redirecting while sending data via POST?

adamgeorge

Hi,

I have been writing a class for handling sessions and logins on a site.

I added some code so that if you are viewing a page with any sort of form on it and you're filling it out, etc, if in the meantime your session times out, when you click submit you are then redirected back to the login page.

That is all fine. But... I then want to post all the form data you had entered on the previous page to the login page. So then when you do log back in, I can then post all that form data to the page it was originally meant to be posted to.

The problem is, I don't know how to do it.

I can easily pass the form data along in the query string eg:

$sRedirectPage = $_SERVER["SCRIPT_NAME"] . "&" . ... append form vars here blah blah...

Header("Location: Login.php?op=Login&sRedirectPage=" . $sRedirectPage);

like that, and then just redirect to $_GET["sRedirectPage"] and pass along the form vars in the query string again.

But I need to be able to POST the form vars not just pass them in the query string. Cause the query string can only contain a limited amount of data.

so... how can I redirect to another page, whilst also sending the form vars via POST?

Is the only way to post data to a page done by using a form? can I post data from the server?

thanks,
-Adam 🙂

kriek

Just assign your variables being passed.

<?php $var=$_POST['var']; ?>

adamgeorge

Hi, that's not quite what I'm after. I do know at least that much about php lol.

This question is about sending data... not retriving it from the $GET or $POST arrays. Of course I can do that 😉

I'll try and explain again:

When you do a Header("Location: Login.php?op=Login") call a header is sent to the client browser and they are redirected to the page Login.php. The variable 'op' is sent via the query string also known as the GET method. So you can access it using $_GET.

now... I need to be able to redirect, and so far the only method of redirecting I have found is by using a Header() call.

So... instead of sending the 'op' variable and any others in the query string as I make this Header() call, I need to be able to POST them.

Does any one know of a way to do this? The only way I know to POST data to a page is by the client filling out a form.

k... this may be hard to explain.. but I'll try. During execution of a php page, is there a way to ... POST data to the next page?

I.e. I can use GET at any time to send data to a page by appending it to the query string. Is there a similar way to do this for POST? Maybe some sort of Header function that puts the data in the header that is being sent back to the client?

hmmm... Hope I've made sense.

thanks though for your reply.
-Adam 🙂

dustbuster

I would recommend using sessions.

//test.php
//session_start() must be called before anything is ouput, even headers.
session_start();
$_SESSION['op']=$_POST['op'];
///and on and on

//use refresh instead of location to ensure sessions carry across pages
header( 'refresh: 0; url=login.php' );

//login.php
session_start();
$myop=$_SESSION['op'];

This way you won't have to worry about 'posting' data.

adamgeorge

hmmm... yes, I did think of that.

but I don't think it will work.

Because the page I am posting to is expecting the variables to be available in the $REQUEST array, not the $SESSION array.

I can't really go about modifying all my scripts to accomodate this. The solution I come up with has to be able to work with my scripts how they are. You must remember that I'm working with forms here, and normally the data will be posted from the form to the script defined in the action attribute.

So, on the case that the user session times out while they are working on the form, then I have to redirect to the login page, then redirect back to the script the form was originally posting to. It's up to my Login script to handle posting data along to the intended script.

I'm just having a hard time thinking how I can do it.

If it comes to it I'll just leave it using the query string to pass the data along. That approach does work, just I know there is a limit on how much data you can place in the query string.

... not really sure what that limit is though. anyone know? The forms I'm using have 70 fields. So, yeah, I'm expecting it to go over the limit whatever that is.

thanks for your reply though,
-Adam 🙂

adamgeorge

Although you have got me thinking. The $REQUEST array also covers those variables in the $COOKIE array as well as the $POST and $GET arrays.

so... I could save the form information in a cookie.....

although once again I'm limited to about ... 4K I think per cookie. I don't think that will be enough. Many of these fields are textareas so there's going to be a lot of data entered in them.

And like I said there are about 70 fields in this dam form. What a pain to create and destroy 70 cookies.

I dunno. Someone must have come accross a problem like this, and solved it surely! lol

thanks though.
-Adam 🙂

dustbuster

Well a bit different way to do it would be to store that form info in a temporary table in a database. Then when they do the log thing you just pass the unique id of the row to the script and it puts the data in. Then you delete the row from the table.

I believe you can set the timeout for a session without having to edit the php.ini file.

Maybe.

andrewm

Hello Adam,

I have run into the same problem. I will let you know if I come up with any simple solutions.

Please do the same for me 🙂

Andrew

adamgeorge

Hey Andrew, I have found this:

http://nf.wh3rd.net/projects/http.inc/

It shows a technique where you can HTTP POST variables from a php script to another page.

I haven't had time to implement this technique yet, but I am pretty sure this will work.

When I get a working version going soon, I'll post some of the code to the board so you can have a look if you like.

cya man,
-Adam 🙂