unable to access request attributes in JSP

[Mohd Asim]

I am setting a request attribute in a JSP:

<% request.setAttribute("method", method); %>
<html:link action="forwardIndex">index</html:link>

in the action class, I am setting the request attribute once again:

 String target="success";		
		String method = (String)request.getAttribute("method");			
		request.setAttribute("method", method);				
		return mapping.findForward(target);

the mapping for that action is as follows:

<action path="/forwardIndex"
  			type="com.example.ForwardIndexAction">
  			<forward name="success" path="/index.jsp" />
</action>

now when i try to access that attribute in my index.jsp

<p> <%= (String)request.getAttribute("method")%> 

It shows up as null in the JSP. is something worng with the code?

Thanks in advance!

[Jeanne Boyarsky]

Mohd,
In MVC, the JSP is the last thing that happens in a request. By the time you hit another action, the request is over and all your request attributes are gone. Which explains the null. Why not pass the value as a parameter to the action?

[Mohd Asim]

So you mean that when I am setting the attribute in JSP like this

<% request.setAttribute("method", method); %>
<html:link action="forwardIndex">index</html:link>

as soon as the link is clicked (index), I lose that attribute? And that attribute would not be available to the Action invoked by the link?