JSF 2.2 custom validator not triggered in ui:repeat - jsf-2

Question

after a desperate period of trials and errors i come to you looking for help, since now i am even unsure if i am doing it all wrong.
My code below displays some fields from a user profile in read only input text boxes. The data comes from a bean as ArrayList of "field" objects, whos properties are described in the ui:param directives.
The user can click an unlock/lock button next to the box to start/finish editing her data.
I want to trigger input validation when the user presses enter after editing or clicks the lock button.
But whatever i tried, after editing and pressing enter or clicking the button, the changed value is not written back and my custom validator is not triggered. Somehow it seems that after clicking the button the then rendered input box is not bound to the field? However, the validator works (and all attributes get passed to it) if used in an input text that is always rendered - and i don't understand it :)
Please have a look at it. If i did not explain my intent well enough or if you need more code, please let me know.
Edit: the annotations of the backing bean:
#ManagedBean( name = "beanProfile" )
#RequestScoped
The jsf code:
<ui:composition>
<ui:param name="i18n" value="#{field.i18n}" />
<ui:param name="val" value="#{field.value}" />
<ui:param name="req" value="#{field.required}" />
<ui:param name="min" value="#{field.min}" />
<ui:param name="max" value="#{field.max}" />
<ui:param name="validationType" value="#{field.validationType}" />
<ui:param name="useHidden" value="#{field.hidden}" />
<ui:param name="locked" value="#{field.locked}" />
<ui:param name="fullName" value="#{beanProfile.name}" />
<h:form id="profileFrm">
<h:outputText value="#{msg.role_profile} " styleClass="headingOutputText" />
<h:outputText value="#{fullName}" styleClass="headerTitle" />
<p />
<h:panelGroup>
<ui:repeat var="field" value="#{beanProfile.userFields}">
<h:panelGrid columns="2">
<h:outputText value="#{msg[i18n]}" styleClass="headerTitle" />
<h:message showDetail="true" for="visInput" styleClass="warn"
rendered="#{!useHidden}" />
<h:message showDetail="true" for="invisInput" styleClass="warn"
rendered="#{useHidden}" />
</h:panelGrid>
<h:panelGrid columns="2" columnClasses="nameColumn">
<h:inputText id="visInput" required="true" value="#{val}"
rendered="#{!useHidden}" readonly="#{locked}" >
<f:validator validatorId="customValidator" />
<f:attribute name="requiredField" value="#{req}" />
<f:attribute name="minLen" value="#{min}" />
<f:attribute name="maxLen" value="#{max}" />
<f:attribute name="type" value="#{validationType}" />
</h:inputText>
<h:inputSecret id="invisInput" required="true" value="#{val}"
rendered="#{useHidden}" readonly="#{locked}">
<f:validator validatorId="customValidator" />
<f:attribute name="requiredField" value="#{req}" />
<f:attribute name="minLen" value="#{min}" />
<f:attribute name="maxLen" value="#{max}" />
<f:attribute name="type" value="#{validationType}" />
</h:inputSecret>
<h:commandLink id="lock" action="#{beanProfile.lock(field)}"
rendered="#{!locked}" title="#{msg.profile_lock}">
<h:graphicImage height="16" width="16"
name="images/padlock_unlocked.svg" alt="#{msg.profile_lock}" />
</h:commandLink>
<h:commandLink id="unlock" action="#{beanProfile.unlock(field)}"
rendered="#{locked}" title="#{msg.profile_unlock}">
<h:graphicImage height="16" width="16"
name="images/padlock_locked.svg" alt="#{msg.profile_unlock}" />
</h:commandLink>
</h:panelGrid>
</ui:repeat>
</h:panelGroup>
<p />
<h:commandButton id="submitProfileBtn" value="#{msg.cmd_submit}"
styleClass="button" includeViewParams="true"
action="#{beanProfile.submitProfile()}" />
</h:form>
</ui:composition>

Answer 1

The origin of your problem is that you are using the RequestScoped scope for your backing bean containing the Model, so when you want to do a postback request in order to execute the backing bean method the binding just have dissapeared (not in the server memory) and the JSF lifecycle doesn't execute as expected. The solution is to use a longer scope as the ViewScoped scope. Ideally you should use the CDI compatible viewScoped scope, so you have to use JSF 2.2.x version.

Answer 2

Thank you lametaweb, you led me in the right direction.
Being unable to use the #ViewScoped annotation i found the link
how-to-install-cdi-in-tomcat
and followed BalusC's directions for using CDI in Tomcat. Then i had to let all the java classes implement the Serializable interface.
Now i can use the #ViewScoped annotation and the validator gets triggered.