JSF Model objects - how do you fill them from a listener? -- WDSCI-L

Status: Head bleeding from wall hitting

Ok, I have just about the simplest JSF app I can think of and what just
isn't making sense to me is how I update my "model" or "business logic"
object from an action listener that isn't part of the model object.  I
am displaying an input text field where the user will enter a number.
When they hit the submit button an actionListener will get called (this
works).  But how do I fill in my Customer java object from the action
listener method?  The Customer object is registered in the
faces-config.xml as follows:

        <managed-bean>
                <managed-bean-name>customer</managed-bean-name>
        
<managed-bean-class>com.wgeb.customer.Customer</managed-bean-class>
                <managed-bean-scope>request</managed-bean-scope>
        </managed-bean>


As you can see below I am filling in the outputFormat fields with
#{customer.xxxxx} which should map to the Customer object and pull
values from it.

CustIndex.jsp:
...
<f:view>
        <BODY>
        <hx:scriptCollector id="scriptCollector1">
                <h:form styleClass="form" id="form1">
                        <P><h:outputText styleClass="outputText"
id="text1"
                                value="Enter
Customer"></h:outputText><h:inputText
                                styleClass="inputText"
id="text2"></h:inputText><hx:commandExButton
                                type="submit" value="Display Customer"
styleClass="commandExButton"
                                id="button1"
actionListener="#{listener.displayCustomer}">

                        </hx:commandExButton><BR>
                        <BR>
                        <BR>
                        <h:outputText styleClass="outputText" id="text3"
value="Name"></h:outputText>
                        <h:outputFormat styleClass="outputFormat"
id="format1"
                                value="#{customer.name}">
                        </h:outputFormat><BR>
                        <h:outputText styleClass="outputText" id="text4"
value="Address"></h:outputText>
                        <h:outputFormat styleClass="outputFormat"
id="format2"
        
value="#{customer.address}"></h:outputFormat><BR>
                        <h:outputText styleClass="outputText" id="text5"
value="City"></h:outputText>
                        <h:outputFormat styleClass="outputFormat"
id="format3"
        
value="#{customer.city}"></h:outputFormat><BR>
                        <h:outputText styleClass="outputText" id="text6"
value="State"></h:outputText><h:outputFormat
                                styleClass="outputFormat" id="format4"
value="#{customer.state}"></h:outputFormat>
                        <BR>
                        <h:outputText styleClass="outputText" id="text7"
value="Zip"></h:outputText><h:outputFormat
                                styleClass="outputFormat" id="format5"
value="#{customer.zip}"></h:outputFormat>
                        <BR>
                        <BR>
                        </P>
                </h:form>
        </hx:scriptCollector>
        </BODY>
</f:view>
...

Customer.java:

package com.wgeb.customer;
public class Customer {
        public Customer() {
        }

        private String name = "";
        private String address = "";
        private String city = "";
        private String state = "";
        private String zip = "";

        public String getAddress() {
                return address;
        }
        public String getCity() {
                return city;
        }
        public String getName() {
                return name;
        }
        public String getState() {
                return state;
        }
        public String getZip() {
                return zip;
        }
        public void setAddress(String string) {
                address = string;
        }
        public void setCity(String string) {
                city = string;
        }
        public void setName(String string) {
                name = string;
        }
        public void setState(String string) {
                state = string;
        }
        public void setZip(String string) {
                zip = string;
        }
}


Events.java:

package listeners;
import javax.faces.event.AbortProcessingException;
import javax.faces.event.ActionEvent;
import javax.faces.event.ActionListener;
public class Events implements ActionListener {

        public Events() {

        }
        public void processAction(ActionEvent arg0) throws
AbortProcessingException {
        }
        public void displayCustomer(ActionEvent arg0) throws
AbortProcessingException {      
                //!!!! Here is where I want to fill in the customer
object  !!!!!!!!!
                // Eventually this will be calling some RPG programs to
get the customer information
        }
}