Trying to move a list of form variables to session variables of the same name

Report · Mar 07, 2011

I am trying to move a list of form variables to session variables of the same name and I am having a lot of trouble.

I have never had to post of this forum with a language question in all the 10 years I have been using ColdFusion. I was a qa Engineer @ Allaire/Macromedia back when it was going from one to the other. I have a pretty good grasp of the language.

I have software that runs off a list. The fieldnames are variable and stored off in an array. It's survey software that runs off a "meta file". In this example; I have the number of fields in the survey set to 12 in the "metafile". I have each field declared in that file in array Session.SurveyField[1] and the above loop works fine. I include this "metafile" at the start of the process.

I cfloop around a struct and it works wherever I have needed to use it; such as here - writing to the database for example;

<CFQUERY NAME="InsertRec" DATASOURCE="Survey">
INSERT into #variables.SurveyTableName#
(EntryTime
<cfloop from="1" to="#Session.NumberOfSurveyFields#" index="arrayindex">
,#Session.SurveyField[arrayindex]#
</cfloop>

)
VALUES
('#EntryTime#'
<cfloop from="1" to="#Session.NumberOfSurveyFields#" index="arrayindex">
<cfset thisname = "Session." & Session.SurveyField[arrayindex]>
,'#evaluate(variables.thisname)#'
</cfloop>

)
</CFQUERY>

NOW HERE'S THE PROBLEM: I am running into trouble when trying to move the form variables to session variables of the same name. It is the only part of the software that I still need the datanames hard coded and that is a roadblock for me.

I have tried it with or without the "evaluate"; same result. It doesn't give an error; it just ignores them (session variables look as such in the next page in the chain)
q01_name=
q02_acadtechorna=
q03_water=
q04_firstaid=
q05_cpr=
q06_lifeguard=
q07_aed=
q08_projadv=
q09_color=
q10_santaclaus=
q11_supervisor=
q12_supervisoropinion=

Note: they exist because I CFPARAM them in a loop like the above at the start of the procedure) - and this works just fine!

I EVEN tried exploiting the Form.Fieldnames list using CFLoop over the list and the same sort of logic within and it still gives me nothing....

Here's the FORM.FIELDNAMES value

"Q01_NAME,Q02_ACADTECHORNA,Q03_WATER,Q04_FIRSTAID,Q05_CPR,Q06_LIFEGUARD,Q07_AED,Q08_PROJADV,Q09_COLOR,

Q10_SANTACLAUS,Q11_SUPERVISOR,Q12_SUPERVISOROPINION"

Here's the logic; SAME RESULT - The session variables don't get set.

<cfoutput>
<cfloop list="#Form.FieldNames#" index="thisfield">

<cfscript>
thisSESSIONfield = "Session." & thisfield;
thisFORMfield = "Form." & thisfield;
#thisSESSIONfield# = #thisFORMfield#;
</cfscript>
</cfloop>
</cfoutput>

The CFPARAM in a loop with variable output name works just fine; so does the post (which I included above) as does the SQL Create, Param Form Variables, Param Session Variables, etc.

THIS even works for moving BLANK to each session variable, to zero them all out at the end of the process;

<cflock scope="Session" type="EXCLUSIVE" timeout="30">
<cfloop from="1" to="#Session.NumberOfSurveyFields#" index="arrayindex">
<cfset thislocalfield = Session.SurveyField[arrayindex]>
<cfscript>
thissessionfield = "Session." & thislocalfield;
</cfscript>
<cfset #thissessionfield# = "">
</cfloop>
</cflock>

Expanding on that code, you would think this would work, but it doesn't;

<cfloop from="1" to="#Session.NumberOfSurveyFields#" index="arrayindex">
<cfset thislocalfield = Session.SurveyField[arrayindex]>
<cfscript>
thissessionfield = "Session." & thislocalfield;
thisformfield = "Form." & thislocalfield;
</cfscript>


<cfoutput>
<cfset #thissessionfield# = "#evaluate(thisformfield)#">
</cfoutput>
</cfloop>

And see that debug code in the middle? To add insult to injury... When I uncomment that it shows me this. So it certainly looks like this should work....

Session.q01_name = "Me"
Session.q02_AcadTechORNA = "N/A"
Session.q03_Water = "Yes (certificate expired)"
Session.q04_FirstAid = "Yes (certificate is current)"
Session.q05_CPR = "No"
Session.q06_LifeGuard = "Yes (certificate expired)"
Session.q07_AED = "Yes (certificate expired)"
Session.q08_ProjAdv = "Yes (certificate expired)"
Session.q09_Color = "Gray"
Session.q10_SantaClaus = "Yes"
Session.q11_Supervisor = "Da Boss"
Session.q12_SupervisorOpinion = "Not a bad thing"

There must be some simpler way to do this. This way won't work against all odds even though it seems so much like it should.

So I end up having to hardcode it; still looking for an automated way to set these #@%$*@!## session variables over the list from the form variables of the same @#@!$#%$%# name. Do I sound frustrated???

No matter what I do, if I don't HARDCODE like this;

I always get this from my next page because the session variables are empty;

You must answer question 1.
You must answer question 2.
You must answer question 3.
You must answer question 4.
You must answer question 5.
You must answer question 6.
You must answer question 7.
You must answer question 8.
You must answer question 9.
You must answer question 10.

I tried duplicate as well, but I can not get the above to work...

Can anyone help me do this thing that one would think is simple????

Report · Mar 07, 2011

</cfloop>

Dave Watts, CTO, Fig Leaf Software

http://www.figleaf.com/

http://training.figleaf.com/

Dave Watts, Eidolon LLC

Report · Mar 07, 2011

Darn it dave, you type faster then I can.

Report · Mar 07, 2011

You know, I failed typing in high school.

Dave Watts, CTO, Fig Leaf Software

http://www.figleaf.com/

http://training.figleaf.com/

Dave Watts, Eidolon LLC

Report · Mar 07, 2011

I think if you use structure array syntax you should get the results you want.

<cfloop from="1" to="#Session.NumberOfSurveyFields#" index="arrayindex">
      <cfset session[Session.SurveyField[arrayindex]] = Form[Session.SurveyField[arrayindex]]>
 </cfloop>

Or probably even easier.

<cfset session = duplicate(form)>

Report · Mar 07, 2011

I wouldn't want to just duplicate the form scope there, as I think you'd lose whatever you have in the session already. But you could certainly copy the entire form scope into a member of the session scope.

Dave Watts, CTO, Fig Leaf Software

http://www.figleaf.com/

http://training.figleaf.com/

Dave Watts, Eidolon LLC

Report · Mar 07, 2011

Thanks! That worked great. I never would have thought of that. This is a most helpful forum.

Thanks

Steve