are two ways to pass state between wizard steps:

. Add state in UIContext using UIContext.setAttribute
. Create a class with @CommandScoped and add the necessary attributes on it

CommandScoped classes are available during user interaction. The scope is destroyed when a command (or a wizard including its steps) is run or cancelled

 

