JSF page element cannot trigger method from backing bean with action attribute.(JSF2.0 + primefaces)

Question

I have a primefaces dock nav bar with a menuitem element, that should trigger the logout mechanism of my web app, but it doesnt work, i dont know why. Can someone help me find the reason why the logout funccion is not called when i click on the menu item?

This is the element at the JSF page template:

<h:form>
    <p:dock position="top">
    <p:menuitem value="Logout" icon="unsecuredimages/logout.png" action="securityController.logOut()" rendered ="#{!securityController.checkLogged}"/>

    </p:dock>   
</h:form>

This is the backing bean where the logOut() Method is located:

@ManagedBean
@RequestScoped
public class SecurityController {

...

public String logOut() {
        authentificationEJB.releaseUserState();     
        return "main.xhtml";
    }

...

And this is the EJB that accesses the session and releases it from the logged user:

@Stateful(name = "ejbs/AuthentificationEJB")
public class AuthentificationEJB implements IAuthentificationEJB {
...
// Logout
    public void releaseUserState() {
        // 1-Check if there is something saved in the session(or wherever the
        // state is saved)
        if (!FacesContext.getCurrentInstance().getExternalContext()
                .getSessionMap().isEmpty()) {
            // 2-If 1 then flush it
            FacesContext.getCurrentInstance().release();
        }       
    }
    ...
    }

When i click on the menuItem i get this exception:

WARNING: StandardWrapperValve[Faces Servlet]: PWC1406: Servlet.service() for servlet Faces Servlet threw exception java.lang.IllegalStateException at com.sun.faces.context.FacesContextImpl.assertNotReleased(FacesContextImpl.java:639) at com.sun.faces.context.FacesContextImpl.getCurrentPhaseId(FacesContextImpl.java:515) at javax.faces.event.ExceptionQueuedEventContext.(ExceptionQueuedEventContext.java:148) at javax.faces.event.ExceptionQueuedEventContext.(ExceptionQueuedEventContext.java:101) at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.Phase.queueException(Phase.java:156) at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.Phase.queueException(Phase.java:149) at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.Phase.doPhase(Phase.java:109) at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.LifecycleImpl.execute(LifecycleImpl.java:118) at javax.faces.webapp.FacesServlet.service(FacesServlet.java:312) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapper.service(StandardWrapper.java:1523) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:343) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:215) at filters.RestrictPageFilter.doFilter(RestrictPageFilter.java:90) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:256) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:215) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:277) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:188) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.invoke(StandardPipeline.java:641) at com.sun.enterprise.web.WebPipeline.invoke(WebPipeline.java:97) at com.sun.enterprise.web.PESessionLockingStandardPipeline.invoke(PESessionLockingStandardPipeline.java:85) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:185) at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.doService(CoyoteAdapter.java:325) at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:226) at com.sun.enterprise.v3.services.impl.ContainerMapper.service(ContainerMapper.java:165) at com.sun.grizzly.http.ProcessorTask.invokeAdapter(ProcessorTask.java:791) at com.sun.grizzly.http.ProcessorTask.doProcess(ProcessorTask.java:693) at com.sun.grizzly.http.ProcessorTask.process(ProcessorTask.java:954) at com.sun.grizzly.http.DefaultProtocolFilter.execute(DefaultProtocolFilter.java:170) at com.sun.grizzly.DefaultProtocolChain.executeProtocolFilter(DefaultProtocolChain.java:135) at com.sun.grizzly.DefaultProtocolChain.execute(DefaultProtocolChain.java:102) at com.sun.grizzly.DefaultProtocolChain.execute(DefaultProtocolChain.java:88) at com.sun.grizzly.http.HttpProtocolChain.execute(HttpProtocolChain.java:76) at com.sun.grizzly.ProtocolChainContextTask.doCall(ProtocolChainContextTask.java:53) at com.sun.grizzly.SelectionKeyContextTask.call(SelectionKeyContextTask.java:57) at com.sun.grizzly.ContextTask.run(ContextTask.java:69) at com.sun.grizzly.util.AbstractThreadPool$Worker.doWork(AbstractThreadPool.java:330) at com.sun.grizzly.util.AbstractThreadPool$Worker.run(AbstractThreadPool.java:309) at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:662)

Update

<p:menuitem value="Logout" icon="unsecuredimages/logout.png" action="#{securityController.logOut}" rendered ="#{!securityController.checkLogged}"/>

@ManagedBean
@ViewScoped
public class SecurityController {

    @EJB
    private IAuthentificationEJB authentificationEJB;
    private String email;
    private String password;
    private String notificationValue;



    public String logOut() {
         HttpSession session = (HttpSession) FacesContext.getCurrentInstance().getExternalContext().getSession(false);
            if (session != null) {
                session.invalidate();
            }
        return "main.xhtml";
    }

    ...
}

Matt Handy Matt Handy · Accepted Answer · 2011-04-20T10:30:54

I don't know if you need the release() method. I think this method is the reason for your exception. A quote from the javadoc:

After release() is called on a FacesContext instance (until the FacesContext instance has been recycled by the implementation for re-use), calling any other methods will cause an IllegalStateException to be thrown.

...

The implementation must call setCurrentInstance(javax.faces.context.FacesContext) passing null to remove the association between this thread and this dead FacesContext instance.

I use the following logout method. Maybe this is helpful for you:

public String logout() {
    HttpSession session = (HttpSession) FacesContext.getCurrentInstance().getExternalContext().getSession(false);
    if (session != null) {
        session.invalidate();
    }
    user = null; // reset user
    // optional: addSuccessMessage

    return "login";
}

JSF page element cannot trigger method from backing bean with action attribute.(JSF2.0 + primefaces)

2 Answers