Setting a session attribute in a servlet

[Robert Stone]

Hi I am having trouble setting a session attribute in a servlet and retreiving it in the jsp the servlet forwards to.

Below is the code from the servlet and the jsp. For some reason even thought I set the session attribute in the servlet when it forwards to the jsp the attribute is null.

//Servlet code here

//getting the database interface
DatabaseInterface di = new DatabaseInterface();

//getting the customers object				
ArrayList<Customer> customers = di.getCustomer(clientFirstName,clientLastName,clientFacility,clientState);
		
//getting the session		
HttpSession session = request.getSession();
		
//setting the attribute customers to the customers object		
session.setAttribute("customers", customers);
				
String url = "/displayCustomers.jsp";
				
ServletContext context = getServletContext();
				
RequestDispatcher dispatcher = context.getRequestDispatcher(url);

//forwarding to displayCustomers.jsp	
dispatcher.forward(request, response);

//JSP code here

<% 
	ArrayList<Customer> customer = (ArrayList<Customer>)session.getAttribute("customers");
%>

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Bear Bibeault]

Are you sure that the variable isn't null to being with?

P.S. And why the session? Placing the scoped variable on the request is sufficient for a forward operation.

[Robert Stone]

Are you sure that the variable isn't null to being with?

Yes I am sure it isn't null I ran it under eclipse and in the debugger I can see the object is populated before I put it into the attribute.

P.S. And why the session? Placing the scoped variable on the request is sufficient for a forward operation.

because it is a object that contains data that I want to access on a couple of pages.

[William Brogden]

I wonder if you are even seeing the same session in the jsp - you seem to be forwarding to a different web app address so you will get a different session.

Bill