8.8 Basic Cookie Utilities

This section presents some simple but useful utilities for dealing with cookies.

Finding Cookies with Specified Names

Listing 8.3 shows two static methods in the CookieUtilities class that simplify the retrieval of a cookie or cookie value, given a cookie name . The getCookieValue method loops through the array of available Cookie objects, returning the value of any Cookie whose name matches the input. If there is no match, the designated default value is returned. So, for example, our typical approach for dealing with cookies is as follows :

 String color =   CookieUtilities.getCookieValue(request, "color", "black"); String font =   CookieUtilities.getCookieValue(request, "font", "Arial"); 

The getCookie method also loops through the array comparing names but returns the actual Cookie object instead of just the value. That method is for cases when you want to do something with the Cookie other than just read its value. The getCookieValue method is more commonly used, but, for example, you might use getCookie in lieu of getCookieValue if you wanted to put a new value into the cookie and send it back out again. Just don't forget that if you use this approach, you have to respecify any cookie attributes such as date, path , and domain: these attributes are not set for incoming cookies.

Listing 8.3 CookieUtilities.java

 package coreservlets; import javax.servlet.*; import javax.servlet.http.*; /** Two static methods for use in cookie handling. */ public class CookieUtilities {   /** Given the request object, a name, and a default value,    *  this method tries to find the value of the cookie with    *  the given name. If no cookie matches the name,    *  the default value is returned.    */   public static String  getCookieValue  (HttpServletRequest request,                             String cookieName,                             String defaultValue) {     Cookie[] cookies = request.getCookies();     if (cookies != null) {       for(int i=0; i<cookies.length; i++) {         Cookie cookie = cookies[i];         if (cookieName.equals(cookie.getName())) {           return(cookie.getValue());         }       }     }     return(defaultValue);   }   /** Given the request object and a name, this method tries    *  to find and return the cookie that has the given name.    *  If no cookie matches the name, null is returned.    */   public static Cookie  getCookie  (HttpServletRequest request,                                  String cookieName) {     Cookie[] cookies = request.getCookies();     if (cookies != null) {       for(int i=0; i<cookies.length; i++) {         Cookie cookie = cookies[i];         if (cookieName.equals(cookie.getName())) {           return(cookie);         }       }     }     return(null);   } } 

Creating Long-Lived Cookies

Listing 8.4 shows a small class that you can use instead of Cookie if you want your cookie to automatically persist for a year when the client quits the browser. This class ( LongLivedCookie ) merely extends Cookie and calls setMaxAge automatically.

Listing 8.4 LongLivedCookie.java

 package coreservlets; import javax.servlet.http.*; /** Cookie that persists 1 year. Default Cookie doesn't  *  persist past current browsing session.  */ public class LongLivedCookie extends Cookie {   public static final int SECONDS_PER_YEAR = 60*60*24*365;   public LongLivedCookie(String name, String value) {     super(name, value);  setMaxAge(SECONDS_PER_YEAR);  } }