Primefaces - Datatable Widget for var ... not available

Question

I am using primefaces 4.0 and jsf 2.2 in my Application. I have created a page where a datatable is nested in a tabview. Now when I want to filter the datatable, it keeps loading and doesn't how a result.

After some time i recognized, that javascript throws the following error: "Widget for var 'test' not available! ".

I guess this should be the issue, but what's the problem or how can i solve this? Does anyone have an idea?

Best Regards!

In the absence of posted code it's impossible to say. However, there are a couple of frequent causes for this sort of message. — DaBlick, May 07 '15 at 15:37

score 6 · Answer 1 · answered May 23 '18 at 14:01

I am posting my answer here hopefully can help some people out there.

I have the same problem. My case is I want to perform the default filter for my <p:dataTable>, thus, I have to perform the PF('dtWidgetVar').filter(); script in javascript when page load.

This is my initial attemp:

$(document).ready(function() 
{
    PF('dtWidgetVar').filter();
});

It looks perfectly fine, but just doesn't work. Until I find the error in Chrome console Widget for var 'dtWidgetVar' not available!, and googling it for hours, finally I found this thread. Therefore I add a $(function(){}); to wrap my script as below:

$(document).ready(function() 
{
    $(function()
    {
        PF('dtWidgetVar').filter();
    });
});

BOOM!, finally it works. From here as well as here both stating that the $(function(){}); and $(document).ready(function(){}); are actually the same, so I have also no clue why it works. I have also try to only use $(function(){}); but it doesn't work. Have to use both functions to make it works, at least in my case. But still, I hope this helps some humans! Sorry for my bad English.

Still helpful 2021 in my Environment Liferay 7.1, JSF 2.2 and PrimeFaces 7.0.14, also thank you for the links you have provided. — Gunnar, Feb 23 '21 at 09:18

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered May 07 '15 at 15:47

In the absence of posted code it's impossible to say. However, there are a couple of things I can suggest to look for.

Check to see if you have a duplicate widget name in your view. Obviously you wouldn't intuit that from the message you got, but I recall in the past getting this same message for duplicate widget names
Check to see if you have a component where you've given the widget var the same name as the ID. I've read that this is to be avoided.
A very common error is to conflate ids and widget names. That is, you are trying to use an ID as a widget var
See what in your code is trying to reference "test"
I can't confirm this myself, but I've seen other StackOverflow posts that suggest this is a possible error when you have imported two copies of the jQuery library

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Jan 25 '18 at 09:43

I've experienced Widget for var '[widgetVar]' not available when using p:ajax update="@all" inside a p:commandButton. I could avoid the issue by putting content to be updated in a h:panelGroup which I referenced in update and put the element declaring widgetVar outside that panel group.

Primefaces - Datatable Widget for var ... not available

3 Answers3