Chapter 5. The Seam component descriptor
This chapter covers
- Creating component definitions in XML
- Defining component XML namespaces
- Configuring a component’s properties
- Using the Seam resource bundle
Seam embraces annotations to keep you out of the XML weeds. You are a Java (or Groovy) developer, darn it, and that’s the language in which you should be allowed to program your application! Despite this pragmatic statement, it would be misleading to say that Seam eliminates XML entirely. It doesn’t. If you’re one of those XML enthusiasts, you’ll be glad to know that you don’t have to give up your angled brackets when you move to Seam. In fact, there are some areas of Seam where XML configuration is the best choice—or even the only choice. One example is Seam’s page descriptor, covered in chapter 3, which administers Seam’s page-oriented functionality.[1] Since views are defined in XML, it’s only natural for page controls to be defined that way as well. The use of XML also ensures a quick turnaround by avoiding the compilation step, which is important given that views often require a lot of tinkering.
1 Java-based page configuration is in the pipeline, so this requirement may not hold true for long.