Help with limiting input with session

[flash_gordon]

I am working on a poll that utilizes Flash and PHP. I don't really know much about PHP, but I can write variables to a file.

What I need to do is limit the times a user can enter data into a poll to once a day. Right now, the flash handles the login and the poll. But I want to limit the user to a once a day entry.

Client side cookies are out of the question since they can be refused, manipulated, or deleted. Also the getDate function of Flash is no good since the User could adjust their local time. Normally I could use a MySQL database, but this is not an option on this server. So I see PHP as my last hope.

So then I read about Persistent Sessions.

Would it be possible to store a date variable in a server side cookie that would check that User has not entered in data since 24hrs?

Are there any examples, tutorials, or ready-mades for limiting the write capability to once a day or expiring the session after a day?

I read Alexander's tips on PS
http://www.phpbuilder.com/tips/item.php?id=179
but it is beyond my understanding.

Thanks!

[mikejohnston]

Make sure register_globals are on in your PHP.INI then:

Have your poll function append to a log file (text file) with the IP address of the user (simplistic and not bullet proof) and a date stamp -- ie: 192.168.1.2|2002-10-29.

You may also add data to the log file like a session ID, etc. because the session ID is still set on the server side whether using cookies or not.

Each time a "vote" is submitted, check the log file. If this user has posted today, don't add the vote.

You'll probably want to create a CRON job that resets the logs every 24 hours to maintain the log file size.

Good Luck!