Retrieving URL parameters from JSR 168 portlets using WebSphere services

Retrieving URL parameters from JSR 168 portlets using WebSphere services
I recently ran into an interesting problem. I wanted to convert some portlets from the legacy IBM Portlet API to the standard Portlet API 1.0 (JSR 168). These portlets need to be able to retrieve URL parameters. The legacy API was built on top of the Servlet API, and it provided a way for portlets to retrieve parameters that were not specifically intended for the portlet. The JSR 168 API only mirrors the Servlet API; it does not allow retrieval of plain old URL parameters.