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[EMF Forms] Iterating over properties [message #1757858]

Mon, 20 March 2017 19:37

Alex Kravets

Messages: 561
Registered: November 2009

Senior Member

Hi,

I'd like to use EMF Forms to render the following XML

<properties>
   <group="1">
     <property name="g1p1"/>
     <property name="g1p2"/>
     <property name="g1p3"/>
   </group>
  <group="2">
     <property name="g2p1"/>
     <property name="g2p2"/>
     <property name="g2p3"/>
   </group>
</properties>

What I'd like to do is render form in a such a way that properties element is iterated and groups with its property elements are rendered in sections. Do I need to create three different renders (properties, groups, property) and embed one in another? Or is there better design pattern for this?

Thanks,
Alex

[Updated on: Mon, 03 April 2017 14:53]

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Re: [EMF Forms] [message #1757865 is a reply to message #1757858]

Mon, 20 March 2017 21:16

Jonas Helming

Messages: 111
Registered: September 2016

Senior Member

Hi,

if I understand you corretcly, you want to process the domain model to actually create the layout of the UI based on that. There are two ways to do that. Either you create a renderer for the "properties" element, which renders all sub elements like you wish. alternativly, you could derive a view model from your domain model which describes the desired layout. In this case, you can define dedicated renderers for all elements.

Best regards
Jonas

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Re: [EMF Forms] [message #1757870 is a reply to message #1757865]

Tue, 21 March 2017 01:43

Alex Kravets

Messages: 561
Registered: November 2009

Senior Member

Thanks Jonas,

When you say
Quote:

Alternatively, you could derive a view model from your domain model which describes the desired layout. In this case, you can define dedicated renderers for all elements.

How do I describe iteration over these renderers in View Model? It looks like these renderers would need to be called in nested loops?

Alex

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Re: [EMF Forms] [message #1757871 is a reply to message #1757865]

Tue, 21 March 2017 01:43

Alex Kravets

Messages: 561
Registered: November 2009

Senior Member

Thanks Jonas,

Quote:

Alternatively, you could derive a view model from your domain model which describes the desired layout. In this case, you can define dedicated renderers for all elements.

How do I describe iteration over these renderers in View Model? It looks like these renderers would need to be called in nested loops?

Alex

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Re: [EMF Forms] [message #1757899 is a reply to message #1757871]

Tue, 21 March 2017 14:25

Jonas Helming

Messages: 111
Registered: September 2016

Senior Member

The iteration will be done by the renderer of the container renderer. That is what existing container renderer do already. Have a look at an example renderer, e.g. group. It iterates over its children elements.

Best regards

Jonas

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Re: [EMF Forms] [message #1757900 is a reply to message #1757899]

Tue, 21 March 2017 14:34

Alex Kravets

Messages: 561
Registered: November 2009

Senior Member

Great, thank you!

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Re: [EMF Forms] [message #1757994 is a reply to message #1757900]

Wed, 22 March 2017 15:42

Alex Kravets

Messages: 561
Registered: November 2009

Senior Member

To create Renderer for Properties element would I reference org.eclipse.emf.ecp.makeithappen.view.email.renderer and use SimpleControlSWTControlSWTRenderer to base my Renderer off?

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Re: [EMF Forms] [message #1758015 is a reply to message #1757994]

Wed, 22 March 2017 18:30

Jonas Helming

Messages: 111
Registered: September 2016

Senior Member

If you go for the approach to create a view model based on your business first, then you should use a container renderer (the one the the group example inherits from)

best regards

Jonas

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Re: [EMF Forms] [message #1758112 is a reply to message #1758015]

Thu, 23 March 2017 16:21

Alex Kravets

Messages: 561
Registered: November 2009

Senior Member

Thanks Jonas, this worked.

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Re: [EMF Forms] [message #1758832 is a reply to message #1758112]

Mon, 03 April 2017 15:13

Alex Kravets

Messages: 561
Registered: November 2009

Senior Member

I am still trying to wrap my head around EMF Forms and wondering if it's correct tool for my particular case. As I understand EMF Forms works best to represent what model has, but what if the model elements are not known in advance? What I mean is that I have an object that has no properties in the beginning, user selects type of properties this object will have and fills out the details (by selecting element from combo box different set of properties are presented); the properties that object can have come from a properties descriptor file:

As per Jonas' suggestion I extended ContainerSWTRenderer<VGroup> class, but now it looks like I am not taking advantage of EMF Forms at all, because everything is pretty much custom - the combo box, the listener to generate form based on the selection and most of all I don't have the data-binding that EMF Forms creates between model and forms that it generates. So perhaps EMF Forms is not the best solution for my particular case?

[Updated on: Mon, 03 April 2017 15:13]

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Re: [EMF Forms] [message #1758886 is a reply to message #1758832]

Tue, 04 April 2017 07:25

Jonas Helming

Messages: 111
Registered: September 2016

Senior Member

Hi,

without knowing the detail about your use case:

Even if you only use custom renderers, using EMF Forms is typically an advantage. You should have a defined renderer now ideally with a custom view model element. Now you can reuse this and you can adapt the renderer at a central place. Further, you can embedd it and use it in combination with other view model elements. If you know for sure, that your view will always only show the custom content, that you never adapt it again and you will never use it anywhere else then yes, in this unlikely case EMF Forms does not really provide an advantage.

Best regards
Jonas

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