JBoss, a division of RedHat, recently released version 3.1 of the RichFaces JSF library. Stemming from a partnership with Exadel, this release is the first one to integrate the Ajax4JSF project with the formerly commercial RichFaces. InfoQ took the opportunity to learn more about RichFaces and what this release brings to the JSF space.
In addition to the combining of the Ajax4JSF codebase and the RichFaces codebase as a new open source library, the major features in this release are:
- JBoss Seam Integration - configuring and using RichFaces components with Seam is greatly simplified
- Integration with script.aculo.us - RichFaces now supports using script.aculo.us effects with RichFaces components
- Tooltip support - Any component can now have a tooltip associated with it
- Several new JSF components - calendar control, data grid, data list, scrollable datatable, and refactored tree control which avoids reliance on a Model-and-View separation through tag-level data binding
Future plans, which were touched upon as part of the RichFaces 3.1 release announcement on JBoss.org, include integration with Red Hat Developer Studio and incorporation into the JBoss Enterprise Platforms - enterprise support will also transition from the current provider, Exadel, to a Red Hat subscription model. In the near future, a 3.1.1 release is expected soon, and there is ongoing discussion in the JBoss Forums about what the 3.2 feature set should be, with a corresponding page of features and votes on the JBoss wiki.