Checking a href value in servlet

[Manish Sahni]

Hi,

i have a JSP that has an a href tag :

<a href="#" onclick="getRelatedResource('<c:out value="${breadCrumbBean.resourceId}"/>' 
<c:out value="${breadCrumbBean.topicName}" />
</a>

and in My javascript i am encoding the ID and then submitting the form :-

var random=Math.random();
var tempId=id+"_"+random;
var encId=encode64(tempId);
target = target + '?id=' + encId";
window.location.href=target;

'



In Servlet, i am getting the ID value as :

String id = request.getParameter("id");

and then decoding the value within the servlets.

Now , my problem is whenever i am hitting the direct link within the servlets using the encoded id that i had passed within the javascript , then the request is again processed.

I need to stop the request from processing if user copies the encoded id and hit the servlet directly .

Example Scenario :-

Suppose id encoded in the javascript and the URL formed is :

http://localhost:8080/MyServlets/abc.do?id=QQWWEEEggie66573== (encoded).

URL formed and submitted via javacript onclicking a link

In controller :-

Id decoded and form processed.

Problem :- Need to stop if the user copies the URL and directly hits from the brower without clicking the link

example :-
http://localhost:8080/MyServlets/abc.do?id=QQWWEEEggie66573==

How can i stop that and determine whether the a href is clicked or user is directly hitting the url.

Thanks

[Bear Bibeault]

You can't. From the point of view of the server, the requests are identical.

[Pat Farrell]

Not only can you not tell them apart, but its very bad design to trust anything from the browser. Your example, that the user copy/pastes the URL is just the first of many.

You must assume that you are not talking to a friendly user with a browser, but rather an evil script that is programmed to interact with your site. Expect the evil script to do bad things.

[Manish Sahni]

Thanks everyone..

Me too was thinking that the request will be the same for the server for that session..