Difference between-action-support

Action Function in Salesforce Pg: 1 of 6
It’s easy to call a controller method for most of the attributes using action="{!Yourmethode_Name}",
but what if you were to call the controller method from java script?
One way to do this is by using Action Function. Expertise will definitely be able to use this in complex
scenarios. This post is for those who haven't had hands on action function before and want to know how
to use it.
Lets take a scenario and work on it:
You have a checkbox and you are calling javascript function on click of this checkbox. And now once you
are in js you wish to modify some variable or do something in your controller class.
Say you want to put some value for a variable in controller and then display it on your page. this will
require calling your class method from js.
Lets understand this by example:
-- Visualforce page--
<apex:page standardcontroller="Account" extensions="MyController"
tabStyle="Account">
<apex:form >
<apex:actionFunction name="actionFunName"
action="{!ActionFunMethode}" reRender="outputtxtId"/>
<apex:pageBlock >
<apex:outputLabel for="inptCheckBox" value="Check this box
to call Controller method from js using ActionFunction"
style="color:green;"></apex:outputLabel>
<apex:inputcheckbox onclick="javaScrpt()"
id="inptCheckBox"/>
</apex:pageBlock>
<apex:outputText value="{!MyString_From_Methode}"
id="outputtxtId"></apex:outputText>
</apex:form>
<script>
function javaScrpt(){
actionFunName();
}
</script>
</apex:page>

--Controller--
Public class MyController {
Public string MyString_From_Methode{get;set;}
public MyController(ApexPages.StandardController controller) {
}
public string ActionFunMethode(){
MyString_From_Methode = 'Method called from js using Action
function';
return null;
}
}
Let’s debug this for understanding:
<apex:actionFunction name="actionFunName"
action="{!ActionFunMethode}" reRender="outputtxtId"/>
In the above statement "actionFunName" is the name given to this action function statement and you
should use this name while calling AF in js as you can see in js function below:
function javaScrpt(){
actionFunName(); //Line 2
}
Line 2 call our action function statement it does not call controller method from here, your controller
method will be called from AF statement using attribute action="{!ActionFunMethode}"
ActionFunMethode is the method in your controller class.
Public string ActionFunMethode(){
MyString_From_Methode = 'Method called from js using Action
function';
return null;
}
This method puts a value for a variable "MyString_From_Methode" which is then displayed in vf page.
Action function reRenders the outputtext attribute in vf page which displays this variable (that is page is
refreshed and now the new value set in method is displayed).

Difference between action support and action function
Before understanding the difference between Action support and Action Function let us go
through what they do and their similarities:
1. Both action support and function can be used to call a controller method using an AJAX
request.
For example call controller onclick of a inputcheck box Or call a controller method onfocus of
a input field
Well, they both do the same thing of calling controller method.
Difference between both:
1. Action function can call the controller method from java script.
2. Action support adds AJAX support to another visualforce component and then call the
controller method.
For example:
<apex:outputpanel id="outptpnl">
<apex:outputText value="click here"/>
<apex:actionSupport event="onclick"
action="{!controllerMethodName}" rerender="pgblck" />
</apex:outputpanel>
Here action support adds AJAX to output panel, so once you click on output panel controller
method will be called.
3. Action function cannot add AJAX support to another component. But from a particular
component which has AJAX support(onclick, onblur etc) action function can be called to call the
controller method.
Example:
<apex:actionFunction name="myactionfun"
action="{!actionFunMethod}" reRender="outptText"/>
<apex:inputcheckbox onclick="myactionfun" />
In this example onlick of input checkbox "myactionfun" action function is called from where
controller method "actionFunMethod" gets called.
Apart from this, the main difference between the "two" action support and action function is
that, the action function can also be called from java script.

Example:
action="{!actionFunMethod}" reRender="outptText"/>
<apex:inputcheckbox onclick="myJavaMethod()" />
<script>
function myJavaMethod(){
myactionfun();// this call the action function
}
</script>
Here onclick of the inputcheck box java script is called from where the action function gets
called and ultimately your controller method.
Let’s demo both as a full fledged example:
Click in the Input text to call controller method using action support
Click the input check box to call Java script, then confirm in java script, upon confirmation
controller method is called using action function.
Tex in the lower pageblock gets changed depending on whether the controller method is called
by action support or action function.
Visualforce Page:
<apex:page controller="ActionSupFunController">
<apex:form >
<h1>Demonstration of difference between Action function and
Action Support</h1>
action="{!actionFunMethod}" reRender="outptText"/><br></br>
<br></br>

Input Text <apex:inputText >
<apex:actionSupport action="{!actionSupMethod}"
event="onclick" reRender="outptText" />
</apex:inputText> <br></br>
Click me to call action function method <apex:inputcheckbox
onclick="myJavaMethod()" /><br></br> <br></br>
<apex:pageBlock >
<apex:outputText value="{!Display_This_String}"
id="outptText"/>
</apex:pageBlock>
<script>
function myJavaMethod(){
var checkinput = confirm('Are sure you wnat to call action
function method?');
if(checkinput == true)
myactionfun();
}
</script>
</apex:form>
</apex:page>
-- Controller --
Public with sharing class ActionSupFunController {
Public string Display_This_String{get;set;}
Public ActionSupFunController (){
Display_This_String = 'value set in constructor';
}
Public void actionFunMethod(){
Display_This_String = 'value set in action function
method';
}

Public void actionSupMethod(){
Display_This_String = 'value set in action Support
method';
}
}

Difference between-action-support

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