validation, input page, and request-scoped variables

[ll]

Here's my problem: I have a form page that uses some request-scoped 
attributes for some things it shows on the page (other than the form 
field data). I always access the page through an action which sets up 
the attributes. But if validation fails when I submit the form, then 
those request attributes no longer exist because the input forwards to 
the jsp page without going through the action again.

Two possible solutions:

1. On the "save" action, use input="/person/add" so that when 
validation fails control is forwarded back through the action, which 
can then set up the request attributes again.
- problem: I use the same page from an "edit" action, which takes a 
"person id" parameter and pre-fills the form. If I do it this way I 
will need two "save" actions, one that uses the "edit" page as the 
input and one that uses the "add" page as the input. Then the form 
can't be shared, because I the submit action will need to change 
depending on whether it is an add or an edit.

2. Store the attributes in the session instead of the request.
- problem: if the user has two browser windows open to the same form 
then the values displayed in the page could be wrong because they are 
shared
- problem: these attributes won't get removed later from the request 
(without a lot of work on my part)

Has anyone else encountered this problem? How do most people do this?

Thanks!

This is roughly what my struts-config setup looks like:

		<action path="/person/add"
				type="mypackage.PersonAction"
				name="PersonalInfoForm"
				scope="request"
				validate="false"
				parameter="personalInfoFormBlank">
			<forward name="continue" 
path="/WEB-INF/docs/jsp/person/personalInfoForm.jsp"/>		</action>
		<action path="/person/edit"
				type="mypackage.PersonAction"
				name="PersonalInfoForm"
				scope="request"
				validate="false"
				parameter="personalInfoFormFilled">
			<forward name="continue" 
path="/WEB-INF/docs/jsp/person/personalInfoForm.jsp"/>		</action>
		<action path="/person/savePersonalInfo"
				type="mypackage.PersonAction"
				name="PersonalInfoForm"
				scope="request"
				input="/WEB-INF/docs/jsp/person/personalInfoForm.jsp"
				parameter="personalInfoFormSubmit">
			<forward name="continue" path="/app/main"/>
		</action>

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