The <a4j:form> component enhances functionality of the standard JSF <h:form> component with possibility of default Ajax submission and fixes the problem with <h:commandLink> generation inside the form.

Along with a4j:htmlCommandLink , <a4j:form> component fixes the problem of <h:commandLink> component that cannot be re-rendered without re-rendering the whole form it belongs to. For the further details see the Ajax Form Usage page at RichFaces Livedemo.

The <a4j:form> component adds extra functionality to non-Ajax action/command components: submission is performed via Ajax when "ajaxSubmit" attribute set to "true".

If the <a4j:form> component works in an Ajax mode, the standard Ajax attributes such as "reRender" , "limitToList" , "requestDelay" , etc. can be used.

Example:

...

<a4j:form ajaxSubmit="true" reRender="name">

    <h:panelGrid>

        <h:commandButton value="Set Local Name to John (Ajax)" action="#{userBean.nameItJohn}" />

        <h:outputText id="name" value="Name:#{userBean.name}" />

    </h:panelGrid>

</a4j:form>

...

Here is a managed bean:

...

public class UserBean {

    private String name="";


    public String nameItJohn() {

        setName("John");

        return null;

    }

    public String getName() {

        return this.name;

    }

    public void setName(String name) {

        this.name = name;

    }

}

...

In the example above the ajaxSubmit="true", so all standard action components on this form become ajaxable. The "reRender" attribute contains an Id of component for re-rendering after an Ajax response.

Table of <a4j:form> attributes.

Visit Ajax Form page at RichFaces Livedemo for examples of component usage and their sources.

For additional information about attributes of this component read 'Ajax Attribute section.