BeanFieldGroup vs FieldGroup with BeanItem?

Question

When binding fields to a bean there are two ways:

1. Use a FieldGroup and wrap the bean in a BeanItem:

   final FieldGroup fieldGroup = new FieldGroup(new BeanItem<DataBean>(dataBean));
   

2. Use a BeanFieldGroup, in this case the bean will also be wrapped into a BeanItemunder the hoods:

   final BeanFieldGroup<DataBean> beanBinder = new BeanFieldGroup<>(DataBean.class);
   beanBinder.setItemDataSource(dataBean);
   

IMHO using a FieldGroup is actually simpler, is there any advantage in using a BeanFieldGroup?

Answer 1

BeanFielGroup is an extension of FieldGroup, In addition to the properties of FieldGroup it also has support for

• Java Bean Validation API 1.0 (JSR-303)
• Handles Nested Properties.
• Certain Helper methods to add various fields.

Based on your use case you can prefer either of it. If you are managing the Form/layout via Pojo's I would suggest you should use BeanFieldGroup instead of FieldGroup and if you have loosely coupled properties, I would suggest FieldGroup over BeanFieldGroup