Control doesn't go into Primefaces LazyDataModel load method - primefaces

Question

I was able to see data in the datatable before adding the lazy attribute. After I added the lazy attribute, the datatable is empty, because my debug points were never reached which are inside the load method of LazyDataModel. In other words load method is not called, I see the control until this.searchResults in my search()
I just get my results from web services (which work just fine) I have looked at most of the links here and here. I made sure the lazy attribute and setRowCount are set. May be someone can help me out to figure out the problem. I am using PrimeFaces 6.0, CDI, JSF 2.2, Deltaspike 1.7.2
Here is my JSF
// other input form fields
<p:panel style="border-style : none;" styleClass="panelClass">
<h:panelGrid columns="2">
<!-- <h:commandButton action="#{search.search}" value="Search" styleClass="button_small_white" /> -->
<p:commandButton action="#{search.search}" ajax="true" update=":mainform:searchResultTable" value="Search" styleClass="button_small_white" />
<h:commandButton action="#{search.clear}" value="Clear" styleClass="button_small_white" />
</h:panelGrid>
</p:panel>
<br /><p:dataTable value="#{search.searchResults}" var="rec"
rowKey="rec.numTxt"
paginator="true" rows="10"
paginatorTemplate=" Display {RowsPerPageDropdown} Records {FirstPageLink}
{PreviousPageLink} {PageLinks} {NextPageLink} {LastPageLink} "
rowsPerPageTemplate="10,25,50,100"
paginatorPosition="top"
rendered="#{not empty search.searchResults}"
id="searchResultTable"
widgetVar="searchTable"
lazy="true"
summary="RE Search Results are shown below">
<p:ajax event="page" listener="#{search.search}" update=":mainform:searchResultTable" />
<p:column headerText="">
<p:selectBooleanCheckbox value="#{rec.select}" />
</p:column>
...
</p:dataTable>
Controller
#Named("search")
#Stateful
#GroupedConversationScoped
#ConversationGroup(SearchGrp.class)
public class ReSearchController extends BaseWebServicesSearchController<ReSearchSummary>
implements ReGrp, ReSearchControllerLocal {
#Inject
private GroupedConversation conversation;
#Inject
private WindowContext windowContext;
private LazyDataModel<ReSearchSummary> searchResults;
...
#PostConstruct
#Override
public void init() {
// code for initializing my web services
search();
}
#Override
public String search(){
this.searchResults = new LazyDataModel<ReSearchSummary>() {
private static final long serialVersionUID = 4168363870903585956L;
#Override
public List<ReSearchSummary> load(int first, int pageSize, String sortField, SortOrder sortOrder,
Map<String, Object> filters) {
List<ReSearchSummary> resultsList = null;
resultsList = search(first, pageSize);
// rowCount
setRowCount(getResultCount());
// I do not need sorting oor filters os did not use them
return resultsList;
}
};
searchResults.setRowCount(getResultCount());
return "/cr-re-search.xhtml?faces-redirect=true";
}
#Override
public ArrayList<ReSearchSummary> search(int first, int pageSize){
// this is my webservice call, this works fine if I call it indepedently
// criteria gets the form inputs
return doSearch(criteria.getForm(), pageSize, first);
}
...
}
Update: Converted h:commandButton to p:commandButton for the search button
<p:commandButton action="#{search.search}" ajax="true" update=":mainform:searchResultTable" value="Search" styleClass="button_small_white" />
And added p:ajax inside p:dataTable
<p:ajax event="page" listener="#{search.search}" update=":mainform:searchResultTable" />