Random JSF error: no saved view state could be found

Question

I have a very strange error: No saved view state could be found for the view identifier: /mypage.xhtml
The problem is that it appears randomly, to just ~10% of the users/executions.

Application server: Apache Tomee 1.5.2 stable / 1.6.0-2013.09.20 dev (It happens on both). I use the MyFaces distribution that comes with each of them, so 2.1.10 / 2.1.12, so nothing new added.

Part of web.xml:

      <context-param>
        <param-name>org.apache.myfaces.USE_ENCRYPTION</param-name>
        <param-value>false</param-value>
      </context-param>
      <context-param>
        <param-name>javax.faces.STATE_SAVING_METHOD</param-name>
        <param-value>client</param-value>
      </context-param>

So, no state view exception shouldn't happen, because state is on client. It was set on server before, but I thought maybe client will fix it, but nothing. There was actually no difference in the occurrence of that error.

Execution flow:
1. Client opens xhtml page (JSF).
2. Client clicks on an command button to do various things, button connected to a public void method of a JSF @ViewScoped ManagedBean.
3. Yes, the method is void because I don't need to return a String to redirect to another page. I need to redirect to /page/id (example: /market/24, /profile/43), therefore methods that return a String as navigation destinations are useless, because I use: FacesContext.getCurrentInstance().getExternalContext().redirect(path);
4. In ~90% of the cases, everything works perfectly and users are redirected to each specific page. In the rest of ~10 (randomly), they get No saved view state could be found for the view identifier: /pagename.xhtml

I would really appreciate some help here, because I have no idea how to get it fixed.
Thanks a lot in advance.

PS. I use PrimeFaces and I also have a couple of my own filters in web.xml, but that shouldn't be a problem, I hope so.

Stack trace for one of the pages:

25-Sep-2013 07:39:26.380 SEVERE [http-bio-80-exec-15] org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke Servlet.service() for servlet [Faces Servlet] in context with path [] threw exception [/dashboard/edit-profile.xhtmlNo saved view state could be found for the view identifier: /dashboard/edit-profile.xhtml] with root cause
 javax.faces.application.ViewExpiredException: /dashboard/edit-profile.xhtmlNo saved view state could be found for the view identifier: /dashboard/edit-profile.xhtml
        at org.apache.myfaces.lifecycle.RestoreViewExecutor.execute(RestoreViewExecutor.java:132)
        at org.apache.myfaces.lifecycle.LifecycleImpl.executePhase(LifecycleImpl.java:170)
        at org.apache.myfaces.lifecycle.LifecycleImpl.execute(LifecycleImpl.java:117)
        at javax.faces.webapp.FacesServlet.service(FacesServlet.java:197)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:305)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:210)
        at org.primefaces.webapp.filter.FileUploadFilter.doFilter(FileUploadFilter.java:77)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:243)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:210)
        at org.ocpsoft.rewrite.servlet.RewriteFilter.doFilter(RewriteFilter.java:199)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:243)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:210)
        at com.pingushare.boundary.filter.ActivateAccountFilter.doFilter(ActivateAccountFilter.java:37)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:243)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:210)
        at com.pingushare.boundary.filter.SecurityFilter.doFilter(SecurityFilter.java:36)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:243)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:210)
        at com.pingushare.boundary.filter.ForceFreshPageAndWWWFilter.doFilter(ForceFreshPageAndWWWFilter.java:49)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:243)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:210)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:222)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:123)
        at org.apache.tomee.catalina.OpenEJBValve.invoke(OpenEJBValve.java:45)
        at org.apache.catalina.authenticator.AuthenticatorBase.invoke(AuthenticatorBase.java:502)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:171)
        at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorReportValve.invoke(ErrorReportValve.java:99)
        at org.apache.catalina.valves.AccessLogValve.invoke(AccessLogValve.java:953)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngineValve.invoke(StandardEngineValve.java:118)
        at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:408)
        at org.apache.coyote.http11.AbstractHttp11Processor.process(AbstractHttp11Processor.java:1023)
        at org.apache.coyote.AbstractProtocol$AbstractConnectionHandler.process(AbstractProtocol.java:589)
        at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.JIoEndpoint$SocketProcessor.run(JIoEndpoint.java:312)
        at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1145)
        at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:615)
        at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:724)

Answer 1

After long discussions on MyFaces and Tomee forums/mailing lists, this is how I managed to eliminate this problem: I switched the JSF implementation in this project to Majorra 2.1.26. The error didn't appear anymore until now.

As this bug didn't make any sense (after checking source of both my project and MyFaces) and couldn't be reproduced, we couldn't actually find a fix for it, but at least it doesn't happen in Majorra, so this could be helpful if someone else gets this error.

Mention: this is not the basic "no saved view state could be found" that many JSF developers get. That's something else hiding somewhere.

Answer 2

This issue is well understood and it happens because if the server is restarted or the application is redeployed, a new encryption key is generated by default. The solution is generate your own key and set it up in your web.xml file. In that way, MyFaces will use the same key at all times. See http://wiki.apache.org/myfaces/Secure_Your_Application

The description claims that encryption is disabled, and I have checked the code and it is ok, it works as expected (the encryption is effectively disabled). If the encryption is not the problem, my opinion is there is an error in your application logic. Don't call redirect in that way, use the standard form using mypage.xhtml?faces-redirect=true . The problem could be caused by a session expiration (note only view scope beans goes to the client in 2.0/2.1, but session scope beans are expired).