Weird Browser/Servlet behaviour

I'm experiencing some strange browser behaviour with my latest JSP/Servlet project. I think it's got something to do with the HttpKeepAlive header property that is set to true by default in Firefox. Mark Pruett describes the Firefox settings well and its relation to the HTTP 1.0/1.1 spec. but my problem, while related, is a little different.

I'm using the servlet controller and command pattern which is nifty, some pages are generated on a GET command, others on a form POST command - you know, usual web page type stuff. Sometimes I like to hit the 'GO' button at the end of the browser address bar to go to the default action of the current url / controller context. By doing this - calling the default url - this should recognise that there is no action present in the request and resolve to call the default action.

Both IE and Firefox are behaving strangely. Firstly, both aren't resolving the default action. Firefox causes a null pointer exeption, related to their not being enough parameters in the post headers. IE doesn't appear to be posting at all! As a result, no such error appears. Out-putting the raw request.getAttribute("action") to the console shows me that IE generates no servlet activity. Firefox fires off a request, and the incoming action is null.

Hang on, I'm investigating this as I write this...

What a dill-pickle! I had a private String action; declared at a class level. Tool. It should of course have been String action = "default_home";in the doPost. Oops.

Mind you the LiveHttpHeaders extension for Firefox is very handy.

Furthermore, this doesn't explain why IE does nothing!

Posting this I realise I need a new category, perhaps 'pants-off programming' since these posts seem (ironically) really off topic from time to time.