ValuesManager.getValuesAsCriteria() missing?

[AlexMaddern]

I'm trying to span a search form over two cells in an HLayout. Four fields on one side and four on the other. I'm using ValuesManager as in the example in the Showcase, but when I attempt to recreate the call from the button to filter a datasourceI have notices that the getValuesAsCriteria is not part of Values Manager ? I assumed that it would take the place of the DynamicForm in this splitting instance ?

Old code with a single Form:

searchButton.addClickHandler(new ClickHandler() {
    public void onClick(ClickEvent event) {
        if (myForm.validate()) {
            myListGrid.filterData(myForm.getValuesAsCriteria());
        }
    }
});

Trying to do the same with two forms linked through a ValuesManager:

searchButton.addClickHandler(new ClickHandler() {
    public void onClick(ClickEvent event) {
        if (valuesManager.validate()) {
            myListGrid.filterData(valuesManager.getValuesAsCriteria()); // err?
        }
    }
});

Any guidance on this would be gratefully received.

Al

[Isomorphic]

We'll that add API, in the meantime, manually converting to Criteria is required.

[AlexMaddern]

Understood. Will do.

There appears to be one further issue with the ValueManager which you may want to look into.

If I have a / character in the name of a form item it breaks the Values Map in the ValueManager, as follows

Note: the DynamicForm works perfectly with / in the field name, this is only an issue in the ValueManager.

TextItem campusTextItem = new TextItem();  
campusTextItem.setName("institute/campus");
...

searchButtonItem.addClickHandler(new ClickHandler() {  
	public void onClick(ClickEvent event) {
		if (vm.validate()) {
			Criteria criteria = new Criteria();
			Map formValues = vm.getValues();
	 		Iterator it = formValues.entrySet().iterator();
	 		while (it.hasNext()) {
	 	        Map.Entry pairs = (Map.Entry)it.next();
 	 		GWT.log("VM Keys: " + pairs.getKey() + " = " + pairs.getValue());
	 	        criteria.addCriteria((String)pairs.getKey() ,(String)pairs.getValue());
	 	    }
			myListGrid.filterData(criteria);
		}
	}  
});

I get the following from the Log

VM Keys: institute = [object Object]

If I replace the / with an _ as follows it works fine

TextItem campusTextItem = new TextItem();  
campusTextItem.setName("institute_campus");
...

searchButtonItem.addClickHandler(new ClickHandler() {  
	public void onClick(ClickEvent event) {
		if (vm.validate()) {
			Criteria criteria = new Criteria();
			Map formValues = vm.getValues();
	 		Iterator it = formValues.entrySet().iterator();
	 		while (it.hasNext()) {
	 	        Map.Entry pairs = (Map.Entry)it.next();
	 	        criteria.addCriteria(pairs.getKey().toString().replace('_','/') ,(String)pairs.getValue());
	 	 	GWT.log("VM Keys: " + pairs.getKey() + " = " + pairs.getValue());
	 	    }
			myListGrid.filterData(criteria);
		}
	}  
});

I get

VM Keys: institute_campus = abc123

Could this be fixed at the same time ?

[Isomorphic]

FormItem.name in general must be an identifier, by luck you have not yet hit the many things your "/" would break. This will be not be changed.

[AlexMaddern]

Originally Posted by Isomorphic

FormItem.name in general must be an identifier, by luck you have not yet hit the many things your "/" would break. This will be not be changed.

OK, but it breaks the behaviour in the DynamicForm which I thought ValueManager is supposed to mirror. DynamicForm allows the use of / in the name.

For convenience I am using the xpath path to the source element in the name and this is working well in our use case. I can work around this limitation in ValueManager as shown in the sample, but I see no reason to have DynamicForm and ValueManager behave differently? Can't we simply have ValueManager mirror DynamicForm as the documentation suggests and "developer beware" if the client chooses to go down this route ?

Out of interest what other aspects of SmartClient would the "/" break ? Your comment sounds quite ominous but provides no explanation.

[Isomorphic]

Again, it is considered a usage error in both DynamicForm and ValuesManager. The fact that you haven't hit any of the problems it causes does not mean it's supported - it isn't.

[AlexMaddern]

Originally Posted by Isomorphic

Again, it is considered a usage error in both DynamicForm and ValuesManager. The fact that you haven't hit any of the problems it causes does not mean it's supported - it isn't.

Sure, you have said that but can you explain why? What is it about the / that makes it some problematic?

[timprice17]

Maybe because "/" is a special character in XPath is the reason.

[AlexMaddern]

Originally Posted by timprice17

Maybe because "/" is a special character in XPath is the reason.

Agreed, that's the very reason I'm using it. Works brilliantly in my use case. Perhaps not if your using the inbuilt datasources for REST

[vostapenko]

Originally Posted by Isomorphic

We'll that add API, in the meantime, manually converting to Criteria is required.

Any success on this one? Or anything like Evaluator.parseAdvancedCriteria(map)?