saveMessages not visible

I have a bean called LoginBean that performs extensive validation of the user.

LoginBean has an instance method called validateUser which is called from my Action Class.

Question: Within a method of LoginBean, why is Action.saveMessages(request, messages) not visible? I see from the Docs that saveMessages is protected. But, even if I have LoginBean extend Action, then saveMessages still isn't visible. I don't believe my LoginBean should extend Action anyway, and yet I do believe my LoginBean should be able to add ActionMessages to the request object. Where am I haywire?

My bigger picture is, if the instance of LoginBean, called loginBean, detects a particular error, then it will create and throw a custom Exception, called HrDbNotFoundException. I have a Global Exception Handler defined in the config file to send the exception somewhere where the ActionMessage(s) can be printed.

Thanks.

Matt

package loginPackage;

import java.sql.Connection;
import java.sql.DriverManager;
import java.sql.ResultSet;
import java.sql.SQLException;
import java.sql.Statement;

import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;

import org.apache.struts.action.Action;
import org.apache.struts.action.ActionErrors;
import org.apache.struts.action.ActionMessage;
import org.apache.struts.action.ActionMessages;

import exception.HrDbNotFoundException;

public class LoginBean
{
public boolean validateUser(String username,
String password,
HttpServletRequest request)
throws HrDbNotFoundException {

//this is stripped down code

try
{
//some validating
}
catch (SQLException e) {
if (("... ... ... ...").equals(e.getMessage())) {
System.out.println("Houston, we can't find the database");
ActionMessages messages = new ActionMessages();
messages.add("message1", new ActionMessage("Houston, we have an exception"));
org.apache.struts.action.Action.saveMessages(request, messages);
throw new HrDbNotFoundException();
}
}
return true;
}
}

matt love wrote:I have a bean called LoginBean that performs extensive validation of the user.

LoginBean has an instance method called validateUser which is called from my Action Class.

Question: Within a method of LoginBean, why is Action.saveMessages(request, messages) not visible? I see from the Docs that saveMessages is protected. But, even if I have LoginBean extend Action, then saveMessages still isn't visible. I don't believe my LoginBean should extend Action anyway, and yet I do believe my LoginBean should be able to add ActionMessages to the request object. Where am I haywire?

My bigger picture is, if the instance of LoginBean, called loginBean, detects a particular error, then it will create and throw a custom Exception, called HrDbNotFoundException. I have a Global Exception Handler defined in the config file to send the exception somewhere where the ActionMessage(s) can be printed.

Thanks.

Matt

package loginPackage;

import java.sql.Connection;
  import java.sql.DriverManager;
  import java.sql.ResultSet;
  import java.sql.SQLException;
  import java.sql.Statement;

import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
  
  import org.apache.struts.action.Action;
  import org.apache.struts.action.ActionErrors;
  import org.apache.struts.action.ActionMessage;
  import org.apache.struts.action.ActionMessages;

import exception.HrDbNotFoundException;

public class LoginBean
  {
   	public boolean validateUser(String username, 
					   			String password, 
					   			HttpServletRequest request) 
   				throws HrDbNotFoundException {
   		
   		//this is stripped down code
   		
   		try
        {
        	//some validating
        }
        catch (SQLException e) {
            if (("... ... ... ...").equals(e.getMessage())) {
                System.out.println("Houston, we can't find the database");
            	ActionMessages messages = new ActionMessages();
            	messages.add("message1", new ActionMessage("Houston, we have an exception"));
            	org.apache.struts.action.Action.saveMessages(request, messages);
            	throw new HrDbNotFoundException();
            }
        }
            return true;
    }
 }

saveMessage isn't a static method and you are trying to call it as a static method of Action. you should instead be calling it on your specific instance of action.

Please be sure to ask Struts questions in the Struts forum. I have moved this post there for you.

Thanks Tim (and Bear).

The compiler limits what I can do. My preference was to pass my ActionClass object as "this" to my bean and then in my bean obtain saveMessages from my passed ActionClass object. But that didn't work as saveMessages wasn't visible on that passed object.

Would you please tell me why that is?

So what I think I'll do is pass an ActionMessages object to the bean and when control returns to my Action object I will add ActionMessages to the request.

Is this considered "good Struts form"?

Thanks again.

Matt