browser close detection

Alex_roscoe

How do I delete a user out of my online user database when they close out of the browser?

darknuke

easy, in your html body tag, put add the onUnload tag so it'd look like this:

13th_seer

keep in mind the onUnload event is a javascript event, so you must call javascript code/function that references your php code to delete the user

one obvious way to do this is, have your javascript function do a window.open() to a special php page that deletes from the online user list, and pass that page the name via the query string

e.g. -

onUnload='window.open("removeOnlineUser.php?username=<?=$_SESSION['username']?>");'

then, in the removeOnlineUser.php file, you do the database query/whatever to remove that username from the online list

this of course in not secure[1], but it would work

you can increase security by using sessions, and have the removeOnlineUser.php page make sure a user can only remove his own name from the list ..

this is all conjecture, I've never done it .. but hope it helps

[1] all a "malicious" user would need to know is the url and the usernames of online users, and could arbitrarily delete users from the online user list by calling the url with a custom query string

Wave

you MUST use sessions principle, however the realisation.

one obvious way to do this is, have your javascript function do a window.open() to a special php page that deletes from the online user list, and pass that page the name via the query string

and second obvious way, delete user session by timeout. and IMO it is the only right way.
did you ever see a serious web site, where on browser close popup window opens. it's a worsest solution.

13th_seer

I didn't say it was a GOOD solution, just an obvious one 😉

there are ways you could make it suck less, like open the window very small, have it close instantaneously (onload='window.close();'), etc

but yes, it's a kludge, and necessarily so due to the limits placed upon javascript for the user's protection from evil webmasters

I agree though .. session timeout would be much cleaner, and probably how I'd do it myself

Wave

right. 🙂

Alex_roscoe

Im already using sessions, how does this timeout thing work?