Question

I have an input (JSF) that should be bound to a property in my bean. This property represents another bean and has an auxiliar method that checks if it’s null (I use this method a lot).

The problem is that the binding is failing to get the proper getter and setter. Instead of reading the method that returns the bean, it reads the one that return a boolean value.

The property name is guest. The methods are:

• getGuest;
• setGuest;
• isGuest (checks if guest is null).

JSF is trying to bind the object to isGuest and setGuest, instead of getGuest and setGuest.

I cannot rename isGuest to guestIsNull or something, because that would’nt make to much sense (see the class below).

Finally, my question is: how can I bind this property to the object without renaming my methods? Is it possible?

I also accept suggestions of a better method name (but the meaning must be the same).

---

Entity

@Entity
public class Passenger {

    private Employee employee;
    private Guest guest;

    public Passenger() {
    }

    @Transient
    public boolean isEmployee() {
        return null != this.employee;
    }

    @Transient
    public boolean isGuest() {
        return null != this.guest;
    }

    @OneToOne
    public Employee getEmployee() {
        return this.employee;
    }

    public void setEmployee(Employee employee) {
        this.employee = employee;
    }

    @OneToOne
    public Guest getGuest() {
        return this.guest;
    }

    public void setGuest(Guest guest) {
        this.guest = guest;
    }

}

JSF

<h:inputText value="#{passenger.employee}" />
<h:inputText value="#{passenger.guest}" />

Answer 1

Change the method name to isGuestNull.

The problem you’re seeing is due to the fact that the EL lets you use getFoo or isFoo as the naming style for getter methods that return booleans.