jsf - CDI bean constructor and @PostConstruct called multiple times

Question

After some experimentation, this appears to be an issue when using a CDI bean, and nothing to do with PrimeFaces which is what I originally assumed.

If I change the TableBeanLazy to be a Managed Bean using @ManagedBean, then the constructor and @PostConstruct method only get called once, as I was expecting.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

===================================================

I'm quite new to JSF and PrimeFaces, so any guidance will be greatly appreciated. I've searched for other postings, and read a number of similar ones, but can't find a solution.

I am trying to get the Lazy Loading Data Table example on the PrimeFaces Showcase site working in my project, but I'm having problems due to the bean class not behaving as I was expecting.

I've made a few changes to the sample code from the PrimeFaces site:- renamed TableBean class to TableBeanLazy; added annotations to the class; allocated static String arrays; moved initialisation from the constructor to the @PostConstruct initialise() method; allocated the cars member variable.

I've also added trace messages to the constructor and the @PostConstruct method which show that both are being called multiple times when the table is first displayed, multiple times with each click of a search icon, and multiple times with each character entry in a filter field.

This results in the random list of Car objects being recreated each time an action is taken, so sort and filter will never produce the expected results - which they do when running the example directly on the PrimeFaces Showcase site.

Although I was originally using @ViewScoped, I have also tried @RequestScoped and finally @SessionScoped, but all behave in the same way.

Is multiple calls to the constructor and @PostConstruct the expected behaviour for a bean?

If so, how can the sample code given on the PrimeFaces Showcase site possibly work?

How do I resolve this?

Environment

PrimeFaces 3.5
JSF 2.1
JDK 1.7
GlassFish Server Open Source Edition 3.1.2.2 (build 5)
Mojarra 2.1.6 (SNAPSHOT 20111206)
Netbeans IDE 7.3
Windows 7 Pro x64

MyTable.xhtml

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8' ?>
<!DOCTYPE composition PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">

<ui:composition xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"
  xmlns:ui="http://java.sun.com/jsf/facelets"
  template="./resources/templates/platform_tpl.xhtml"
  xmlns:p="http://primefaces.org/ui"
  xmlns:h="http://java.sun.com/jsf/html"
  xmlns:f="http://java.sun.com/jsf/core">

  <ui:define name="body">
    <h2 style="margin-top: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Cars List</h2>

    <h:form id="form">
      <p:dataTable var="car" value="#{tableBeanLazy.lazyModel}" paginator="true" rows="10"
        paginatorTemplate="{RowsPerPageDropdown} {FirstPageLink} {PreviousPageLink} {CurrentPageReport} {NextPageLink} {LastPageLink}"
        rowsPerPageTemplate="5,10,15" selectionMode="single" selection="#{tableBeanLazy.selectedCar}" id="carTable" lazy="true">

      <p:column headerText="Model" sortBy="#{car.model}" filterBy="#{car.model}">
        <h:outputText value="#{car.model}" />
      </p:column>

      <p:column headerText="Year" sortBy="#{car.year}" filterBy="#{car.year}">
        <h:outputText value="#{car.year}" />
      </p:column>

      <p:column headerText="Manufacturer" sortBy="#{car.manufacturer}" filterBy="#{car.manufacturer}">
        <h:outputText value="#{car.manufacturer}" />
      </p:column>

      <p:column headerText="Color" sortBy="#{car.color}" filterBy="#{car.color}">
        <h:outputText value="#{car.color}" />
      </p:column>
      </p:dataTable>
    </h:form> 
  </ui:define>
</ui:composition>

TableBeanLazy.java

/*
 * To change this template, choose Tools | Templates
 * and open the template in the editor.
 */
package BackEnd;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;  
import javax.annotation.PostConstruct;
import javax.faces.bean.SessionScoped;
import javax.inject.Named;

import org.primefaces.model.LazyDataModel;  

@Named(value = "tableBeanLazy")
@SessionScoped
public class TableBeanLazy
{
  static String[] colors = new String[10];
  static String[] manufacturers = new String[10];
  static String[] models = new String[5];

  private LazyDataModel<Car> lazyModel;  

  private Car selectedCar;  

  private List<Car> cars;  

  static
  {
    colors[0] = "Black";  
    colors[1] = "White";  
    colors[2] = "Green";  
    colors[3] = "Red";  
    colors[4] = "Blue";  
    colors[5] = "Orange";  
    colors[6] = "Silver";  
    colors[7] = "Yellow";  
    colors[8] = "Brown";  
    colors[9] = "Maroon";  

    manufacturers[0] = "Mercedes";  
    manufacturers[1] = "BMW";  
    manufacturers[2] = "Volvo";  
    manufacturers[3] = "Audi";  
    manufacturers[4] = "Renault";  
    manufacturers[5] = "Opel";  
    manufacturers[6] = "Volkswagen";  
    manufacturers[7] = "Chrysler";  
    manufacturers[8] = "Ferrari";  
    manufacturers[9] = "Ford";

    models[0] = "Sports";
    models[1] = "Saloon";
    models[2] = "SUV";
    models[3] = "Hybrid";
    models[4] = "Estate";
  }  

  public TableBeanLazy()
  {
    System.out.println("-->  In constructor for TableBeanLazy");
  }

  @PostConstruct
  public void initialise()
  {
    System.out.println("-->  In initialise for TableBeanLazy");

    cars = new ArrayList<Car>();

    populateRandomCars(cars, 5);

    lazyModel = new LazyCarDataModel(cars);  
  }

  public Car getSelectedCar()
  {
    return selectedCar;
  }  

  public void setSelectedCar(Car selectedCar)
  {
    this.selectedCar = selectedCar;
  }

  public LazyDataModel<Car> getLazyModel()
  {
    return lazyModel;
  }

  private void populateRandomCars(List<Car> list, int size)
  {
    System.out.println("-->  In populateRandomCars for TableBeanLazy");

    for(int i = 0 ; i < size ; i++)
    {
      list.add(new Car(getRandomModel(), getRandomYear(), getRandomManufacturer(), getRandomColor()));  
    }  
  }  

  private String getRandomColor()
  {
    return colors[(int)(Math.random() * 10)];
  }

  private String getRandomManufacturer()
  {
    return manufacturers[(int) (Math.random() * 10)];
  }

  private String getRandomModel()
  {
    return models[(int)(Math.random() * 5)];
  }

  private int getRandomYear()
  {
    return (int)(Math.random() * 50 + 1960);
  }
}

Output on initial display of table

INFO: -->  In constructor for TableBeanLazy
INFO: -->  In initialise for TableBeanLazy
INFO: -->  In populateRandomCars for TableBeanLazy
INFO: -->  In constructor for TableBeanLazy
INFO: -->  In initialise for TableBeanLazy
INFO: -->  In populateRandomCars for TableBeanLazy
INFO: -->  In constructor for TableBeanLazy
INFO: -->  In initialise for TableBeanLazy
INFO: -->  In populateRandomCars for TableBeanLazy

Output when search icon clicked

INFO: -->  In constructor for TableBeanLazy
INFO: -->  In initialise for TableBeanLazy
INFO: -->  In populateRandomCars for TableBeanLazy
INFO: -->  In constructor for TableBeanLazy
INFO: -->  In initialise for TableBeanLazy
INFO: -->  In populateRandomCars for TableBeanLazy
INFO: -->  In constructor for TableBeanLazy
INFO: -->  In initialise for TableBeanLazy
INFO: -->  In populateRandomCars for TableBeanLazy
INFO: -->  In constructor for TableBeanLazy
INFO: -->  In initialise for TableBeanLazy
INFO: -->  In populateRandomCars for TableBeanLazy
INFO: java.lang.ArithmeticException: / by zero
java.lang.ArithmeticException: / by zero
  at org.primefaces.model.LazyDataModel.setRowIndex(LazyDataModel.java:62)
  at org.primefaces.component.api.UIData.setRowModel(UIData.java:409)
  at org.primefaces.component.api.UIData.setRowIndex(UIData.java:401)
  at org.primefaces.component.api.UIData.processChildren(UIData.java:289)
  at org.primefaces.component.api.UIData.processPhase(UIData.java:261)
  at org.primefaces.component.api.UIData.processDecodes(UIData.java:227)
  at com.sun.faces.context.PartialViewContextImpl$PhaseAwareVisitCallback.visit(PartialViewContextImpl.java:506)
  at com.sun.faces.component.visit.PartialVisitContext.invokeVisitCallback(PartialVisitContext.java:183)
  at org.primefaces.component.api.UIData.visitTree(UIData.java:639)
  at javax.faces.component.UIComponent.visitTree(UIComponent.java:1601)
  at javax.faces.component.UIForm.visitTree(UIForm.java:344)
  at javax.faces.component.UIComponent.visitTree(UIComponent.java:1601)
  at javax.faces.component.UIComponent.visitTree(UIComponent.java:1601)
  at javax.faces.component.UIComponent.visitTree(UIComponent.java:1601)
  at javax.faces.component.UIComponent.visitTree(UIComponent.java:1601)
  at javax.faces.component.UIComponent.visitTree(UIComponent.java:1601)
  at javax.faces.component.UIComponent.visitTree(UIComponent.java:1601)
  at com.sun.faces.context.PartialViewContextImpl.processComponents(PartialViewContextImpl.java:376)
  at com.sun.faces.context.PartialViewContextImpl.processPartial(PartialViewContextImpl.java:252)
  at javax.faces.context.PartialViewContextWrapper.processPartial(PartialViewContextWrapper.java:183)
  at javax.faces.component.UIViewRoot.processDecodes(UIViewRoot.java:931)
  at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.ApplyRequestValuesPhase.execute(ApplyRequestValuesPhase.java:78)
  at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.Phase.doPhase(Phase.java:101)
  at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.LifecycleImpl.execute(LifecycleImpl.java:118)
  at javax.faces.webapp.FacesServlet.service(FacesServlet.java:593)
  at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapper.service(StandardWrapper.java:1550)
  at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:281)
  at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:175)
  at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.doInvoke(StandardPipeline.java:655)
  at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.invoke(StandardPipeline.java:595)
  at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:161)
  at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.doService(CoyoteAdapter.java:331)
  at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:231)
  at com.sun.enterprise.v3.services.impl.ContainerMapper$AdapterCallable.call(ContainerMapper.java:317)
  at com.sun.enterprise.v3.services.impl.ContainerMapper.service(ContainerMapper.java:195)
  at com.sun.grizzly.http.ProcessorTask.invokeAdapter(ProcessorTask.java:860)
  at com.sun.grizzly.http.ProcessorTask.doProcess(ProcessorTask.java:757)
  at com.sun.grizzly.http.ProcessorTask.process(ProcessorTask.java:1056)
  at com.sun.grizzly.http.DefaultProtocolFilter.execute(DefaultProtocolFilter.java:229)
  at com.sun.grizzly.DefaultProtocolChain.executeProtocolFilter(DefaultProtocolChain.java:137)
  at com.sun.grizzly.DefaultProtocolChain.execute(DefaultProtocolChain.java:104)
  at com.sun.grizzly.DefaultProtocolChain.execute(DefaultProtocolChain.java:90)
  at com.sun.grizzly.http.HttpProtocolChain.execute(HttpProtocolChain.java:79)
  at com.sun.grizzly.ProtocolChainContextTask.doCall(ProtocolChainContextTask.java:54)
  at com.sun.grizzly.SelectionKeyContextTask.call(SelectionKeyContextTask.java:59)
  

Answer 1

Here's your first piece of advice with CDI and JSF - Never mix CDI with JSF annotations.

Your problem is that you use @javax.inject.Named a CDI annotation with javax.faces.bean.SessionScoped - a JSF annotation.

In CDI you would do:

import javax.enterprise.context.SessionScoped;
import javax.inject.Named;

@Named(value = "tableBeanLazy")
@SessionScoped
public class TableBeanLazy {...}

Note that the above will work perfectly fine with JSF.

In a pure JSF way you would do:

import javax.faces.bean.SessionScoped;
import javax.faces.bean.ManagedBean;

@ManagedBean(value = "tableBeanLazy")
@SessionScoped
public class TableBeanLazy {...}

I would recommend sticking with CDI all the way. However, CDI currently does not provide an alternative for the JSF @javax.faces.bean.ViewScoped out of the box. To get it in CDI look into Apache Deltaspike.