How to use JSF Checkbox with HTML and CSS

In this post, we use the common use case of checkboxes on a web page to learn how to use JSF with HTML and CSS. Let’s get started!

Want to style your checkboxes with HTML/CSS code? Want to change this:

to look like this?

First, let’s write code that uses JSF 2.2 to display a checkbox.

Here is the JSF code:

<h:body>

       <h:form prependId="false">

              <h:selectManyCheckbox value="#{dynamic.selectedOptions}" layout="pageDirection">

                     <f:selectItems value="#{dynamic.entities}" var="entity" itemLabel="#{entity.name}" itemValue="#{entity.id}" />

              </h:selectManyCheckbox>

              <h:commandButton value="Go" action="#{dynamic.rawJSF()}">

                     <f:ajax execute="@form" render="@form" />

              </h:commandButton>

       </h:form>

</h:body>

Here is the dynamic view scoped bean (javax.faces.view.ViewScoped)

@Named
@ViewScoped

public class Dynamic implements Serializable{
       private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;

       private List<Entity> entities = new ArrayList<>();
       private String[] selectedOptions;

       public Dynamic() {
              Random random = new Random();
              for(int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
                     Entity radio = new Entity();
                     radio.setId(i);
                     radio.setName("option " + (random.nextInt(999)));
                     entities.add(radio);
              }
       }

       public void rawJSF() {
              System.out.println("Printing selected options :");
              if(selectedOptions != null) {
                     for(String s : selectedOptions) {
                           System.out.println("Entity with ID : " + s + " is selected");
                     }
              }
       }

Getters and Setters for Entities and Selected Options

Running the code above will give us this:

We get the following messages printed out when we select three of the choices:

2018-06-30T21:23:09.976+0000|Info: Printing selected options :

2018-06-30T21:23:09.976+0000|Info: Entity with ID : 2 is selected

2018-06-30T21:23:09.976+0000|Info: Entity with ID : 4 is selected

Now, I’ll be using the Metronic HTML template, which I purchased on Themeforest. Using this template, the checkboxes now look like this:

The HTML for the above checkboxes looks like this:

<div class="m-checkbox-list">
              <label class="m-checkbox">
                     <input type="checkbox"/>
                     Option 1
                     <span></span>
              </label>
              <label class="m-checkbox">
                     <input type="checkbox"/>
                     Option 2
                     <span></span>
              </label>
              <label class="m-checkbox">
                     <input type="checkbox" checked="checked"/>
                     Checked
                     <span></span>
              </label>
       </div>

Here is how to use the Metronic HTML/CSS code in JSF. First, I will show you the code then the I will explain it.

New JSF Page: CSS and JS Declaration Omited

New DynamicMetro View scoped bean:

<h:body >
       <h:form prependId="false" styleClass="m--margin-40">
              <div class="m-checkbox-list">
                     <ui:repeat var="entity" value="#{dynamicMetro.entities}" >
                           <label class="m-checkbox" for="checkbox#{entity.id}">
                                  <input id="checkbox#{entity.id}" type="checkbox"
                     jsf:value="#{dynamicMetro.oneChecked[entity.id]}"/>
                                  #{entity.name}
                                  <span></span>
                           </label>
                     </ui:repeat>
              </div>

              <h:commandButton value="Go" action="#{dynamicMetro.metronicJSF()}" styleClass="btn btn-warning">
                     <f:ajax execute="@form" render="@form" />
              </h:commandButton>
       </h:form>

@Named
@ViewScoped

public class DynamicMetro implements Serializable{
       private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;

       private List<Entity> entities = new ArrayList<>();
       private Map<Integer, Boolean> oneChecked = new HashMap<>();      

       public DynamicMetro() {
              Random random = new Random();
              for(int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
                     Entity radio = new Entity();
                     radio.setId(i);
                     radio.setName("option " + (random.nextInt(999)));
                     entities.add(radio);
                     oneChecked.put(radio.getId(), false);
              }
       }

       public void metronicJSF() {
              System.out.println("Printing selected options :");
              for(Entry<Integer, Boolean> entry : oneChecked.entrySet()) {
                     System.out.println("Entity with ID : " + entry.getKey() + " is selected ? " + entry.getValue());
              }
       }

Getters and Setters for Entities and the Checked Option

Select these options and press go:

This will print the following:

2018-06-30T22:29:04.766+0000|Info: Printing selected options :

2018-06-30T22:29:04.766+0000|Info: Entity with ID : 0 is selected ? true

2018-06-30T22:29:04.766+0000|Info: Entity with ID : 1 is selected ? false

2018-06-30T22:29:04.766+0000|Info: Entity with ID : 2 is selected ? true

2018-06-30T22:29:04.766+0000|Info: Entity with ID : 3 is selected ? false

2018-06-30T22:29:04.766+0000|Info: Entity with ID : 4 is selected ? false

The only thing here that needs explaining is the map, oneChecked. This map holds the id of the entity as the key and a boolean as its value.

The JSF part (jsf:value="#{dynamicMetro.oneChecked[entity.id]}" ) sets the value in the map for the corresponding entity if checked to true, otherwise it’s false.

Bonus: Permitting Only One Option to Be Selected (Radio):

Update your JSF code:

<div jsf:id="selectAnswer" class="m-checkbox-list">
       <ui:repeat var="entity" value="#{dynamicMetro.entities}" >
              <label class="m-checkbox" for="checkbox#{entity.id}">
                     <input id="checkbox#{entity.id}" type="checkbox"
              jsf:value="#{dynamicMetro.oneChecked[entity.id]}"
              jsf:valueChangeListener="#{dynamicMetro.selectOnlyThis(entity.id)}">
                           <f:ajax event="click" execute="@this" render="selectAnswer" />
                     </input>
                     #{entity.name}
                     <span></span>
              </label>
       </ui:repeat>
</div>

The apply a new Java method:

public void selectOnlyThis(int id){
       boolean oldChecked = oneChecked.get(id);
       for(Entry<Integer, Boolean> entry : oneChecked.entrySet()){
              oneChecked.put(entry.getKey(), false);
       }
       oneChecked.put(id, oldChecked ? false : true );
}

#html #css