Chapter 4. Basic concepts of the RichFaces Framework

4.1. Introduction
4.2. RichFaces Architecture Overview
4.3. Request Errors and Session Expiration Handling
4.3.1. Request Errors Handling
4.3.2. Session Expired Handling
4.4. Skinnability
4.4.1. Why Skinnability
4.4.2. Using Skinnability
4.4.3. Example
4.4.4. Skin Parameters Tables in RichFaces
4.4.5. Creating and Using Your Own Skin File
4.4.6. Built-in Skinnability in RichFaces
4.4.7. Changing skin in runtime
4.4.8. Standard Controls Skinning
4.4.9. Client-side Script for Extended Skinning Support
4.4.10. XCSS File Format
4.4.11. Plug-n-Skin
4.5. State Manager API
4.6. Identifying User Roles

4.1. Introduction

The RichFaces Framework is implemented as a component library that adds AJAX capabilities into existing pages. This means that you do not need to write any JavaScript code or replace existing components with new AJAX widgets. RichFaces enables page-wide AJAX support instead of the traditional component-wide support, so you can define areas of the page that will reflect changes made by AJAX events on the client.
The diagram following shows the process in full:
Request Processing flow

Figure 4.1. Request Processing flow


RichFaces lets you use JSF tags to define sections of a JSF page that you wish to update with the results of an AJAX request. It also provides you with several options for sending AJAX requests to the server. You do not need to write any JavaScript or XMLHTTPRequest objects by hand — everything is done automatically.