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Matthieu, Thanks for sharing this, its a nice idea. It is the kind of thing I was interested in hearing about. > ---------- > From: Cornillon, Matthieu[SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: 22 July 2002 15:36 > To: CF-Talk > Subject: RE: Finding a good Session management system. > > Stephen, > > I am not going to comment on the client vs. session variable issue that > everyone else is talking about. I am awfully ignorant about client > variables, and I am learning from those other messages as they come. > > I can, however, offer some advice on the approach to a multi-page form > with > session variables. I just (last night) released a multi-page registration > system for a web site. When I started, I thought, "I'll just put the > variables from each form submission into a session variable, which I will > store until the end of the process, at which point everything will be > submitted at once." OK. That made sense, but with locking and keeping > track of things and needing to let the user go back and forth and edit > data, > things got miserable from a variable management standpoint. Halfway > through, although I kept the basic concept the same, I made a change which > greatly simplified my life. > > Here's the idea: the biggest heartaches came in testing for a variable's > existence, providing for all possible cases of its value, and the locking > issues. So, I eliminated all of them. I created a page called > registration_init.cfm that set to default values all of the session > variables that I would be using throughout the registration process. At > the > top of each page, I have one CFLOCK block that pulls all of the relevant > session variables for the form into local variables. Each page then > pre-populates its form fields with those local variables, regardless of > their value; if they are blank, fine, and if they have data from the > session > variables, fine. This allows you to go back and forth between forms very > easily. I also set up my pages in a (probably inefficient) funny way. > The > flow is like this: > > registration_init.cfm > registration1.cfm > registration1_action.cfm > registration2cfm > registration2_action.cfm > etc. > > Each "action" page validates all of the data and goes to the appropriate > page: forward if everything is okay, and back if it's not. If it goes > back, > it also passes error values which appear on the page to let the user know > what they did wrong and how to fix it. I can't remember right now if this > flow setup tied into the session variable management issue, but just so > you > have some more ideas, I thought I'd throw it in. > > Anyhow, the main thing is that by pre-defining all the variables that I > was > going to use, I removed the need to check their values on each page. Of > course, it's essentially doing the same thing, but by doing it in a > centralized way was a lot easier. > > Hope this rambling is helpful, > Matthieu > -----Original Message----- > From: Adams, Stephen [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Monday, July 22, 2002 9:30 AM > To: CF-Talk > Subject: RE: Finding a good Session management system. > > > ********************************************************************** > WESTMINSTER CITY COUNCIL > Please refer to the disclaimer beneath this message > ********************************************************************** > > Well, the application I am building at the moment uses a series of forms > to > gather information from the user and then on the final page runs a query > based on what has been selected in these forms. So I am storing some of > the > user's choices in session variables so that they can be passed can be used > in the query on the last page. This is quiet a small application. My > next > one is going to be a large intranet with a lot of personalisation. > > Oh I love web-rat.com by the way, great site. > > Stephen > > > > ---------- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED][SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: 22 July 2002 14:10 > > To: CF-Talk > > Subject: RE: Finding a good Session management system. > > > > That was a pretty vague and not very helpful answer John. > > > > Stephen, what all are you storing in session variables? Could you > > describe your application a little more? I've always tried to make sure > > > that I'm using session variables as little as possible anymore. I've > > moved majority of my session variables into client variables (storage in > > > db). None the less, there's still a variable management issue that you > > have to get your fingers wrapped around. Perhaps you're storing too > much > > information into the session scope if you're pondering that there has to > > > be a better way. > > > > So.. my advice to you is to do a <cfdump var="#session#"> (proper locks > > around of course) and take a good hard look at what really should / > > shouldn't be there. > > > > ~Todd > > > > On Mon, 22 Jul 2002, John McCosker wrote: > > > > > Don't use session variables, > > > but use cookies which maintain session state when the browser is open > > > and deleted when closed. > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Adams, Stephen [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > > Sent: Monday, July 22, 2002 1:54 PM > > > To: CF-Talk > > > Subject: Finding a good Session management system. > > > > > > > > > ********************************************************************** > > > WESTMINSTER CITY COUNCIL > > > Please refer to the disclaimer beneath this message > > > ********************************************************************** > > > > > > Hi, > > > > > > I have been building CF sites for a while now and I am always finding > > myself > > > creating/deleting and checking for session variables or changing them > > into > > > request variables. It always seems to me that there must be a better > > way in > > > which to use them. A way that lets me create them easily, delete > them, > > keep > > > track of them with out have to write tons of code and does not add > loads > > of > > > time to the running of my applications.. > > > Does anyone know of or have any tips on how I can easily handle the > > > management of session variables. > > > > > > Thanks > > > > > > Stephen > > > > > > > > > ********************************************************************** > > > Westminster City Council switchboard: > > > +44 20 7641 6000 > > > ********************************************************************** > > > This E-Mail may contain information which is > > > privileged, confidential and protected from > > > disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient > > > of this E-mail or any part of it, please telephone > > > Westminster City Council immediately on receipt. > > > You should not disclose the contents to any other > > > person or take copies. > > > ********************************************************************** > > > > > > > > > > > > > ______________________________________________________________________ Get the mailserver that powers this list at http://www.coolfusion.com FAQ: http://www.thenetprofits.co.uk/coldfusion/faq Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
