Reading a variable from one method to another method

Question

I am pretty new to Java and object code, so please understand if you think I should know the answer to this.
I wish to pass a variable from one method to another within one servet. I have a doPost method:
public void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {
          HttpSession session = request.getSession();
         String userID = (String)session.getAttribute("userID");
         String title = request.getParameter("title");
        PrintWriter out = response.getWriter();
        out.println("userID is ..."+userID);
} and wish to pass the variable userID to:
  public static void writeToDB(String title) {
         try{
              String connectionURL = "jdbc:mysql://localhost/cms_college";
              Connection connection=null;     
             Class.forName("com.mysql.jdbc.Driver");
             connection = DriverManager.getConnection(connectionURL, "root", "");
             Statement st = connection.createStatement();         
               st.executeUpdate ("INSERT INTO cmsarticles (title, userID) VALUES('"+title+"','"+userID+"')");
         catch(Exception e){
               System.out.println("Exception is ;"+e);
    }because, at the moment the userID cannot be resolved in the writeToDB method. Thanking you in anticipation.

Answer 1

Thanks for responding.
If I replace
public static void writeToDB(String title)with
public static void writeToDB(String title, String userID)It throws up an error in the following method
public void processFileItem(FileItem item) {
          // Can access all sorts of useful info. using FileItem methods
          if (item.isFormField()) {
               //Map<String, String> formParameters = new LinkedHashMap<String, String>();
               //String filename = item.getFieldName();
               //String title = item.getString();
               //System.out.println("received filename is ... " + filename );
               //formParameters.put(title, filename);
               } else {
                  // Is an uploaded file, so get name & store on local filesystem
                  String uploadedFileName = new File(item.getName()).getName();            
                  File savedFile = new File("c:/uploads/"+uploadedFileName);
                  long sizeInBytes = item.getSize();
                  System.out.println("uploadedFileName is " + uploadedFileName);
                  String title = uploadedFileName;
                  System.out.println("size in bytes is " + sizeInBytes);
                  writeToDB(title);
                  try {
                    item.write(savedFile);// write uploaded file to local storage
                  } catch (Exception e) {
                    // Problem while writing the file to local storage
          }      saying there are not enough arguments in writeToDB(title);
and if I put in an extra argumenet writeToDB(title,String userID);
again it does not recognise userID