implementing password authentication

[wesomon99]

I'm designing a server-side application to accept query strings from PDF documents. The user clicks a link in the document to submit some information (i.e. //server/servlet/submit?question=1&answer=true).

The user needs to be identified, and I have been doing that using a login page that stores a cookie. This works fine if the user logs in beforehand, but fails if the user tries to submit an answer before logging in. I want to automatically ask them to fill in their username and password if they are not logged in by popping up a login window.

If the submission is accepted, it shows the user a confirmation page. If the user is not logged in, the submit servlet redirects the user to a login.jsp page.

The problem I run into is that once they are redirected to the login page, I lose their submission information. Is there a better way to get them logged in? Or a way to pass this information while they are in process of logging in?

Thanks to anyone who can help me.

[ronnil]

you can store the information as cookies or in session variables when the login form shows, then you can access it afterwards

[wesomon99]

you can store the information as cookies or in session variables when the login form shows, then you can access it afterwards

I think what happens, because the information I have stored in the session for the submission disappears, is that when they do the login, which is a form using a POST action, is that the login POST replaces the current session rather than adding to it.

So I would rather use session variables, but I don't know if I can. I think it would be too many cookies to put all the information in that form.