Talking about mulit-page forms... I don't use session or client variables at all when doing multi-page forms. I simply pass the form structure on to the next page in hidden form fields. That way, if somebody chooses to go <-Back, then the variables are there in the preceding page code, not the memory. The problems with going through any particular page more than once in a session does not apply to this situatioun either. I don't have to worry about session or client persistance or wacky form paths. The form variables just get passed on page to page until the end of the form is reached, then the are committed to the database (or whatever) all at once.
- Matt Small -----Original Message----- From: Cornillon, Matthieu [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Monday, July 22, 2002 10:36 AM 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. > > ********************************************************************** > > > > > > > ______________________________________________________________________ Signup for the Fusion Authority news alert and keep up with the latest news in ColdFusion and related topics. http://www.fusionauthority.com/signup.cfm 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
