Hello,

If I set a request attribute in processAction() on ActionRequest which extends PortletRequest, I find that it is not available during render() on the RenderRequest which also extends PortletRequest. I have reviewed the JSR spec and quoted relevant sections below. From my review, it seems to me like there is some ambiguity. In PLT.11.1.3, request attributes are intented "...to express information that otherwise could not be expressed via the API." From PLT.11.4, it seems like there isn't necessarily a guarantee that the objects placed in request scope during processAction() are available in render().

If the attributes are not going to be preserved going from processAction() to render() for a single portlet, then what is the point of setting request attributes during processAction()? Since you don't get a RenderRequest-view of the same PortletRequest later on in render(), who are you communicating with (from a portlet perspective)? If the portlet API supports the concept of setting request attributes, I think it would be nice to be able to retrieve these same request attributes during the render() phase of a portal request. Ideally, the ActionRequest and the RenderRequest can be two different 'views' of a single PortletRequest during a request process.

I realize that I can use PortletSession to 'communicate' between processAction() and render() phases, but then I must also remember to remove my attributes from PortletSession if these attributes are really only valid for a single request.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Brad Smith


From JSR 168 Specification

PLT.11.1.3 Request Attributes

Request attributes are objects associated with a portlet during a single portlet request. Request attributes may be set by the portlet or the portlet container to express information that otherwise could not be expressed via the API. Request attributes can be used to share information with a servlet or JSP being included via the PortletRequestDispatcher. Attributes are set, obtained and removed using the following methods of the

PortletRequest interface:
? getAttribute
? getAttributeNames
? setAttribute
? removeAttribute

Only one attribute value may be associated with an attribute name.
Attribute names beginning with the ?javax.portlet.? prefix are reserved for definition by this specification. It is suggested that all attributes placed into the attribute set be named in accordance with the reverse domain name convention suggested by the Java Programming Language Specification 1 for package naming.

....

PLT.11.2 ActionRequest Interface

The ActionRequest interface extends the PortletRequest interface and it is used in the processAction method of the Portlet interface. In addition to the functionality provided by the PortletRequest interface, the ActionRequest interface gives access to the input stream of the request.

PLT.11.3 RenderRequest Interface

The RenderRequest interface extends the PortletRequest interface and is used in the render method of the Portlet interface. Currently, the RenderRequest interface does not define any additional method.

PLT.11.4 Lifetime of the Request Objects

Each request object is valid only within the scope of a particular processAction or render method call. Containers commonly recycle request objects in order to avoid the performance overhead of request object creation. The developer must be aware that maintaining references to request objects outside the scope described above may lead to
non-deterministic behavior