axon-ivy-primefaces-verify

name: axon-ivy-primefaces-verify description: Verification checklist for PrimeFaces components — column widths, table layout, AJAX updates, and common rendering pitfalls.

MANDATORY: Run this checklist after creating or modifying any PrimeFaces .xhtml dialog. Read the XHTML and CSS, then verify each check below. Fix any violations before considering the task done.

Checklist

1. Column Width — Use width attribute with percentages, not CSS fixed pixels

Set column widths via the width attribute on p:column using percentages. Do NOT use CSS width: Npx on column style classes.

<!-- WRONG -->
<p:column headerText="Name" styleClass="col-name">  <!-- relies on .col-name { width: 280px } -->

<!-- RIGHT -->
<p:column headerText="Name" width="35%">

Action columns (buttons only) should have no width attribute — use white-space: nowrap in CSS to shrink to content.

2. Column Width — Size based on intended content

Choose percentages based on what the column displays:

The total of all explicit widths should stay under 100%.

3. AJAX Update Targets — Use <h:panelGroup id>, not <div id>

When using update="someId" on a command button or AJAX listener, the target must be a JSF component with an id. Plain HTML <div id> elements are not in the JSF component tree and will silently fail to re-render.

<!-- WRONG — plain div, not updatable by AJAX -->
<div id="table-section">...</div>

<!-- RIGHT — JSF component, fully updatable -->
<h:panelGroup id="table-section" layout="block">...</h:panelGroup>

4. Component IDs — Use kebab-case

All id attributes on JSF/PrimeFaces components must use kebab-case.

<!-- WRONG -->
<h:panelGroup id="tableSection" ...>
<h:form id="mainForm" ...>

<!-- RIGHT -->
<h:panelGroup id="table-section" ...>
<h:form id="main-form" ...>

5. Process/Update Scope on Buttons

Verify process and update attributes on <p:commandButton> and <p:ajax>:

• Submit buttons (Save, Approve): process="@form" and update="@form" (or specific panel IDs)
• Action-only buttons (Cancel, Close): process="@this" to skip validation, update as needed
• Inline AJAX (toggle, filter): process="@this" with targeted update IDs

<!-- WRONG — Cancel triggers full form validation -->
<p:commandButton value="Cancel" actionListener="#{logic.cancel}" process="@form" />

<!-- RIGHT — Cancel skips validation -->
<p:commandButton value="Cancel" actionListener="#{logic.cancel}" process="@this" immediate="true" />

6. Missing id on Components Referenced by update

Every component ID referenced in an update="..." attribute must exist in the page. Scan all update attributes and verify each referenced ID has a matching component.

<!-- WRONG — "detail-panel" doesn't exist anywhere in the page -->
<p:commandButton update="detail-panel" />

<!-- RIGHT — target exists -->
<h:panelGroup id="detail-panel" layout="block">...</h:panelGroup>
<p:commandButton update="detail-panel" />

7. Form Nesting — No nested <h:form> tags

JSF does not support nested forms. Scan for <h:form> inside another <h:form> — this causes silent submission failures.

<!-- WRONG — nested forms -->
<h:form id="outer-form">
  <h:form id="inner-form">...</h:form>
</h:form>

<!-- RIGHT — single form or separate forms -->
<h:form id="main-form">...</h:form>

8. EL Operator Syntax — Use word operators, not symbols

In JSF EL expressions, use word-based logical operators:

<!-- WRONG -->
<p:panel rendered="#{data.status != null && data.status == 'ACTIVE'}">

<!-- RIGHT -->
<p:panel rendered="#{data.status != null and data.status == 'ACTIVE'}">

9. No Inline Styles or Scripts

Scan for style="..." on components and <script> blocks in the XHTML. Both are forbidden.

• Styles must go in an external CSS file (see axon-ivy-html skill, css-js.md)
• JavaScript must go in an external JS file

10. DataTable sorting — sortBy, NOT sortField

PrimeFaces 14 uses sortBy with an EL expression on the row variable. The legacy sortField attribute is silently ignored.

<!-- WRONG -->
<p:dataTable value="#{bean.projects}" var="proj" sortField="sortOrder">

<!-- RIGHT -->
<p:dataTable value="#{bean.projects}" var="proj" sortBy="#{proj.sortOrder}">

11. <p:tooltip for="..."> — target must be a JSF component

<p:tooltip> resolves the target via the JSF component tree. Plain HTML elements (<span>, <div>, <i>) have no client ID in that tree, so the tooltip silently fails to attach. Wrap the icon/anchor in a JSF component (typically <h:panelGroup>).

<!-- WRONG -->
<span id="info-icon" class="pi pi-info-circle" />
<p:tooltip for="info-icon" value="..." />

<!-- RIGHT -->
<h:panelGroup id="info-icon" styleClass="pi pi-info-circle" />
<p:tooltip for="info-icon" value="..." />

12. update paths — no <p:dialog> ID prefix

<p:dialog> is not a NamingContainer (unlike <p:tabView> / <p:tab>). Components inside a dialog do not carry the dialog ID in their client ID. Prefixing them in update makes the path unresolvable.

<p:dialog id="quick-alloc-dialog">
  <h:panelGroup id="quick-pt" layout="block">...</h:panelGroup>
</p:dialog>

<!-- WRONG -->
<p:commandButton update="quick-alloc-dialog:quick-pt" />

<!-- RIGHT -->
<p:commandButton update="quick-pt" />
<!-- or absolute from the form: -->
<p:commandButton update=":main-form:quick-pt" />

13. <p:panelGrid columns="N"> — direct children must be JSF components

<p:panelGrid columns="N"> distributes its direct children across N columns. A plain HTML <div> is rendered but is not a JSF component, breaking the column count and shifting all subsequent cells. Wrap layout containers in <h:panelGroup layout="block">.

<!-- WRONG — <div> shifts subsequent cells -->
<p:panelGrid columns="2">
  <p:outputLabel value="Name" />
  <div class="flex">
    <p:inputText value="#{bean.name}" />
    <p:commandButton icon="pi pi-search" />
  </div>
</p:panelGrid>

<!-- RIGHT -->
<p:panelGrid columns="2">
  <p:outputLabel value="Name" />
  <h:panelGroup layout="block" styleClass="flex">
    <p:inputText value="#{bean.name}" />
    <p:commandButton icon="pi pi-search" />
  </h:panelGroup>
</p:panelGrid>