p:commandbutton action doesn't work inside p:dialog

I have a p:dialog and there is a panel inside it. The problem is "Save" button's action method is not working. It doesn't even calls the method. I can reach the method def. with ctrl+lm so there is no problem with method name.

<h:body>
    <h:form id="createAppUserForm" prependId="false">
      ....
      <p:dialog id="newRoleDialogId"
                  header="Add New Role"
                  resizable="true"
                  draggable="true"
                  widgetVar="newRoleDetailsDialog"  
                  appendToBody="true"
                  >
            <p:panel id="newRoleDialogPanel">
                <p:panelGrid id="newRoleDialogPanelGrid" columns="2" style="width: 100%" styleClass="panelGridWithoutBorder">
                    <h:outputText value="Role Name :"/>
                    <p:inputText value="#{createAppUserController.selectedRole.name}"/>
                    <h:outputText value="Role Desc :"/>
                    <p:inputText value="#{createAppUserController.selectedRole.description}"/>
                </p:panelGrid>
                <center>
                    <p:commandButton value="Save"
                                     update="roleListDataTable newRoleDialogPanelGrid growlCreateAppUser"
                                     oncomplete="if (!args.validationFailed) newRoleDetailsDialog.hide()"                                     
                                     action="#{createAppUserController.saveNewRole()}"/>
                    <p:commandButton value="Cancel"                                         
                                     immediate="true"
                                     onclick="newRoleDetailsDialog.hide()" />
                </center>
            </p:panel>
        </p:dialog>
       </h:form>
    </h:body>

Solution

The dialog, when used with an appendToBody/appendTo="@Body" must have its own form.

<p:dialog>
    <h:form>
        ...
    </h:form>
</p:dialog>

Because, when the dialog is generated into HTML output, it's by JavaScript relocated to the end of HTML <body> which causes it to not be sitting in any form anymore. The generated HTML DOM tree ends up to look like this (use webbrowser's dev tools to see it):

<body>
    ...
    <form id="createAppUserForm">
        ...
    </form>
    ...
    <div id="newRoleDialogId" class="ui-dialog ...">
        ...
    </div>
</body>

The appendToBody="true" plays a role in here. The end of body ensures easy and best cross browser compatibility of displaying a modal dialog by JavaScript.

The same is true by the way for a p:overlayPanel with an appendTo...

But also make sure there is, before 'moving' the p:dialog, there is not a nested h:form. So prevent

<h:form>
   ...

    <p:dialog>
        <h:form>
            ...
        </h:form>
    </p:dialog>

   ...
</h:form>

Since although it ends up like

 <body>
    ...
    <form id="createAppUserForm">
        ...
    </form>
    ...
    <div id="newRoleDialogId" class="ui-dialog ...">
        <form>
           ...
        </form>
    </div>
</body>

it is initially invalid html

p:commandbutton action doesn't work inside p:dialog

See also: