How to automatically call a method when Session["something"] throws a NullReferenceException? - asp.net

Question

I am going to be using Session["firmaid"] quite alot in my application. This value is set when someone logs in to my system.
If something happens, and this value is lost from the Session, i would like to somehow have a global method that will get it, if it throws a NullReferenceException.
How can i do this?
Currently, my solution is to try and catch every time i use Session["firmaid"], then execute the method that will put firmaid in the Session, if it throws an Exception.
Is there an easier way to do this?

Answer 1

Instead of try/catching everytime you could wrap the access to the session in a strongly typed class and then access the session through this wrapper.
Or even write an extension method:
public static class SessionExtensions
{
public static string GetFirmaId(this HttpSessionStateBase session)
{
var firmaid = session["firmaid"] as string;
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(firmaid))
{
// TODO: call some method, take respective actions
}
return firmaid;
}
}
and then in your code instead of:
try
{
var firmaid = Session["firmaid"];
// TODO: do something with the result
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
// TODO: call some method, take respective actions
}
use:
var firmaid = Session.GetFirmaId();
// TODO: do something with the result

Answer 2

Why not simply write a static wrapper around this? Much more robust and more DRY:
public static int GetFirmaid() {
if (HttpContext.Current.Session["firmaid"] == null) {
//do something to fall back
}
return HttpContext.Current.Session["firmaid"]
}
You obviously would have to put this in a Class you can easily access and then call it through:
Class.GetFirmaid()

Answer 3

You can create an action filter which will ensure that Session["firmaid"] has a value:
public class SetFirmaIdAttribute : ActionFilterAttribute
{
public override void OnActionExecuting(ActionExecutingContext filterContext)
{
try
{
var firmaId = Session["firmaid"];
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
// pass filterContext if you need access to Request, Session etc.
Session["firmaid"] = SetFirmaId(filterContext);
}
}
private int SetFirmaId(ActionExecutingContext filterContext)
{
// TODO: implement some logic
}
}
OnActionExecuting will be called before action executes so you will already have Session["firmaid"] set when the action gets executed.
Once you implement this attribute you can put it on an action, controller or set it as global.