ApplicationDispatcher[/WebWormSales] PWC1231: Servlet.service() for servlet jsp threw exception java

Hello,
New to this stuff and trying to code as I learn. Have Glassfish project that throws above mentioned "exception".

WARNING: ApplicationDispatcher[/WebWormSales] PWC1231: Servlet.service() for servlet jsp threw exception
java.lang.NullPointerException
...
at Controller.mainMenuController.doPost(mainMenuController.java:148)
...

It happens when I say "Run" the project in Netbeans and press a command button on the displayed screen, the main menu. When I "run" the mainMenu.jsp file from Netbeans everything runs fine.

I've noticed in the browser address line the following for the "bad" scenario:
http://localhost:8080/WebWormSales/
http://localhost:8080/WebWormSales/mainMenuCmd

and the following for the "good" scenario:
http://localhost:8080/WebWormSales/faces/mainMenu.jsp
http://localhost:8080/WebWormSales/faces/mainMenuCmd
http://localhost:8080/WebWormSales/faces/placeOrderCmd

Would like to understand how to remedy and what is flow that is causing the problem.

Thank you for replying to this.

sun-web.xml

web.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<web-app version="3.0" xmlns="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee"
     xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
     xsi:schemaLocation="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee/web-app_3_0.xsd">
    <context-param>
        <description>example of a application wide parameter</description>
        <param-name>parm_authUserId</param-name>
        <param-value>app</param-value>
    </context-param>
    
    <context-param>
        <param-name>javax.faces.PROJECT_STAGE</param-name>
        <param-value>Development</param-value>
    </context-param>
    <servlet>
        <servlet-name>Faces Servlet</servlet-name>
        <servlet-class>javax.faces.webapp.FacesServlet</servlet-class>
        <load-on-startup>1</load-on-startup>
    </servlet>
    <servlet-mapping>
        <servlet-name>Faces Servlet</servlet-name>
        <url-pattern>/faces/*</url-pattern>
        
    </servlet-mapping>

<session-config>
        <session-timeout>
            30
        </session-timeout>
    </session-config>

<welcome-file-list>
        <welcome-file>/faces/mainMenu.jsp</welcome-file>
        <welcome-file>/mainMenu.jsp</welcome-file>
    </welcome-file-list>

</web-app>

mainMenu.jsp

<%-- 
    Document   : mainMenu
    Created on : Jun 3, 2011, 10:22:06 AM
    Author     : 
--%>

<%@page contentType="text/html" pageEncoding="UTF-8"%>
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">

<%--<html>--%>
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"
      xmlns:ui="http://java.sun.com/jsf/facelets"
      xmlns:h="http://java.sun.com/jsf/html">
    <h:head>
        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
        <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="css/wormSales.css"
              ><title>Main Menu for Worm Sales Operations</title>
    </h:head>
    <f:view>
    <body>
        <div class="main">
            <div class="header">
                <form method="post" action="mainMenuCmd" >
                    changed code 08:37 am 06/28/11
                    <div class="center">
                        <div class="button">
                            <input type="submit" value="Enter Credentials" name="buttonEnterCredentials" />
                        </div>
                        <div class="button">
                            <input type="submit" value="Process Orders" name="buttonProcessOrders" />
                        </div>
                        <div class="button">
                            <input type="submit" value="Mark Orders Paid" name="buttonMarkOrdersPaid" />
                        </div>
                    </div>
                </form>
            </div>

</div>
        <div class="footer">
                operational messages
            </div>
    </body>
    </f:view>
</html>

mainMenuController.java

/*
 * This is the server program, serverlet, invoked according to the urlPatterns
 * listed below.
 * This program is identified by the @WebServlet annotation, alternatively it
 * could be specified in the deployment descriptor, the web.xml file.
 */
package Controller;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.Enumeration;
import javax.ejb.EJB;
import javax.servlet.ServletConfig;
import javax.servlet.ServletException;
import javax.servlet.annotation.WebServlet;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
import session.SalesrecordsFacade;

/**
 *
 * @author 
 */
@WebServlet(name = "mainMenuController",
loadOnStartup = 1, // this value means "doIt"
urlPatterns = {"/mainMenuCmd"})
public class mainMenuController extends HttpServlet {

@EJB
    private SalesrecordsFacade salesRecordFacade;

// public void init() throws ServletException {
    @Override
    public void init(ServletConfig servletConfig) throws ServletException {
        super.init(servletConfig);
        getServletContext().getAttribute("parm_authUserId");
        getServletContext().setAttribute("allSalesRecords", salesRecordFacade.findAll());
        getServletContext().setAttribute("allGrowers", salesRecordFacade.findAllGrowers());
        getServletContext().setAttribute("GrowersWithOrders", salesRecordFacade.findGrowersWithOrders());
    }

/**
     * Processes requests for both HTTP <code>GET</code> and <code>POST</code> methods.
     * @param request servlet request
     * @param response servlet response
     * @throws ServletException if a servlet-specific error occurs
     * @throws IOException if an I/O error occurs
     */
    protected void processRequest(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
            throws ServletException, IOException {
        /*
        response.setContentType("text/html;charset=UTF-8");
        PrintWriter out = response.getWriter();
        try {
        // /* TODO output your page here
        out.println("<html>");
        out.println("<head>");
        out.println("<title>Servlet mainMenuController</title>");
        out.println("</head>");
        out.println("<body>");
        out.println("<h1>Servlet mainMenuController at " + request.getContextPath() + "</h1>");
        out.println("</body>");
        out.println("</html>");

} finally {
        out.close();
        }
         */
    }

// HttpServlet methods
    /**
     * The doGet method is used to signify a page display request.
     * Handles the HTTP <code>GET</code> method.
     * @param request servlet request
     * @param response servlet response
     * @throws ServletException if a servlet-specific error occurs
     * @throws IOException if an I/O error occurs
     */
    @Override
    protected void doGet(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
            throws ServletException, IOException {
        System.out.print(" LOOK MOM, we have entered the mainMenuController doGet method ");
//        processRequest(request, response);
        String userPath = request.getServletPath();
        if (userPath.equals("/mainMenu")) {
        } else if (userPath.equals("/placeOrders")) {
        } else if (userPath.equals("/markPaidOrders")) {
        }

// use RequestDispatcher to forward request internally
        String url = "/WEB-INF/view" + userPath + ".jsp";

try {
            request.getRequestDispatcher(url).forward(request, response);
        } catch (Exception ex) {
            ex.printStackTrace();
        }

}

/**
     * The doPost method is used to process form submits and the transport of
     * sensitive user data.
     * Handles the HTTP <code>POST</code> method.
     * @param request servlet request
     * @param response servlet response
     * @throws ServletException if a servlet-specific error occurs
     * @throws IOException if an I/O error occurs
     */
    @Override
    protected void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
            throws ServletException, IOException {

processRequest(request, response);
        String cmdProcessOrders;
        String userPath = request.getServletPath();
       System.out.print(" In the mainMenuController doPost method, userPath: " + userPath);
        if (userPath.equals("/mainMenuCmd")) {
        } else {
            // we do not belong in hers
            unsupportedFunction();
        }
        
        // determine which button mashed then forward
        Enumeration parameterNames;
        parameterNames = request.getParameterNames();
        for (Enumeration e = parameterNames; e.hasMoreElements();) {
            System.out.println(" parameter Names from mainMenu: " + e.nextElement());
        }
        cmdProcessOrders = request.getParameter("buttonProcessOrders");  // returns null if not pressed
        System.out.println("value of cmdProcessOrders is: " + cmdProcessOrders);
        userPath = "/mainMenu"; //default next menu
        if (cmdProcessOrders != null) {
            userPath = "/WEB-INF/view/placeOrders";
        }

// use RequestDispatcher to forward request internally
        String url = userPath + ".jsp";

try {
            System.out.println("url value: " + url);
            System.out.println("request value: " + request);
            System.out.println("response value: " + response);
            request.getRequestDispatcher(url).forward(request, response);
        } catch (Exception ex) {
            ex.printStackTrace();
        }

}

/**
     * Returns a short description of the servlet.
     * @return a String containing servlet description
     */
    @Override
    public String getServletInfo() {
        return "Short description";
    }// </editor-fold>

private void unsupportedFunction() {
        throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Not yet implemented");
    }
}

placeOrdersController.java

/*
 * This is the server program, serverlet, invoked according to the urlPatterns
 * listed below.
 * This program is identified by the @WebServlet annotation, alternatively it
 * could be specified in the deployment descriptor, the web.xml file.
 */
package Controller;

import java.io.IOException;
import javax.ejb.EJB;
import javax.servlet.ServletConfig;
import javax.servlet.ServletException;
import javax.servlet.annotation.WebServlet;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
import session.SalesrecordsFacade;

@WebServlet(name = "placeOrdersController",
loadOnStartup = 1, // this value means "doIt"
urlPatterns = {"/placeOrderCmd",
               "/formatOrderCmd"
//             "/placeOrders", // will cause CIRCULAR activation, ie. message sent from ME to MB
//             "/",    // a default catch all
})
public class placeOrdersController extends HttpServlet {

@EJB
    private SalesrecordsFacade salesRecordFacade;

// public void init() throws ServletException {
    @Override
    public void init(ServletConfig servletConfig) throws ServletException {
        super.init(servletConfig);
        getServletContext().getAttribute("parm_authUserId");
        getServletContext().setAttribute("allSalesRecords", salesRecordFacade.findAll());
        getServletContext().setAttribute("allGrowers", salesRecordFacade.findAllGrowers());
        getServletContext().setAttribute("GrowersWithOrders", salesRecordFacade.findGrowersWithOrders());
    }

/** 
     * Processes requests for both HTTP <code>GET</code> and <code>POST</code> methods.
     * @param request servlet request
     * @param response servlet response
     * @throws ServletException if a servlet-specific error occurs
     * @throws IOException if an I/O error occurs
     */
    protected void processRequest(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
            throws ServletException, IOException {
        /*
        response.setContentType("text/html;charset=UTF-8");
        PrintWriter out = response.getWriter();
        try {
        // /* TODO output your page here
        out.println("<html>");
        out.println("<head>");
        out.println("<title>Servlet ControllerServlet</title>");
        out.println("</head>");
        out.println("<body>");
        out.println("<h1>Servlet ControllerServlet at " + request.getContextPath() + "</h1>");
        out.println("</body>");
        out.println("</html>");

} finally {
        out.close();
        }
         */
    }

// HttpServlet methods
    /** 
     * The doGet method is used to signify a page display request.
     * Handles the HTTP <code>GET</code> method.
     * @param request servlet request
     * @param response servlet response
     * @throws ServletException if a servlet-specific error occurs
     * @throws IOException if an I/O error occurs
     */
    @Override
    protected void doGet(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
            throws ServletException, IOException {
        System.out.print(" LOOK MOM, we have entered the ControllerServlet doGet method ");
//        processRequest(request, response);
        String userPath = request.getServletPath();
        if (userPath.equals("/mainMenu")) {
        } else if (userPath.equals("/placeOrders")) {
        } else if (userPath.equals("/markPaidOrders")) {
        }

// use RequestDispatcher to forward request internally
        String url = "/WEB-INF/view" + userPath + ".jsp";

try {
            request.getRequestDispatcher(url).forward(request, response);
        } catch (Exception ex) {
            ex.printStackTrace();
        }

}

/** 
     * The doPost method is used to process form submits and the transport of
     * sensitive user data.
     * Handles the HTTP <code>POST</code> method.
     * @param request servlet request
     * @param response servlet response
     * @throws ServletException if a servlet-specific error occurs
     * @throws IOException if an I/O error occurs
     */
    @Override
    protected void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
            throws ServletException, IOException {
        String supplierChosen;
        processRequest(request, response);
        String userPath = request.getServletPath();
        System.out.print(" LOOK MOM, we have entered the placeOrdersController doPost method ");
        if (userPath.equals("/placeOrderCmd")) {   //OLD: "/placeOrders"
            userPath = "/placeOrders";
            supplierChosen = request.getParameter("GrowersDropDown");
            System.out.print(" grower selected off web drop down: " + supplierChosen);
            retrieveOutstandingOrders(supplierChosen);
        } else if (userPath.equals("/formatOrderCmd")) {
        }

// use RequestDispatcher to forward request internally
        String url = "/WEB-INF/view" + userPath + ".jsp";

try {
            request.getRequestDispatcher(url).forward(request, response);
        } catch (Exception ex) {
            ex.printStackTrace();
        }

}

/** 
     * Returns a short description of the servlet.
     * @return a String containing servlet description
     */
    @Override
    public String getServletInfo() {
        return "Short description";
    }// </editor-fold>

private void retrieveOutstandingOrders(String supplierChosen) {
//        throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Not yet implemented");
        getServletContext().setAttribute("tblOfOrders", salesRecordFacade.retrieveOutstandingOrders(supplierChosen));

}
}