Have you noticed that the ProgressBar http://livedemo.exadel.com/richfaces-demo/richfaces/progressBar.jsf does not work as it should.

The

<h:outputText value="Process doesn't started yet" />

does not actually render.

<ui:composition xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"
 xmlns:ui="http://java.sun.com/jsf/facelets"
 xmlns:h="http://java.sun.com/jsf/html"
 xmlns:f="http://java.sun.com/jsf/core"
 xmlns:a4j="http://richfaces.org/a4j"
 xmlns:rich="http://richfaces.org/rich">

 <h:form>
 <a4j:outputPanel id="progressPanel">
 <rich:progressBar value="#{progressBarBean.currentValue}"
 interval="2000" label="#{progressBarBean.currentValue} %"
 enabled="#{progressBarBean.enabled}" minValue="-1" maxValue="100"
 reRenderAfterComplete="progressPanel">
 <f:facet name="initial">
 <br />
 <h:outputText value="Process doesn't started yet" />
 <a4j:commandButton action="#{progressBarBean.startProcess}"
 value="Start Process" reRender="progressPanel"
 rendered="#{progressBarBean.buttonRendered}"
 style="margin: 9px 0px 5px;" />
 </f:facet>
 <f:facet name="complete">
 <br />
 <h:outputText value="Process Done" />
 <a4j:commandButton action="#{progressBarBean.startProcess}"
 value="Restart Process" reRender="progressPanel"
 rendered="#{progressBarBean.buttonRendered}"
 style="margin: 9px 0px 5px;" />
 </f:facet>
 </rich:progressBar>
 </a4j:outputPanel>
 </h:form>
</ui:composition>

The solution is simple. Use

<h:panelGroup>

.

<ui:composition xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"
 xmlns:ui="http://java.sun.com/jsf/facelets"
 xmlns:h="http://java.sun.com/jsf/html"
 xmlns:f="http://java.sun.com/jsf/core"
 xmlns:a4j="http://richfaces.org/a4j"
 xmlns:rich="http://richfaces.org/rich">

 <h:form>
 <a4j:outputPanel id="progressPanel">
 <rich:progressBar value="#{progressBarBean.currentValue}"
 interval="2000" label="#{progressBarBean.currentValue} %"
 enabled="#{progressBarBean.enabled}" minValue="-1" maxValue="100"
 reRenderAfterComplete="progressPanel">
 <f:facet name="initial">
 <h:panelGroup>
 <br />
 <h:outputText value="Process doesn't started yet" />
 <a4j:commandButton action="#{progressBarBean.startProcess}"
 value="Start Process" reRender="progressPanel"
 rendered="#{progressBarBean.buttonRendered}"
 style="margin: 9px 0px 5px;" />
 </h:panelGroup>
 </f:facet>
 <f:facet name="complete">
 <h:panelGroup>
 <br />
 <h:outputText value="Process Done" />
 <a4j:commandButton action="#{progressBarBean.startProcess}"
 value="Restart Process" reRender="progressPanel"
 rendered="#{progressBarBean.buttonRendered}"
 style="margin: 9px 0px 5px;" />
 </h:panelGroup>
 </f:facet>
 </rich:progressBar>
 </a4j:outputPanel>
 </h:form>
</ui:composition>

Hopefully that helps some of you...

It would have saved me an afternoon.