Session Idiot

[baffled_in_UK]

Hi,

I've searched these forums and looked at various tutorials but I can't seem to get the hang of the sessions. This should be so simple but I can't get it working. I have a few pages that are restricted and if you go there it redirects to a login page.

example: (restricted.php)

// if not already logged in then ask them to
if ($_SESSION[login] != "1") {
header("Location: security.php");
} else {
// display page
}

all ok so far...

when a login is authenticated I do this..(security.php)

if ($num != 0 && $activated == "Y")  { 
$_SESSION[login] = "1"; 
header("Location: restricted.php"); 
}

What happens is that I get thrown straight back to security.php

I have

session_start();

on all pages and am running on PHP Version 4.2.3

What am I doing wrong ?

Thanks to anyone who can prevent me putting my foot through my screen.

[keith73]

Originally posted by baffled_in_UK
Hi,

I've searched these forums and looked at various tutorials but I can't seem to get the hang of the sessions. This should be so simple but I can't get it working. I have a few pages that are restricted and if you go there it redirects to a login page.

when a login is authenticated I do this..(security.php)

if ($num != 0 && $activated == "Y")  { 
$_SESSION[login] = "1"; 
header("Location: restricted.php"); 
}

[/B]

but you aren't calling session_start() first.
insert session_start() before $_SESSION[login] = 1;

• keith

[baffled_in_UK]

I have said in my original post that I have got session_start() on ALL my pages within the site so that I don't lose the session info.

[keith73]

Originally posted by baffled_in_UK
I have said in my original post that I have got session_start() on ALL my pages within the site so that I don't lose the session info.

yes you did. But since security.php just redirects after authenticating, I didn't consider it a page.

From the code you posted, I can't tell what your problem is.
Where are $num and $activated coming from. Where do they get set?
What happens if this if statement fails?

if ($num != 0 && $activated == "Y") 

you need some error checking to make sure your conditional variables are actually being set.

• keith

[baffled_in_UK]

The rest of the code is irrelevant. The statements shown are being "hit" but the session variable login is not passing it's value back. That's the problem.

[keith73]

Originally posted by baffled_in_UK
The rest of the code is irrelevant. The statements shown are being "hit" but the session variable login is not passing it's value back. That's the problem.

9 times out of 10, that isn't the problem. Your if statement is only going to work if $num is not 0 and $activated is Y. If those 2 conditions aren't met, then _SESSION[login] will not get set to 1.

Have you verified what the values of $num and $activated are before entering that if statement?

No piece of code is ever irrelevant. ESPECIALLY when you have a conditional statement that depends on variables that must be set BEFORE the if.

that if statement is obviously failing and without some error checking, you won't know why and I nor anyone else here can tell you why.

need input

• keith