asp.net - c# how to set up and use session state from preinit

Question

OK so to set and read variables from the current session

String Myvar =(string) System.Web.HttpContext.Current.Session[“MyVariable”]

To set

System.Web.HttpContext.Current.Session[“MyVariable”] = “NewValue”

I can do neither, I get a System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object. from System.Web.HttpContext.Current.Session.

In my web.config I have

<sessionState mode="StateServer" stateConnectionString="tcpip=127.0.0.1:42424" cookieless="false" timeout="20">
</sessionState>  

I have read a dozen articles on the the necessity of IHttpHandler and an IRequiresSessionState interface. I think the issue may be caused because I am requesting this information in Page_PreInit. I found a solution in a stack overflow article but I don't seem be using it properly to actually make this go.

I am not sure what I am missing. Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

As the comment mentioned, is there some reason you need this in the PreInit event?

PreInit happens very early in the page lifecycle. It happens, in fact, before even the master page (if any) is applied, before all the controls are fully initialized, etc.

A much better choice for the majority of applications is in the Load event. If you're still getting a NullReferenceException there, then there's a bigger issue.