Scenario : How can I prevent the word "null" from appearing in my HTML input text fields when I populate them with a resultset that has null values ?

Make a simple wrapper function, like :

<%!

    String blanknull(String s) {

      return (s == null) ? "" : s;

    }

%>

Then use it inside your JSP form, like :  

<input type="text" name="shoesize" value="<%= blanknull(shoesize) %>" >