Cookies

Anon

Hi,
I'm a newbie when it comes to PHP scripting, and I have a question.

I want to make a pop-up window appear when a visitor comes to my site for the first time.

I want to use cookies to make that window pop up only once when the visitor sees it, and when they return again, the window won't return. How can I do this?

Just like I said, I'm a PHP virgin. Please help!!

Thanks again!!
- Jay

Anon

PHP virgins should have the PHP manual under their pillow at night :-)

I think you have it all worked out already.
When any person comes to your site, you check for the cookie.
No cookie? set the cookie and print the popu window.
Yes cookie? do nothing.

Check out the manual for info about how to check for and set cookies.

Anon

Ok related to this (vincent you could well save my day again!) I have a question regarding intialising sessions.

I've implemented exercises found in the manual and on several sites but none of them fit my problem.

After checking a user is allowed to log in I want to then set the session.

I know Sessions & Cookie functions are part of the HTTP Headers so have to be defined at the start of a script BEFORE you output anything to the browser.

So how would I get around this. (This would be invoked during the script in my earlier post 'Why Why Why?').

-- Nick

Anon

OK so one solution would be to start the session as soon as the script runs and then cancel it if the login fails. But it's not exactly neat, so any others suggestions would be good.

Anon

So how would I get around this.

You can't get around it, it's inherent in the way cookies
work. But if your login is on a separate page, then
the problem doesn't come up:

login.php called with POST:
  validate login
  if correct
    set cookie
    redirect to main page
  else
    show login form again

Anon

very nice

can you tell me how to read the method called by the form: get/post?

thanks.

Kirk Parker wrote:

So how would I get around this.

You can't get around it, it's inherent in the way cookies
work. But if your login is on a separate page, then
the problem doesn't come up:

login.php called with POST:
  validate login
  if correct
    set cookie
    redirect to main page
  else
    show login form again

Anon

In your script, look at the value of the predifined
variable $REQUEST_METHOD. This is all documented
in the manual under "Variables: Predefined Variables"

Anon

Why would you want to "cancel" the session at all?
If you use cookie-driven sessions, then all you have to do is start_session()
at the beginning of your page, and you can out a value like "loggedin=1"
in the session.

The sessionID is then stored in a cookie in the browser automatically, by PHP.

That means you don't have to send a cookie or anything at all!