Load Session Variables only Once

Question

Load Session Variables only Once

Kmcnet 1,066

Hello everyone and thanks for the help in advance. This is a continuation of a previous question I asked regarding loading session data. I neglected to fully understand what I needed to accomplish. The data needing to be loaded is used by one user throughout the entire session and only needs to be loaded once. However, the user may enter the application via different pages, so how do I load this data regardless of the page requested. Any help would be appreciated.

Albert Kallal 5,586 Reputation points

2025-06-10T19:13:27.26+00:00

You don't note/mention what kind of asp.net project this is. However, for the most part, once session is created, then it don't matter if the user launches another copy of their browser, session should persist correctly, and in fact on the same computer, session should persist and remain the same for that given logged on user.

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Albert Kallal 5,586 Reputation points

2025-06-10T19:13:27.26+00:00

You don't note/mention what kind of asp.net project this is. However, for the most part, once session is created, then it don't matter if the user launches another copy of their browser, session should persist correctly, and in fact on the same computer, session should persist and remain the same for that given logged on user.

Answer 1

AgaveJoe 30,126

One of the most powerful features of ASP.NET Core is middleware. It allows you, as an ASP.NET developer, to seamlessly integrate your custom logic directly into the HTTP pipeline. This means you can execute specific code for every incoming request and outgoing response.

For your particular need, checking if a session exists is straightforward. You would simply add an if statement within your middleware to perform that check.

http://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/fundamentals/middleware/?view=aspnetcore-9.0

Kmcnet 1,066 Reputation points

2025-06-10T22:26:38.99+00:00

Thanks to all for the response and my apologies for being clumsy. The issue is this particular we application may be accessed vis multiple pages. So I am trying to understand if there is a way to load these variables via some type of "on start" function as opposed to checking if the session was loaded on each page. I'm trying to fully understand the middleware concept, but don't see how to implement this in my application.
AgaveJoe 30,126 Reputation points

2025-06-11T16:45:49.8066667+00:00

In ASP.NET Core, the HTTP pipeline operates as a series of interconnected middleware components, not through traditional "on start" events like you might be used to. The magic really lies in the order you register these middleware components, as that's what dictates the flow of how each incoming request is processed. Each piece of middleware effectively acts as a distinct phase in the pipeline, handling a specific task like authentication, routing, or serving static files.

It sounds like your core challenge might not be with the pipeline itself, but rather with "loading these variables." Could you tell us more about what variables you're trying to load and where they originate from? Knowing your specific use case will help forum members suggest the best coding patterns to achieve what you're trying to do!
Kmcnet 1,066 Reputation points

2025-06-11T17:27:26.66+00:00

Thanks for the response. The application is a personalized portal that retrieves data specific to the particular user such as name, phone number, address, etc. that is persisted through the application in a header. The data is retrieved from a WebApi on another server, so it makes sense t populate the information once and persist it through the session. The issue is that the user may enter the application through different pages, so the loading of data would ideally occur during the start of the application, rather placing conditional logic within each controller.
AgaveJoe 30,126 Reputation points

2025-06-11T22:44:58.9733333+00:00

I think there might be a slight misunderstanding about how web applications operate. Since they're designed for multiple users simultaneously, there isn't a single 'start of the application' from a user's perspective. Are you perhaps thinking of the point where a user connects, but the application hasn't yet established their identity because the request lacks specific user information?

As for loading data in 'every' controller, that sounds like it could lead to duplicated code. While inheritance might offer a solution, I'm still a bit puzzled about the source of this data you're referring to. Could you elaborate on where it comes from?
Kmcnet 1,066 Reputation points

2025-06-12T14:49:17.8033333+00:00

The data comes from a separate WebApi. The page loaded will come from a querystring link sent via email. he link may direct to different pages (i.e. controllers). so there is no login page at the initial application encounter. I am trying to avoid having data loading calls to the api in each controller.
AgaveJoe 30,126 Reputation points

2025-06-12T16:10:17.91+00:00

I would create a single controller to handle the email link. Since you are already adding data to the URL, simply add a return URL too. Once the controller is finished processing the data, calling the API, setting Session, etc. Redirect to the return URL.

Answer 2

SurferOnWww 4,641

This is a continuation of a previous question ...

You are supposed to show the url of your previous question:

Persisting Data Through Session

The data needing to be loaded is used by one user throughout the entire session and only needs to be loaded once.

Please consider "1. User-Specific Data (Session)" in AgaveJoe's answer given to your previous question.

Answer 3

Hi Kmcnet

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q & A forum.

To load user specific data once per session and access it from any page, using Session is the best approach. On the first page to request, check if the data exists in session; if not, load it from your Web API and save it to session. Then, all other pages can read the data from the session without reloading.

Dependency Injection is great for services but doesn’t persist with user data across requests. You can combine DI with session for cleaner code by injecting a service that handles session access.

If you have found the answer provided to be helpful, please click on the "Accept answer/Upvote" button so that it is useful for other members in the Microsoft Q&A community.

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Load Session Variables only Once

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