Oracle UI Shell: Passing Parameters to a Bounded Task Flow

The discussion below is taken from my feedback on the ADF UI Patterns in OTN forum, I just copied it here for my reference:

Hi!

I have already figured out how to pass parameters to my bounded taskflow that I intend to launch on a separate tab. It would be the same way as how the UI Shell framework passes the TabContext object to the interested taskflows. This cannot be done though without extending the dynamicTabShellDefinition.xml. I am thinking, that this pertinent requirement can easily be supported by just pre-configuring the dynamic "parametersMap" attribute of the taskFlow binding definition to a value like "#{viewScope.parametersMap}". In this case, if I have something that I need to pass as parameter to my bounded taskflows, I just need to put the object on the parametersMap in view scope. I need to test this yet though. Below is a quotation from the Fusion Developers' Guide about the parameterMap:

The <parameterMap> element specifies an EL expression that returns a java.Util.map object. The object contains task flow input parameter name/value pairs.

I have already tested my understanding on the taskFlow binding "parametersMap" attribute above and it works! First, I added an additional parameter in line with the tabContext parameter to my custom dynamicTabShellDefinition.xml. The parameter binding section will be as follows:

<parameters>
   <parameter id="tabContext" value="${viewScope.tabContext}"/>
   <parameter id="parameterMap" value="${requestScope.parameterMap}"/>
</parameters>

Note that instead of using ${viewScope.parameterMap}, I used ${requestScope.parameterMap} because it seems that when I passed a viewScope parameter from a backingBean inside one of my bounded task flows, it will not reach the initialization of my target task flow in the separate tab. Second, I redefined all my taskFlow bindings to define the "parametersMap" attribute value to "#{bindings.parameterMap}". Please see below a redefined taskFlow definition:

<taskFlow id="r0"
    taskFlowId="${viewScope.tabContext.taskflowIds[0]}"
    activation="deferred"
    xmlns="http://xmlns.oracle.com/adf/controller/binding"
    parametersMap="#{bindings.parameterMap}">
<parameters>
<parameter id="tabContext" value="${bindings.tabContext}"
         xmlns="http://xmlns.oracle.com/adfm/uimodel"/>
</parameters>
</taskFlow>

With the steps above, I could already define any parameter that I need in the bounded taskflow: Please see below for a sample parameter definition:

<input-parameter-definition id="__2">
  <name id="__3">employeeId</name>
  <value>#{pageFlowScope.employeeId}</value>
  <required/>
</input-parameter-definition>

Just be sure that before you invoke the backing bean method that will call the TabContext addTab() method you already put the employeeId into the parameterMap and set the parameterMap into requestScope:

...
Map<String, Object> parameterMap = new HashMap<String, Object>();
parameterMap.put("employeeId",employee.getId());
JSFUtils.setRequestAttribute("parameterMap", parameterMap);//JSFUtils is a utility class from FOD
//direct or indirect call to the TabContext addTab() method here