User Tracking in Java Server Pages


This is a process to keep information about the users even if the request gets changed. Whenever a user provides a new request then the values of form fields available in a previous request get lost. It helps to keep values of form fields available in a previous request in the current request. This can be done 4 different ways:

  1. URL rewriting
  2. Hiden field
  3. Session
  4. Cookies

URL rewriting: - This is a process to create an explicit query string with the help of a hyperlink.

Example

<html>
<body>
<%
String s=request.getParameter("x");
%>
<h2><a href="?x=New Delhi">India</a>
<h2><a href="?x=Colombo">Srilanka</a>
<%
if(s!=null)
{
%>
<h1>Capital is: <%= s%></h1>
<%
}
%>
</body>
</html>

Output

user tracking in java

jsp

Hidden field: - This is a process to store information present in the current request in a form field called a hidden field. Whenever a form containing a hidden field gets submitted then the destination jsp can find the value of hidden fields by using the getParameter() method of the request.

Example:- Addition of two numbers

<html>
<head>
<script language="javascript">
function validate(objForm){
if(objForm.t1.value.length==0){
alert("Please enter a Number!");
objForm.t1.focus();
return false;
}
if(objForm1.t2.value.length==0){
alert("Please enter a Number!");
objForm.t2.focus();
return false;
}
return true;
}
</script>
<body>
<%
String s1=request.getParameter("t1");
String s2=request.getParameter("t2");
if(s1 ==null)
{
%>
<form name ="objForm" onSubmit="return validate(this)">
<h1>Enter a Number<input type='text' name='t1'></h1>
<input type='submit' value='next' >
</form>
<%
}
else if(s2 ==null)
{
%>
<form name ="objForm1" onSubmit="return validate(this)">
<h1>Enter a Number<input type='text' name='t2'></h1>
<input type='hidden' name='t1' value=<%=s1%>>
<input type="submit" value="Add">
</form>
<%
}
else
{
int x=Integer.parseInt(s1);
int y=Integer.parseInt(s2);
%>
<h1>Addition is: <font color='Red'><%= (x+y) %></font> </h1>
<%
}
%>
</body>
</html>

Output

java user tracking

Cookie: - It is a memory location available in user's machine. This memory location can be used by the server to store information about the user as the value of some variables. JSP can send cookie variables to the user as a part of its response. Other JSPs can fetch value of cookie variable from the request. The User can deny the creation process of the cookie variable. If the user denies or delete cookie variables then the other pages cannot find the value of those variables.

Example

Product.html

<html>
<body bgcolor="red">
<form action="./create.jsp" method="get">
<h2>Product Name<input type="text" name="t1"></h2>
<input type="submit" value="submit">
</form>
</body>
</html>

create.jsp

<html>
<body bgcolor="pink">
<%
String s=request.getParameter("t1");
Cookie c=new Cookie("prodn",s);
response.addCookie(c);
%>
<h1>Product is added </h1>
<h2><a href="./buy.jsp">Buy now</a></h2>
</body>
</html>

buy.jsp

<html>
<body bgcolor="pink">

<%
Cookie c[]=request.getCookies();
String str=null;
for(int i=0;i<c.length;i++)
{
if(c[i].getName().equals("prodn"))
str=c[i].getValue();
}
%>
<h1>Ur product <font color='Red'><%=str %></font> will be delivered soon</h1>

</body>
</html>

Output

jsp user tracking

Session: - It is a period of a user's interaction with the server. When the user accesses any page of the server then the server creates a session for the user by allocating a session ID. The session remains active while the user keeps on interacting with the server. JSP can use the session of the user to store information about the user. One jsp page can store information in the session variable and other pages can access values of the session variables.

Using the session object

This is an object available to JSP as an implicit object. This is an object of type Javax.servlet.http.Httpsession. This object is declared in the servlet present behind jsp. Session variables can be created by using the setAttribute() method upon the session object. The value of a session variable can be fetched by using the  getAttribute() method on the session object.

Example

Product.jsp

<html>
<head>
<script language="javascript">
function validate(objForm)
{
if(objForm.t1.value.length==0)
{
alert("Please enter a Product!");
objForm.t1.focus();
return false;
}
return true;
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
<form name="objForm" onSubmit="return validate(this)">
<h1>Enter product name<input type="text" name="t1"></h1>
<input type="submit" value="Add to cart">
</form>
<%

String s1=request.getParameter("t1");
//to put value into session as product names
if(s1!=null && !s1.equals(""))
{
String str=(String)session.getAttribute("pn");
if(str==null)
str=s1;
else
str=str+" "+s1;
session.setAttribute("pn",str);
out.println("<h3>Product list:");
out.println("<li>" +str+ "</li>");
}
%>
</body>
</html>

user tracking in jsp

Thanks for reading

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