diff --git a/app.js b/app.js
index e04f5ea682ee47ebaea148f08ad1484281ff1e5e..3b92e43ccf09eee04cbc7b65b85fd726c058501b 100644
--- a/app.js
+++ b/app.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 var express    = require('express');
 var bodyParser = require('body-parser');
+var cookieParser = require('cookie-parser');
 
 var exec       = require('child_process').exec;
 
@@ -21,28 +22,38 @@ app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({
 }));
 app.use(bodyParser.json());
 app.use(logger("short"));
+app.use(cookieParser());
+
 
 //set handlebars as view engine
 app.engine('.hbs', exphbs({extname: '.hbs'}));
 app.set('view engine', '.hbs');
 
 
+//routes
 
 app.get('/', function(req, res){
 res.render('home', {downloadFiles: downloadNames});
 });
 
 
-app.post('/waiting', function(req, res){
-console.log("frontend in /waiting", req.body['explorviz-ui-backend']);
+app.post('/', function(req, res, next){
 var checkedFiles = Object.keys(req.body);
-console.log("checkedFiles", checkedFiles);
-  res.render('download', {test: checkedFiles});
+
+if(typeof checkedFiles !== 'undefined' && checkedFiles.length > 0){
+  console.log('files were checked');
+  //set cookie to pass checked files for download
+  res.cookie('fileCookie', checkedFiles).render('download');
+}
+  else {
+    console.log('files were not checked');
+    res.render('home', {downloadFiles: downloadNames});
+  }
 });
 
 
 app.get('/download', function(req, res){
-console.log("frontend in /download", req.body);
+console.log("checkedFiles in /download", req.cookies.fileCookie);
   // if (typeof req.body.backend !== 'undefined'){
     console.log("inside backend branch");
   exec('cd /home/jweg/git/explorviz-ui-backend && mvn compile war:war', (error, stdout, stderr) => {
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 28ca170e86dcf648e0f80c3a5b1630718e89ace6..91673648e251fb82417059931724f1d3afc41efc 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
     "adm-zip": "^0.4.7",
     "body-parser": "^1.17.1",
     "child_process": "^1.0.2",
+    "cookie-parser": "^1.4.3",
     "express": "^4.15.2",
     "express-handlebars": "^3.0.0",
     "fs": "0.0.1-security",
diff --git a/views/home.hbs b/views/home.hbs
index 5ec61303d44e050aff47c86510d1b04d47841bfb..c795eef4d5ad843471dc69e0c2c0cbcda8ad7a50 100644
--- a/views/home.hbs
+++ b/views/home.hbs
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
-<form action="/waiting" method="post">
+<form action="/" method="post">
                Choose which files to compile into your custom build of ExplorViz:<br>
                {{#each downloadFiles as |item|}}
                <input type="checkbox" name={{item}} value={{item}}>{{item}}<br>
                {{/each}}
                <br>
-               <a >
-               	<button type="submit">Create Build and Download Zip</a>
+               	<button type="submit">Create Build and Download Zip</button>
              </form>
\ No newline at end of file