Retaining value of checkbox when returning back from a servlet

[sashi799]

hello,

I'm trying to retain the value of the checkbox when returning to the same servlet from another servlet. How can i implement it.

Scenario:

Servlet A has checkbox which post to servlet B then i want to go back to servlet A again and modify the checkbox that i selected before.


So how do i maintain the previously selected checkboxes [i want the checkbox to be checked when it reloads] ???

P.S. Hope my explanation is understandable.

[ajaysingh87]

while submitting this page u store ur check box value in attribute , that attribute u need to store in session and when u return back to page B , u retrive that value from session and set through javascript as selected..(SINGH IS KING):)

[Tolls]

Not entirely clear.

If Servlet A is doing the POST to Servlet B then it's not a checkbox, and it's simply a parameter. "checkbox" only has meaning on the browser. By the time you get to the servlet it is simply another parameter.

Step us through the flow, from the browser submitting the form containing the checkbox.
That is, Submit -> Servlet A -> forward or redirect to Servlet B -> etc etc.

[sashi799]

i got the idea of Httpsession but now my prob is the display part.

Here is some section of my code:

servelt A

......
out.println ("<input type=\"checkbox\" name=\"item\" value=\"Item 1\" > Item 1 <br>");
out.println ("<input type=\"checkbox\" name=\"item\" value=\"Item 2\" > Item 2 <br>");
out.println ("<input type=\"checkbox\" name=\"item\" value=\"Item 3\" > Item 3 <br>");
......

servlet B

.....
HttpSession session = req.getSession(true);
String[] item;
...
...
item = req.getParameterValues("item");
req.getSession().setAttribute("item", item);
....
...
out.println("&nbsp&nbsp<input type=\"submit\" name=\"back\" value=\"Back\">");
...
...
if ((req.getParameter("back"))!= null)
{
	res.sendRedirect("/demo/servletA");
}
...

So when the submit button Back is press, How to retrive the session value in Servlet A and retain the checked value [display those checked boxes as checked]??

[Tolls]

Can I suggest you remove the html from the servlets?
Forward to an html page or a JSP rather than have the servlet output the html...that's not the servlets job, and it'll make the flow a lot clearer.

Right, whether you've done that or not you need to get the value of "checkbox" from the session and use that to decide whether the checkbox (html) attribute "checked" needs adding. But I would really split it out to a JSP first.

[sashi799]

@Tolls

Yes you are right but the thing is i'm really new to java and stil yet to learn JSP [may be by this weekend :) ]

My problem still persist ....any ideas????

[Tolls]

OK, that's what I suspected.
And you are doing it the right way round...learning Servlets, so I can't be too harsh...:)
Too many start with JSPs, which is a mistake in my opinion.

Anyway, to take one of your checkboxes as an example:

out.println ("<input type=\"checkbox\" name=\"item\" value=\"Item 1\" > Item 1 <br>");

is your current code.

Now, what you want is to check if there is a "checkbox" attribute in the session. Presumably you have them numbered (ie "checkbox1" etc)? If that exists then you want to add "checked" in the output string.

So:

String checkboxString = "<input type=\"checkbox\" name=\"item\" value=\"Item 1\" ";
if (session.getAttribute("checkbox1") != null) { // can't guarantee the method call is correct
    checkboxString += "checked ";
}
checkboxString += "> Item 1 <br>";

Then do the out.println() call with that String.

Note that this String concatentation should really be done using a StringBuilder, so you might want to read up on that.

[sashi799]

Hi Tolls

Thanks for the reply. But i got another issue now ..

 
...
res.sendRedirect(res.encodeRedirectURL("/servletA));
...

this code is suppose to save the session id and send to "servletA" where i can retrieve the session data through

req.getSession().getAttribute("string");

But somehow its not working and returning NULL always. Can u point out where i'm doing it wrong??

[Tolls]

Why don't you forward rather than redirect?

[sashi799]

if ((req.getParameter("back"))!= null)
{
	RequestDispatcher page = req.getRequestDispatcher("/servletA");
	page.forward(req, res);
}

This code also returns NULL in servletA session data.

But if i put outside the IF statement then the session value is not null but i need it inside the IF since i want to forward only if the BACK button is press. :confused:

[Tolls]

I think you'll need to debug it, because that makes no sense at all.
Something else must be going on.

Is there some code on Servlet A that might be deleting/recreating the session?

[sashi799]

Servlet A contains only html ..

it makes no sense but the issue is with using the submit button. Forwarding works without pressing the back button but it doesnt work when i use the back button .. [what can go wrong in putting the forward code inside an IF stmt]

Will try converting to JSP and see if it works ....

[Tolls]

Does Servlet B do anything to the session then?

Do either of them do anything to the session?
One must since you're saving stuff in there.

[sashi799]

Servlet B

import java.io.*;
import javax.servlet.*;
import javax.servlet.http.*;


public class ShowItemList extends HttpServlet
{
	
 	public void doPost (HttpServletRequest req, HttpServletResponse res)throws ServletException, IOException 
	{
		HttpSession session = req.getSession(true);
		res.setContentType("text/html");
		PrintWriter out = res.getWriter();
		out.println("<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Welcome</TITLE>");
		out.println("</HEAD>");
		out.println("<BODY >");
		out.println("<br><br>");
		out.println ("<div align=\"center\"><br>");
		out.print("<form action=\"");
		out.print( req.getRequestURI() );
		out.print("\" method=\"post\">");
		out.println ("List of the Item :<br><br>");
		String[] item;
		item = req.getParameterValues("item");
		req.getSession().setAttribute("item", item);
		if (item != null) 
		{
			for (int i = 0; i < item.length; i++) 
			{
				out.println ((i+1)+"." +item[i]);
				out.println("<br>");
			}
		out.println("<br><br><input type=\"submit\" name=\"buy\" value=\"Buy\">");
		}
		else out.println ("<b>none<b>");
		out.println("&nbsp&nbsp<input type=\"submit\" name=\"back\" value=\"Back\">");
		out.println("</form>");
		RequestDispatcher page = getServletContext().getRequestDispatcher("/itemlist");
		if ((req.getParameter("buy"))!= null)
		{
			//code
		}
		if ((req.getParameter("back"))!= null)
		{
			if (page!=null)
			{
				page.forward(req, res);
			} else {out.println ("<b>request Dispatcher is NULL<b>");}
		}
		out.println ("</div>");
		out.println("</BODY></HTML>");
	}

	public void doGet (HttpServletRequest req, HttpServletResponse res)throws ServletException, IOException 
	{
		doPost(req,res);
	}
}

Servlet A

.....
if (req.getSession().getAttribute("item") != null) 
		{ 
			out.println("is not NULL <br><br>");
			//code
		}
		else 
			out.println ("is NULL<br><br>");
....

[sashi799]

ok here is another problem.

Now i can pass the session value but the problem is that once if i have selected the checkbox it always remains checked regardless of whether i unchecked or not.

i.e. suppose if i select the checkbox in 1st visit then come back to JSP by pressing back from servlet [showin check box as check here] and Deselect/Unchecked the checkbox and go to servlet page [where the data is null as it was uncheck] and press back again but this time also the checkbox is also showing as checked which shouldnt be as i have unchecked it.

just in short the session value is not changing with selecting / deselecting the checkbox.

what may be the reason?? i have included the code below. its just a small code for testing.

JSP code

<html>
	<head>
		<title>Item List</title>
	</head>

	<body bgcolor="#fedeab"><br><br><br>
	<p align=center>
		<font size=4>
		Choose the item you want!!!
	</p>
	<form action="/demo/showitem" method="post">
		<%=session.getId()%>
		<div align=center>
		<fieldset style="width:250px"> 
		<legend style="text-align:center">List of item</legend> <br>
		<%
			if (session.getAttribute("book1")!=null) {
		%>
			<input type="checkbox" name="book1" value="book1" checked > Book 1 <br>
		<% } else {%>
			<input type="checkbox" name="book1" value="book1" > Book 1 <br>
			
		<% out.println("<br>Session Attribute is NULL <br>"); }%>
		<input type="submit" value="Enter">
		</fieldset>
		</div>
		
	</form>
	</body>
</html>

Servlet code

import java.io.*;
import javax.servlet.*;
import javax.servlet.http.*;


public class ShowItem extends HttpServlet
{
	
 	public void doPost (HttpServletRequest req, HttpServletResponse res)throws ServletException, IOException 
	{
		HttpSession session = req.getSession();
		res.setContentType("text/html");
		PrintWriter out = res.getWriter();
		out.println(session.getId());
		out.println("<br>");
		out.println("<form>");
		String book1 = req.getParameter("book1");
		if (book1 != null)
		{
			session.setAttribute("book1",book1);
		}
		else
		{
			out.println("Request parameter returns NULL");
			
		}
		if (book1 != null)
		{
			out.println ("1." + book1 +"<br>");
			out.println("<br><br><input type=\"submit\" name=\"buy\" value=\"Buy\">");
		}
		else
		{
			out.println("No item to display<br>");
		}
		out.println("&nbsp&nbsp<input type=\"submit\" name=\"back\" value=\"Back\">");
		
		RequestDispatcher page = getServletContext().getRequestDispatcher("/jsp/itemlist.jsp");
		if ((req.getParameter("buy"))!= null)
		{
				page.forward(req, res);
		}
		if ((req.getParameter("back"))!= null)
		{
				page.forward(req, res);
		}
		out.println("</form>");
		
	}

	public void doGet (HttpServletRequest req, HttpServletResponse res)throws ServletException, IOException 
	{
		doPost(req,res);
	}
}

[Tolls]

OK.
First time through, you check the checkbox and hit enter?

So, in the servlet, it will set the "book1" value in the session. and display the HTML you have (since you already have a JSP I would really recommend creating another one for this stuff).

Then you click the "back" button of that page, which takes you back to the original JSP, with the checkbox checked. You uncheck the checkbox and hit "enter". Return to the servlet, and then again hit "back".

Now...where in that flow do you remove the "back1" attribute in the session?

[sashi799]

I have tried using session.removeAtrribute("book1") inside the else stmt of servlets as shown below but in that case the value is not return back to the JSP and if i dont put the removeAtrribute() then the value remains always checked if once checked.

I have also converted both the code in servlets and its working find there. I just dont know why its not working with the servlets and JSP

...
if (book1 != null)
		{
			session.setAttribute("book1",book1);
		}
		else
		{
                        session.removeAttribute("book1");
			out.println("Request parameter returns NULL");
			
		}
...

Thanks!

[Tolls]

Then I would say your flow is incorrect somewhere.

You have a starting JSP consisting of the "order" page, with the checkbox.
This goes to the ShowItem servlet on Enter.
That servlet should then display the item selected (presumably)...well, to be honest it should forward to the JSP that displays the item. Normally it would get the data from a db, store it in the request and then forward, so mimic that in the servlet.

That "display" JSP has two buttons, Buy and Back. Each of those does something different, so I would have two more sevlets. Currently, of course, it doesn't look like they do different things, but no harm splitting them out now.

Back will, therefore, get the value from the session and store it in the request (if it exists), removing the attribute in the session. The original "order" JSP will look in the request for the state of the checkbox.

I think that's a reasonable flow.

[sashi799]

Thanks a lot ... i will look into it.