com.smartgwt.client.data

Class SimpleType

java.lang.Object

com.smartgwt.client.core.BaseClass

com.smartgwt.client.data.SimpleType

public class SimpleType
extends BaseClass

An atomic type such as a string or number, that is generally stored, displayed and manipulated as a single value.

SimpleTypes can be created at any time, and subsequently referred to as a field type in DataSources and DataBoundComponents. This allows you to define validation, formatting and editing behaviors for a type to be reused across all DataBoundComponents.

The SimpleType class also allows data to be stored in some opaque format but treated as simple atomic values as far as Smart GWT components are concerned by implementing SimpleType.getAtomicValue() and SimpleType.updateAtomicValue() methods. For example, if some record has a field value set to a javascript object with the following properties:

  { stringValue:"A String", length: 9 }
  

this value could be treated as a simple string by defining a SimpleType with inheritsFrom set to "text" and a custom getAtomicValue() method that simply extracted the "stringValue" attribute from the data object. DataBoundComponents would then display the string value, and use it for sorting and other standard databinding features.

Note that the term "simpleType" is used in the same sense as in http://www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-0/, and XMLTools.loadXMLSchema() will create new SimpleType definitions.

When using the Smart GWT Server, SimpleTypes can be defined server-side, and should be defined server-side if validators are going to be declared so that the server will enforce validation. To define server-side SimpleTypes using Component XML you should create file {typeName}.type.xml in the following format:

    <SimpleType name="{typeName}" inheritsFrom="{otherSimpleType}" 
                   editorType="{FormItemClassName}">
      <validators>
        <!-- validator definition just like DataSourceField -->
      </validators>
    </SimpleType>
  

.. and place this file alongside your DataSource files (.ds.xml) files - in any of folders listed in project.datasources property in server.properties.

SimpleTypes can be loaded via DataSourceLoader or loadDS JSP tags and should be loaded before the definitions of any DataSources that use them (so generally put all SimpleType definitions first).

Define validators in the server-side type definition, for example:

    <SimpleType name="countryCodeType" inheritsFrom="text">
      <validators>
        <validator type="lengthRange" min="2" max="2"
          errorMessage="Length of country code should be equal to 2." />
        <validator type="regexp" expression="[A-Z][A-Z]"
          errorMessage="CountryCode should have only uppercase letters." />
      </validators>
    </SimpleType>
  

For client-side formatters, add these to the type definition after loading it from the server, for example:

      SimpleType.getType("independenceDateType").setShortDisplayFormatter(new SimpleTypeFormatter() {
        public String format(Object value, DataClass field, DataBoundComponent component, Record record) {
          if (value == null) return null;
          return "<i>" + (((java.util.Date) value).getYear() + 1900) + "</i>";
        }
      });
    

Note that formatters must be added to the SimpleType definition before any DataBoundComponent binds to a DataSource that uses the SimpleType.

An example is here.

Nested Class Summary

Nested Classes

Modifier and Type	Class and Description
static class	SimpleType.SimpleTypeValueExtractor
static class	SimpleType.SimpleTypeValueUpdater

Field Summary

Fields inherited from class com.smartgwt.client.core.BaseClass

config, factoryCreated, factoryProperties, id, scClassName

Constructor Summary

Constructors

Constructor and Description
SimpleType() Create a new simple type.
SimpleType(com.google.gwt.core.client.JavaScriptObject jsObj)
SimpleType(java.lang.String name, FieldType inheritsFrom) Create a new simple type.
SimpleType(java.lang.String name, SimpleType inheritsFrom) Create a new simple type.

Method Summary

Methods

Modifier and Type	Method and Description
static java.lang.Object	applySummaryFunction(Record[] records, ListGridField field, java.lang.String functionName) Apply a registered summary function to a set of records and a field.
static java.lang.Object	applySummaryFunction(Record[] records, ListGridField field, SummaryFunctionType summaryFunction) Apply a standard SummaryFunctionType to a set of records and a field.
com.google.gwt.core.client.JavaScriptObject	create()
java.lang.String	getExportFormat() FormatString used during exports for numeric or date formatting.
DataSourceField	getFieldProperties() These are properties that are essentially copied onto any DataSourceField where the property is applied.
java.lang.String	getFormat() FormatString for numeric or date formatting.
java.lang.String	getInheritsFrom() Name of another SimpleType from which this type should inherit.
com.google.gwt.core.client.JavaScriptObject	getJsObj()
java.lang.String	getName() Name of the type, used to refer to the type from field.type.
static SimpleType	getOrCreateRef(com.google.gwt.core.client.JavaScriptObject jsObj)
static SimpleType	getType(java.lang.String typeName) Retrieve a simpleType definition by type name
boolean	isCreated()
void	register() Explicitly register this SimpleType with the system so that it can be used / referenced by remote DataSources.
static void	registerSummaryFunction(java.lang.String functionName, SummaryFunction summaryFunction) Registers a new SummaryFunction by name.
static void	setDefaultSummaryFunction(java.lang.String typeName, java.lang.String functionName) Set a default summary function for some field type.
static void	setDefaultSummaryFunction(java.lang.String typeName, SummaryFunctionType summaryFunction) Set a default summary function for some field type.
void	setEditFormatter(SimpleTypeFormatter formatter) Formatter for values of this type when displayed in a freeform text editor such as a TextItem
void	setEditorProperties(FormItem editorProperties) Default FormItem configuration for editing values of this type.
void	setEditorType(java.lang.Class<? extends FormItem> editorType) Set the default FormItem class to be used whenever a value of this type is edited (whether in a grid, form, or other component).
void	setEditorType(FormItem editorType) Deprecated. Renamed to setEditorProperties(FormItem). You can also consider using setEditorType(Class) or setEditorType(String) instead.
void	setEditorType(java.lang.String editorType) Set the default FormItem class to be used whenever a value of this type is edited (whether in a grid, form, or other component).
java.lang.Object	setEditParser(SimpleTypeParser parser) Specify a parser to convert some user-edited value to an underlying data value of this type.
void	setExportFormat(java.lang.String exportFormat) FormatString used during exports for numeric or date formatting.
void	setFieldProperties(DataSourceField fieldProperties) These are properties that are essentially copied onto any DataSourceField where the property is applied.
void	setFormat(java.lang.String format) FormatString for numeric or date formatting.
void	setInheritsFrom(FieldType inheritsFrom) Name of another SimpleType from which this type should inherit.
void	setInheritsFrom(java.lang.String inheritsFrom) Name of another SimpleType from which this type should inherit.
void	setJavaScriptObject(com.google.gwt.core.client.JavaScriptObject jsObj)
void	setName(java.lang.String name) Name of the type, used to refer to the type from field.type.
void	setNormalDisplayFormatter(SimpleTypeFormatter formatter) Normal formatter for values of this type used in a StaticTextItem or DetailViewer.
void	setReadOnlyEditorProperties(FormItem editorProperties) FormItem properties to be applied when editing values of this type in a read-only context.
void	setReadOnlyEditorType(java.lang.Class<? extends FormItem> editorType) Set the default FormItem class to be used whenever a value of this type is edited in a read-only context (whether in a grid, form, or other component).
void	setReadOnlyEditorType(FormItem editorType) Deprecated. Renamed to setReadOnlyEditorProperties(FormItem). You can also consider using setReadOnlyEditorType(Class) or setReadOnlyEditorType(String) instead.
void	setReadOnlyEditorType(java.lang.String editorType) Set the default FormItem class to be used whenever a value of this type is edited in a read-only context (whether in a grid, form, or other component).
void	setShortDisplayFormatter(SimpleTypeFormatter formatter) Formatter for values of this type when compact display is required, for example, in a ListGrid or TreeGrid.
java.lang.Object	setSimpleTypeValueExtractor(SimpleType.SimpleTypeValueExtractor extractor) Specify an extractor to extract an atomic value (such as a string or number) from some arbitrary live data value.
java.lang.Object	setSimpleTypeValueUpdater(SimpleType.SimpleTypeValueUpdater updater) Specify an updater to update a live data value with an edited atomic value (such as a string or number).
void	setValidators(Validator... validators) Validators to apply to value of this type.
void	setValidOperators(OperatorId... validOperators) Set of search operators valid for this type.
void	setValueMap(java.util.Map valueMap) List of legal values for this type, like valueMap.
void	setValueMap(java.lang.String... valueMap) List of legal values for this type, like valueMap.

Methods inherited from class com.smartgwt.client.core.BaseClass

applyFactoryProperties, asSGWTComponent, createJsObj, destroy, doAddHandler, doInit, error, error, errorIfNotCreated, fireEvent, getAttribute, getAttributeAsBoolean, getAttributeAsDate, getAttributeAsDouble, getAttributeAsElement, getAttributeAsFloat, getAttributeAsInt, getAttributeAsJavaScriptObject, getAttributeAsMap, getAttributeAsString, getAttributeAsStringArray, getClassName, getConfig, getHandlerCount, getID, getOrCreateJsObj, getRef, getScClassName, getTestInstance, hasAutoAssignedID, internalSetID, internalSetID, isFactoryCreated, onBind, onInit, registerID, setAttribute, setAttribute, setAttribute, setAttribute, setAttribute, setAttribute, setAttribute, setAttribute, setAttribute, setAttribute, setAttribute, setAttribute, setAttribute, setAttribute, setAttribute, setAttribute, setAttribute, setAttribute, setAttribute, setAttribute, setConfig, setFactoryCreated, setID, setProperty, setProperty, setProperty, setProperty, setScClassName

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait

Constructor Detail

SimpleType

public SimpleType(com.google.gwt.core.client.JavaScriptObject jsObj)

SimpleType

public SimpleType()

Create a new simple type.

Parameters:

name - the name of the simple type

inheritsFrom - the type it inherits from

SimpleType

public SimpleType(java.lang.String name,
          FieldType inheritsFrom)

Create a new simple type.

Parameters:

name - the name of the simple type

inheritsFrom - the type it inherits from

SimpleType

public SimpleType(java.lang.String name,
          SimpleType inheritsFrom)

Create a new simple type.

Parameters:

name - the name of the simple type

inheritsFrom - the type it inherits from

Method Detail

getOrCreateRef

public static SimpleType getOrCreateRef(com.google.gwt.core.client.JavaScriptObject jsObj)

setJavaScriptObject

public void setJavaScriptObject(com.google.gwt.core.client.JavaScriptObject jsObj)

Overrides:

setJavaScriptObject in class BaseClass

create

public com.google.gwt.core.client.JavaScriptObject create()

Specified by:

create in class BaseClass

setExportFormat

public void setExportFormat(java.lang.String exportFormat)
                     throws java.lang.IllegalStateException

FormatString used during exports for numeric or date formatting. See exportFormat.

Parameters:

exportFormat - See FormatString . Default value is null

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalStateException - this property cannot be changed after the underlying component has been created

See Also:

ExportFormatting overview and related methods

getExportFormat

public java.lang.String getExportFormat()

FormatString used during exports for numeric or date formatting. See exportFormat.

Returns:

See FormatString

See Also:

ExportFormatting overview and related methods

setFieldProperties

public void setFieldProperties(DataSourceField fieldProperties)
                        throws java.lang.IllegalStateException

These are properties that are essentially copied onto any DataSourceField where the property is applied. The supported properties are only client-side properties.

Parameters:

fieldProperties - Default value is null

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalStateException - this property cannot be changed after the underlying component has been created

getFieldProperties

public DataSourceField getFieldProperties()

These are properties that are essentially copied onto any DataSourceField where the property is applied. The supported properties are only client-side properties.

Returns:

DataSourceField

setFormat

public void setFormat(java.lang.String format)
               throws java.lang.IllegalStateException

FormatString for numeric or date formatting. See format.

Parameters:

format - See FormatString . Default value is null

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalStateException - this property cannot be changed after the underlying component has been created

See Also:

ExportFormatting overview and related methods

getFormat

public java.lang.String getFormat()

FormatString for numeric or date formatting. See format.

Returns:

See FormatString

See Also:

ExportFormatting overview and related methods

setInheritsFrom

public void setInheritsFrom(java.lang.String inheritsFrom)
                     throws java.lang.IllegalStateException

Name of another SimpleType from which this type should inherit.

Validators, if any, will be combined. All other SimpleType properties default to the inherited type's value.

Parameters:

inheritsFrom - Default value is null

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalStateException - this property cannot be changed after the underlying component has been created

See Also:

DataType Reuse Example

getInheritsFrom

public java.lang.String getInheritsFrom()

Name of another SimpleType from which this type should inherit.

Validators, if any, will be combined. All other SimpleType properties default to the inherited type's value.

Returns:

String

See Also:

DataType Reuse Example

setName

public void setName(java.lang.String name)
             throws java.lang.IllegalStateException

Name of the type, used to refer to the type from field.type.

Parameters:

name - Default value is null

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalStateException - this property cannot be changed after the underlying component has been created

getName

public java.lang.String getName()

Name of the type, used to refer to the type from field.type.

Returns:

String

setValidators

public void setValidators(Validator... validators)
                   throws java.lang.IllegalStateException

Validators to apply to value of this type.

Parameters:

validators - Default value is null

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalStateException - this property cannot be changed after the underlying component has been created

See Also:

Validation overview and related methods

setValidOperators

public void setValidOperators(OperatorId... validOperators)
                       throws java.lang.IllegalStateException

Set of search operators valid for this type.

If not specified, the inherited type's operators will be used, finally defaulting to the default operators for the basic types (eg, integer).

Parameters:

validOperators - Default value is null

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalStateException - this property cannot be changed after the underlying component has been created

getType

public static SimpleType getType(java.lang.String typeName)

Retrieve a simpleType definition by type name

Parameters:

typeName - the name of the simpleType to return

Returns:

simple type object

register

public void register()

Explicitly register this SimpleType with the system so that it can be used / referenced by remote DataSources.

setValueMap

public void setValueMap(java.lang.String... valueMap)
                 throws java.lang.IllegalStateException

List of legal values for this type, like valueMap.

Parameters:

valueMap - valueMap Default value is null

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalStateException - this property cannot be changed after the underlying component has been created

setValueMap

public void setValueMap(java.util.Map valueMap)
                 throws java.lang.IllegalStateException

List of legal values for this type, like valueMap.

Parameters:

valueMap - valueMap Default value is null

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalStateException - this property cannot be changed after the underlying component has been created

setEditorProperties

public void setEditorProperties(FormItem editorProperties)
                         throws java.lang.IllegalStateException

Default FormItem configuration for editing values of this type.

You can create a simple custom FormItem by adding default icons that launch custom value picking dialogs (an example is in the QuickStart Guide, Chapter 9, Extending Smart GWT). By setting simpleType.editorProperties to an instance of your custom FormItem, forms will automatically use the custom FormItem, as will grids performing grid editing.

Note: When you supply a custom FormItem via setEditorProperties(), you're really providing properties which are then used to create multiple FormItems (e.g., in grids, forms and trees) and there's an underlying limitation here where event handlers have to be written to dynamically receive the actual FormItem rather than relying on "this" (because there's more than one "this"). This means you need to follow the special rules indicated for DataSourceField.setEditorProperties(FormItem). As an alternative, you can use setEditorType(String) or setEditorType(Class) to avoid these limitations, if you register the FormItem subclass with the reflection mechanism.

Parameters:

editorProperties - FormItem with default properties to use when editing

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalStateException - this property cannot be changed after the underlying component has been created

setEditorType

public void setEditorType(FormItem editorType)
                   throws java.lang.IllegalStateException

Deprecated. Renamed to setEditorProperties(FormItem). You can also consider using setEditorType(Class) or setEditorType(String) instead.

Synonym for setEditorProperties(FormItem).

Parameters:

editorType - FormItem with default properties to be applied when editing

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalStateException - this property cannot be changed after the underlying component has been created

setEditorType

public void setEditorType(java.lang.String editorType)

Set the default FormItem class to be used whenever a value of this type is edited (whether in a grid, form, or other component).

If unset, a FormItem will be automatically chosen.

Note: The editorType must be registered for use with the reflection mechanism. By doing so, you avoid the limitations of setEditorProperties(FormItem).

Parameters:

editorType - the fully-qualified class name of a FormItem subclass, which must have been registered with the reflection mechanism.

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalArgumentException - if the editorType class has not been registered for use with the reflection mechanism, or if it does not inherit from FormItem.

setEditorType

public void setEditorType(java.lang.Class<? extends FormItem> editorType)

Set the default FormItem class to be used whenever a value of this type is edited (whether in a grid, form, or other component).

If unset, a FormItem will be automatically chosen.

Note: The editorType must be registered for use with the reflection mechanism. By doing so, you avoid the limitations of setEditorProperties(FormItem).

Parameters:

editorType - a FormItem subclass, which must have been registered with the reflection mechanism.

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalArgumentException - if the editorType class has not been registered for use with the reflection mechanism, or if it does not inherit from FormItem.

setReadOnlyEditorProperties

public void setReadOnlyEditorProperties(FormItem editorProperties)
                                 throws java.lang.IllegalStateException

FormItem properties to be applied when editing values of this type in a read-only context.

Note: The FormItem passed to setReadOnlyEditorProperties() is used as a "template" to create a FormItem whenever a DataBoundComponent needs to show an interface for editing this field (and the field is marked read-only). This means you need to follow special rules indicated for DataSourceField.setEditorProperties(FormItem). As an alternative, you can use setReadOnlyEditorType(String) or setReadOnlyEditorType(Class) to avoid these limitations, if you register the FormItem subclass with the reflection mechanism.

Parameters:

editorProperties - FormItem with properties to be applied when editing values of this type in a read-only context.

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalStateException - this property cannot be changed after the underlying component has been created

setReadOnlyEditorType

public void setReadOnlyEditorType(FormItem editorType)

Deprecated. Renamed to setReadOnlyEditorProperties(FormItem). You can also consider using setReadOnlyEditorType(Class) or setReadOnlyEditorType(String) instead.

Synonym for setReadOnlyEditorProperties(FormItem).

Parameters:

editorType - FormItem with default properties to be applied when editing

setReadOnlyEditorType

public void setReadOnlyEditorType(java.lang.String editorType)

Set the default FormItem class to be used whenever a value of this type is edited in a read-only context (whether in a grid, form, or other component).

If unset, a FormItem will be automatically chosen.

By using the reflection mechanism, this method avoids the limitations described in setReadOnlyEditorProperties(FormItem).

Parameters:

editorType - the fully-qualified class name of a FormItem subclass, which must have been registered with the reflection mechanism.

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalArgumentException - if the editorType class has not been registered for use with the reflection mechanism, or if it does not inherit from FormItem.

setReadOnlyEditorType

public void setReadOnlyEditorType(java.lang.Class<? extends FormItem> editorType)

Set the default FormItem class to be used whenever a value of this type is edited in a read-only context (whether in a grid, form, or other component).

If unset, a FormItem will be automatically chosen.

By using the reflection mechanism, this method avoids the limitations described in setReadOnlyEditorProperties(FormItem).

Parameters:

editorType - a FormItem subclass, which must have been registered with the reflection mechanism.

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalArgumentException - if the editorType class has not been registered for use with the reflection mechanism, or if it does not inherit from FormItem.

setInheritsFrom

public void setInheritsFrom(FieldType inheritsFrom)
                     throws java.lang.IllegalStateException

Name of another SimpleType from which this type should inherit.

Validators, if any, will be combined. All other SimpleType properties default to the inherited type's value.

Parameters:

inheritsFrom - inheritsFrom Default value is null

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalStateException - this property cannot be changed after the underlying component has been created

setNormalDisplayFormatter

public void setNormalDisplayFormatter(SimpleTypeFormatter formatter)

Normal formatter for values of this type used in a StaticTextItem or DetailViewer.

A formatter can make itself configurable on a per-component or per-field basis by checking properties on the component or field. For example, a formatter for account IDs may want to omit a prefix in views where it is redundant, and could check a flag detailViewer.omitAccountIdPrefix for this purpose.

Parameters:

formatter - the formatter

setShortDisplayFormatter

public void setShortDisplayFormatter(SimpleTypeFormatter formatter)

Formatter for values of this type when compact display is required, for example, in a ListGrid or TreeGrid.

A formatter can make itself configurable on a per-component or per-field basis by checking properties on the component or field. For example, a formatter for account IDs may want to omit a prefix in views where it is redundant, and could check a flag listGridField.omitAccountIdPrefix for this purpose.

Parameters:

formatter - the formatter

setEditFormatter

public void setEditFormatter(SimpleTypeFormatter formatter)

Formatter for values of this type when displayed in a freeform text editor such as a TextItem

See also #parseInput for parsing an edited text value back to a data value.

Parameters:

formatter - the formatter

setEditParser

public java.lang.Object setEditParser(SimpleTypeParser parser)

Specify a parser to convert some user-edited value to an underlying data value of this type. This parser is called when storing out values edited in a freeform editor such as a TextItem. Typically this will convert from the format produced by #editFormatter back to a data value.

Parameters:

parser - the parser

setSimpleTypeValueExtractor

public java.lang.Object setSimpleTypeValueExtractor(SimpleType.SimpleTypeValueExtractor extractor)

Specify an extractor to extract an atomic value (such as a string or number) from some arbitrary live data value. If defined this method will be called for every field value of the specified type in order to convert from the raw data value to an atomic type to be used for standard DataBinding features such as sorting and editing.

Parameters:

extractor - the extractor

setSimpleTypeValueUpdater

public java.lang.Object setSimpleTypeValueUpdater(SimpleType.SimpleTypeValueUpdater updater)

Specify an updater to update a live data value with an edited atomic value (such as a string or number). If defined this updater's updateAtomicValue method will be called when the user edits data in a field of this type, allowing the developer to convert from the atomic type to a raw data value for storage.

Parameters:

extractor - the updater

isCreated

public boolean isCreated()

Overrides:

isCreated in class BaseClass

getJsObj

public com.google.gwt.core.client.JavaScriptObject getJsObj()

Overrides:

getJsObj in class BaseClass

registerSummaryFunction

public static void registerSummaryFunction(java.lang.String functionName,
                           SummaryFunction summaryFunction)

Registers a new SummaryFunction by name. After calling this method, developers may specify the name passed in as a standard summaryFunction (for example in ListGridField.setSummaryFunction()). Note that if the specified name conflicts with one of the built in SummaryFunctionType values, a RuntimeException will be thrown.

Parameters:

functionName - name for the SummaryFunction

summaryFunction - new SummaryFunction implementation

applySummaryFunction

public static java.lang.Object applySummaryFunction(Record[] records,
                                    ListGridField field,
                                    SummaryFunctionType summaryFunction)

Apply a standard SummaryFunctionType to a set of records and a field.

Parameters:

records - records to obtain the summary value for

field - field on which the summary function is being run

summaryFunction - standard summary function identifier

Returns:

result of the summary function.

applySummaryFunction

public static java.lang.Object applySummaryFunction(Record[] records,
                                    ListGridField field,
                                    java.lang.String functionName)

Apply a registered summary function to a set of records and a field.

Parameters:

records - records to obtain the summary value for

field - field on which the summary function is being run

functionName - name under which the summary function is registered. See registerSummaryFunction(String, SummaryFunction)

Returns:

result of the summary function.

setDefaultSummaryFunction

public static void setDefaultSummaryFunction(java.lang.String typeName,
                             SummaryFunctionType summaryFunction)

Set a default summary function for some field type.

Parameters:

typeName - name of the field type. If this is the name of a custom SimpleType, the developer may need to ensure the type is registered.

summaryFunction - standard summary function type for this data type

setDefaultSummaryFunction

public static void setDefaultSummaryFunction(java.lang.String typeName,
                             java.lang.String functionName)

Set a default summary function for some field type.

Parameters:

typeName - name of the field type. If this is the name of a custom SimpleType, the developer may need to ensure the type is registered.

summaryFunction - name under which the summary function is registered. See registerSummaryFunction(String, SummaryFunction)