title: Pattern for Spring-MVC stateful interaction
body: <p>Today I was doing this thing with Spring:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Have a page with a form and a chance to choose one item related to the form.</li>
  <li>If you push "Choose item" the app will save somehow what you typed in the form, go to another page, let you choose the thing.
  <ul>
  <li>When you are back to the form it's filled with what you wrote before going to the other page, plus the item chosen. </li>
  </ul></li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>Seems easy, but you have to take into account that for some stupid reason the user could open the page where you choose the item (maybe because of a bookmark, or because he pressed the back button 10 times to play). You know what I mean. I tried many ways, mainly based on HttpSession... I don't like any of those. None of them seems elegant. I was even thinking of using a hidden form in the other page, but given that it is not unique to this "flow" (I mean you can go to the item choose page from others as well), I will have to worry about conflicts and so on. </p>
  
  <p>So what would be the preferred way for you? Suggestions?</p>