javax.servlet.ServletException: Cannot find bean employerSearchForm in any scope

Here's the page that Tomcat 5.0 is throwing at me:

HTTP Status 500 -

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

type Exception report

message

description The server encountered an internal error () that prevented it from fulfilling this request.

exception

javax.servlet.ServletException: Cannot find bean employerSearchForm in any scope
	org.apache.jasper.runtime.PageContextImpl.doHandlePageException(PageContextImpl.java:825)
	org.apache.jasper.runtime.PageContextImpl.handlePageException(PageContextImpl.java:758)
	org.apache.jsp.jsp.offender.w_005fpsi_005fs1_005f14_005f1_jsp._jspService(w_005fpsi_005fs1_005f14_005f1_jsp.java:377)
	org.apache.jasper.runtime.HttpJspBase.service(HttpJspBase.java:94)
	javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:802)
	org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:324)
	org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:292)
	org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:236)
	javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:802)
	org.apache.struts.action.RequestProcessor.doForward(RequestProcessor.java:1069)
	org.apache.struts.action.RequestProcessor.processForwardConfig(RequestProcessor.java:455)
	org.apache.struts.action.RequestProcessor.process(RequestProcessor.java:279)
	org.apache.struts.action.ActionServlet.process(ActionServlet.java:1482)
	org.apache.struts.action.ActionServlet.doGet(ActionServlet.java:507)
	javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:689)
	javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:802)

root cause

javax.servlet.jsp.JspException: Cannot find bean employerSearchForm in any scope
	org.apache.struts.util.RequestUtils.lookup(RequestUtils.java:938)
	org.apache.struts.taglib.bean.DefineTag.doEndTag(DefineTag.java:266)
	org.apache.jsp.jsp.offender.w_005fpsi_005fs1_005f14_005f1_jsp._jspService(w_005fpsi_005fs1_005f14_005f1_jsp.java:152)
	org.apache.jasper.runtime.HttpJspBase.service(HttpJspBase.java:94)
	javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:802)
	org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:324)
	org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:292)
	org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:236)
	javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:802)
	org.apache.struts.action.RequestProcessor.doForward(RequestProcessor.java:1069)
	org.apache.struts.action.RequestProcessor.processForwardConfig(RequestProcessor.java:455)
	org.apache.struts.action.RequestProcessor.process(RequestProcessor.java:279)
	org.apache.struts.action.ActionServlet.process(ActionServlet.java:1482)
	org.apache.struts.action.ActionServlet.doGet(ActionServlet.java:507)
	javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:689)
	javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:802)

I'm utterly lost as to why it can't find employerSearchForm. Here's the JSP that is trying to display the page:

<%@ page language="java" %>
<%@ taglib uri="/WEB-INF/struts-bean.tld" prefix="bean" %>
<%@ taglib uri="/WEB-INF/struts-html.tld" prefix="html" %>
<%@ taglib uri="/WEB-INF/struts-logic.tld" prefix="logic" %>
<%@ taglib uri="/WEB-INF/touch.tld" prefix="touch" %>

<html:html locale="true">

<head>
	<title>Offenders Exists With Same Employer Address(w_psi_s1_14_1.jsp)</title>
	<html:base/>
	<link href="../style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
	<script language="javascript" src="<%=request.getContextPath()%>/jsp/std_lib.js"></script>
</head>
<body >
<html:form action="/userSearch.do?method=list" >  <br>
	<table width="550" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1">
		<tr>
			<td colspan="3" class="formCaption">Offenders Exists With Same Employer Address</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td class="lb1">
				Offender Number
			</td>
			<td class="lb1">
				Last Name
			</td>
			<td class="lb1">
				First Name
			</td>
		</tr>					
		<% if(request.getParameter("open")!= null ) 	{				
			int k =0;	%>
		<bean:define id="thisForm" name="employerSearchForm" type="otrack.ftrack.offender.EmployerSearchForm"/>
		<logic:present name="employerSearchForm" property="datalist">
			<touch:list  id="row" name="employerSearchForm" property="datalist" scope="session" size="25">
				<tr class="<%=(k%2==0? "cellBase":"cellLite")%>">				
					<td><touch:property propertyName="ofnNbr"/></td>
					<td><touch:property propertyName="lastName"/></td>
					<td><touch:property propertyName="firstName"/></td>
					<%k++;%>
				</tr>
			</touch:list>	
				
		</logic:present>
		<% }

EmployerSearchForm is certainly defined. If I remove the <bean:define id="thisForm" name="employerSearchForm" type="otrack.ftrack.offender.EmployerSearchForm"/> line (and of course, everything dependent on it), it runs just fine. Worse, it is inconsistent. Sometimes it throws the error above; sometimes it successfully calls the getter for the specified properties. My guess is that there is something that needs to be set in the JSP to tell it to load the offenderSearchForm class.

I didn't write this code, and I am only slowly learning JSP. (I think my dislike for it is hindering my learning.) Any suggestions?

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