session setAttribute null not working

[Brusk Baran]

String refresh = (String) request.getParameter("refresh");
if ( (refresh!=null)&&(refresh.equals("refresh")) ) {
synchronized(session) {
session.setAttribute("userID", null);
}
}  

even though I explicitly make the userID in the session null;

 System.out.println(session.getAttribute("userID")); 

in a few code blocks later as the old userId. what is the magic here?

[Mathias Nilsson]

Have you tried with a small scriptlet to test the session

<%
session.setAttribute( "userId" , "test" );
out.println( session.getAttribute( "userId" ) );
session.setAttribute( "userId" , null );
out.println( session.getAttribute( "userId" ) );
%>

Do you have a flush = true above your code?
// Mathias
[ November 04, 2003: Message edited by: Mathias Nilsson ]

[Brusk Baran]

Hi Mathias,
1- it is not set to null!!!
2-ja, I have some included jsp files with flush=true ..
what effect can it have?

[Damian Harvey]

instead of setting it to null why don't you just call removeAttribute()?
D.

[Bear Bibeault]

Welcome to the Ranch damianharvey!
You'll find this forum a friendly place, and there aren't many rules you'll have to worry about, but one is that proper names are required. Please take a look at the JavaRanch Naming Policy and change your display name to match it.
Thanks!
bear
JSP Forum Bartender

[B Mampilli]

Hi,
Why synchronise the session object?
The session object is only available is this session and is not available to anyone else...

[Brusk Baran]

ok I solved the problem: It was the wrongly implementation of setAttribute null functionality of Visual Age and Websphere.
removeAttribute() works, but setAttribute("xx", null) NOT WORKS although the specs http://java.sun.com/j2ee/sdk_1.3/techdocs/api/javax/servlet/http/HttpSession.html#setAttribute(java.lang.String, java.lang.Object) say so: f the value passed in is null, this has the same effect as calling removeAttribute().
ps:the session must be synchronized, because i have different frames each of which reach the session. so be careful with sessions, for example Opera tabs always get the same session unless you close and open from scratch. IE also. You must open a new win from start programs, if u do CTRL-N, it will have the same sesion.
adieu,
Brusk Baran