PHP

Anon

Hello
To Whomever it concerns...
I have a problem using sessions in PHP.
The job that i have to accomplish is that
once a user is logged in to our machine(actually it's a product to be deleivered to the client),he is validated and then he can go to any number of sites.But when he logs off his time duration including from the time he has logged in has to be tracked for each and every user.This time should include the total elapsed time between the time logged in and where ever he was in between (may be browsing other site) and until he logs off.Using sessions i had a problem that when he loggs off i calculated the difference and showed to the user so that he can be charged on the basis of time he has used our product.But that session expires when we say back after the logg of screen.Again if the same user visits it it treats him as a new user.So should i opt for cookies.Would they solve my problem..and if so how .
Please since i am a novoice at PHP,help me out.
Thanks in advance..
REENA PATHAK

Anon

Hi
I'm not sure about cross-site sessions but maybe you could use frames. Let the user browse other sites in a frame whilst keeping him in your session using your frame? (good example of this is etour.com)
I've seen a tutorial on cross-site sessions but couldn't find it, you might try searching across the major PHP sites.
For a good list of PHP resources check out webtools.com and enter PHP in thier site search.

Hope this is of some use

Nick

Anon

Hi Nick...
THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY ...
Your suggestion was good but i think that if we use cookies to accomplish the task we don't have to go for cross site sessions and concept of frame.Just try to analyse the situation.may be u can help me in a more better way.In our product we have a login button which takes the user to a login page where after validating he is taken to a welcome page.This welcome page has also provision of logout.So the user can type other urls if he want to visit some other sites may be on this welcome page itself and visit those sites and continue using our product in such a way for say,1 hour.After this time he can logout by pressing logout button and this total elapsed time has to be calculated so that he can be charged on basis on some billing policies,however that's another issue.Using sessions i had a problem that the session expired but using cookies i am maintaining a table in database for recording the timestamp of logging in and loggout.This will keep on updating.
But i am facing some problem s here most probably due to the reason that i have never used cookies.Please try to reflrct on this issue and the way i am tring to solve my problem as early as possible..
Thanks in advance..
REENA PATHAK

knickerlas

hi
Cookies could work but you'd have to be sure that the user had a browser that was capable of handling cookies and if so, had not disabled them.
I'm sure there are functions that handle this kind of validation.
It's difficult to advise without knowing more about the nature of the product, whats to stop the user from never logging in or logging in and then out and then visiting other sites?
I'm not a PHP expert even though I occasionally answer questions here but I'm good at thinking my way through problems. If you'd like to explain a little more I'd be happy to help or you might wish to invest in some good PHP books.
Beginning PHP4 is excellent (by Wrox)and the PHP Developers Cook Book is pretty insightful also.

Regards

Nick