[appfuse-user] html search form for hibernate managed object/Displaytag displayed data - Looking for Best Practices

[SkipWalker]

I'm currently using appFuse with webwork + spring + hibernate.

I'm using displaytag to display tables of data for a variety of my hibernate
objects.

I'm looking for a best practice or existing library to help me implement a
search feature for the data I'm displaying in the display tag tables.

Currently, we just do a list of the objects resulting from a simple
hibernate find.  I'd like a way to add a search function so I can display in
the table values that match by specified criteria.

For example, I have a hibernate object somewhat like

class Client {
String id;
String firstName;
String lastName;
Timestamp lastUpdated;
boolean public;
}

I'd like to add a search form at the top of the page formatted in such a way
that the action that receives the request can easily transform the Request
parameters into a hibernate Criteria object.

I can see a form something like this

<form name="searchClients" action="searchClients">
<!-- some input to indicate what hiberate object to search on, or this could
go in the action code -->
<input type="hidden" name="type" value="Client" />

First Name: 
<Select name="restriction_firstName">    
    <Option value="like">like</Option>
    <Option value="eq">equals</Option>
    <Option value="gt">greater than</Option>
    <Option value="lt">less than</Option>
    <Option value="in">in</Option>
    <Option value="isNull">is null</Option>
    <Option value="isNotNull">is not null</Option>
    <Option value="startsWith">starts with/Option>
    <Option value="endsWith">starts with/Option>    
</Select>
<input type="text" name="query_firstName" value="" > 

Last Name:
<Select name="restriction_lastName">    
    <Option value="like">like</Option>
    <Option value="eq">equals</Option>
    <Option value="gt">greater than</Option>
    <Option value="lt">less than</Option>
    <Option value="in">in</Option>
    <Option value="isNull">is null</Option>
    <Option value="isNotNull">is not null</Option>
    <Option value="startsWith">starts with/Option>
    <Option value="endsWith">starts with/Option>    
</Select>
<input type="text" name="query_lastName" value="" > 

... <!-- dates would probably have some special handling or something -->
Last Updated 
<Select name="restriction_lastUpdated">    
    <Option value="like">like</Option>
    <Option value="eq">equals</Option>
    <Option value="gt">greater than</Option>
    <Option value="lt">less than</Option>
    <Option value="in">in</Option>
    <Option value="isNull">is null</Option>
    <Option value="isNotNull">is not null</Option>
    <Option value="startsWith">starts with/Option>
    <Option value="endsWith">starts with/Option>    
</Select>
<input type="text" name="query_lastUpdated" value="" > 

</form>

So the input request could look like:

restriction__firstName=eq
query__firstName=John
restriction_lastName=like
query_lastName=Wal

And this would transform into sql:

select * from Clients where firstName = 'John' and lastName like '%Wal%'

The query_ parameter could support or, so a user could input "John or James"

restriction__firstName=eq
query__firstName=John or James
restriction_lastName=like
query_lastName=Wal

And this would transform into sql:

select * from Clients where (firstName = 'John' or firstName = 'James') and
lastName like '%Wal%'


The library that the form is submitted to, would then transform these inputs
into a hibernate criteria, likely using the hibernate Restrictions class.  I
can see some sort of method going through each restriction_ and then getting
the query_ arg (if it's a binary restriction).

All kinds of things could be added to this: order by, sub queries, etc.  It
basically requires some standard format for the input, and a library to
transform the http request parameters in to the hibernate criteria.

So my ultimate question, since I have no desired to reinvent the wheel, is
does something like this already exist?  Does something exists that
accompolishes basically what I want?

Thanks, 
Skip Walker



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