Getting a value from a URL

[Kim Kantola]

Hi All,
I have a struts app which is going to be brought up via a hyperlink on a non-struts application. The hyperlink will be passing my application a userID on the URL. I am having a hard time figuring out where/how to access it.

The URL looks like this:
http://localhost/bedRequest/main.do?&UserID=2

I want to get the UserID value when my application session starts up. I thought I could get it from the class I have which extends the struts RequestProcessor class, but when I debug, the value is not in the HttpServletRequest.

Is the syntax of the hyperlink wrong? Should I be accesssing the value on the URL someplace else?

Thanks in advance!
Kim

[Chris Boldon]

You could have the link execute a dispatch action which accepts a value as an argument and pass the user as the argument via the line.

Or sticking with your current method you could use:

request.getRequestURL()

where request = HttpServletRequest

[Kim Kantola]

Thank you for your reply. I did a call to that method, but the value I returned was http://localhost/bedRequest/main.do

I had typed http://localhost/bedRequest?&UserID=2 into the browser.

I then tried a differant version: http://localhost/bedRequest/main.do
?UserID=2 into the browser, and the call to getURL still returned
http://localhost/bedRequest/main.do.

Maybe I need to add something to the struts config file where I define my request Proccessor ?

<controller inputForward="true" processorClass="bedRequest.app.framework.RadianseRequestProcessor"/>
    

[Chris Boldon]

Hrm, maybe try a dispatch action. I've passed IDs through the URL before using that method. If I get a few minutes here I'll look for some sample code.

[Merrill Higginson]

Originally posted by Kim Kantola:
when I debug, the value is not in the HttpServletRequest.

I seriously doubt that this is the case. The value is in the HttpServletRequest in the form of a parameter, not an attribute.

All you have to do get the value is this:

String userId = request.getParameter("UserID");

Whether you retrieve this value in your RequestProcessor or in an Action class, the value should be available.

Regarding Chris' suggestion to use a DispatchAction, that sounds like overkill to me. Just get the value as I have shown above and use it however you need to.

[Chris Boldon]

Good call, overlooked the most simple of all.

[Kim Kantola]

Doh! You are right, The value was there and I saw it with the
String userId = request.getParameter("UserID");

I was looking and looking for it with my debug messages, I think this is like one of those cases where something will not work, but when you ask someone to help you and you try to show them it not working, it decides to work! The whole "someone looking over your shoulder" effect!

Thank you both so much for your input,
Kim