JTables

I have a JTable with a column to enter search criteria. The column is editable and filled with empty strings. I enter a value in one of the rows. I see the value in the table, however when I press the Search button and get the value from the table the value is null. If I move to another cell in the table, I get the value when I push the Search button. How can I get the value when I press the Search button without going to another cell first?

Below is the code to get the value from the JTable:

String criteriaValue = (String) udiTable.getValueAt(r, 2);