You can have a variable called action in your action form. You can set that variable as view or edit. Now for the first time, the action can be view. You lookup for the customer. If you find, you display. If you dont find, (check this with some <c:if> tag ) you display a text field and a ADD CUSTOMER button. You enter the customer name, and click the add button. Again it takes you to the same action class. This action class extends the LookupDispatchAction class. You have different methods for different buttons in that class.(lookup,add etc.). You need only one jsp, one action form and one action class that extends from the LookupDispatchAction class. HTH
--- Stuart Guthrie <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > This is a general 'how do you do it if you do it' > question about web > application design. > > Here is the scenario. > > Web Form: > ----------------------------------------- > ORDER HEADER > > Order No: 0010 > Order Date: 15/08/2004 > Customer: ______ <LOOKUP CUSTOMER> > Customer Name: ? > ----------------------------------------- > > So the user has entered a new order date and > requests the <LOOKUP > CUSTOMER> button to search the 1,000,000 customers > in the database. > (Note, I picked a cool million deliberately to stop > the 'just use a > combo' suggestions) > > The customer is found and selected. The user is > returned to this form in > exactly the same 'state' they left it. ie with the > date entered as > 15/08/2004, except their customer code is now filled > in. As is the > Customer name. > > ----------------------------------------- > ORDER HEADER > > Order No: 0010 > Order Date: 15/08/2004 > Customer: ABC123 <LOOKUP CUSTOMER> > Customer Name: ABC Inc. > ----------------------------------------- > > > This example gets more complex if you consider that > once the user > reaches the lookup, they might find no customer > there and need to ADD a > customer, taking them to a new 'stack' level. > > > Order Entry (1/2 complete) > -> Lookup Customer > --> Add Customer as not found in lookup > --> Return to lookup Customer > -> Select newly added customer from list > > Order Entry Form re-populated with new customer > code and description > as well as original 1/2 complete fields. > > > Ways to do this: > > 1. Some sort of 'stack' where the state is > maintained in a 'level' of > the > stack with all the form values from the web page. > The user goes off and > searches on the next level of the 'stack' and once > sorted, pulls (or is > it pops) the stack back to the previous 'level' and > re-populates the > form. > > 2. Something else. > > 3. Can't be done. Don't go there! > > > I'm all ears, unless I hear otherwise, I'll probably > write the > 'stack'technology. > > TIA > > > Stuart Guthrie > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > For additional commands, e-mail: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
