JavaServer Pages, 3rd Edition

Chapter 10. Sharing Data Between JSP Pages, Requests, and Users

Any real application consists of more than a single page, and multiple pages often need access to the same information and server-side resources. When multiple pages process the same request (e.g., one page that retrieves the data the user asked for and another that displays it), there must be a way to pass data from one page to another. In an application in which the user is asked to provide information in multiple steps, such as an online shopping application, there must be a way to collect the information received with each request and get access to the complete set when the user is ready. Other information and resources need to be shared among multiple pages, requests, and all users. Examples are information about currently logged-in users, database connection pool objects, and cache objects to avoid frequent database lookups.

In this chapter you will learn how scopes in JSP provide access to this type of shared data. You will also see how using multiple pages to process a request leads to an application that’s easier to maintain and expand, and learn about a JSP action that lets you pass control between the different pages.