Cookies / Sessions

digitalmustache

I am having troubles with my cookie. I am working on a tournament/bracket system and I place an array in a cookie which holds the values I need for the brackets.

In the first page I create the cookie with the following code:

session_name('Tournament');
session_set_cookie_params(time()+3600, '/', 'digitalmustache.com');
session_start();
session_register('brackets');

I then initialize the values of the array successfully.

On the second page, I use the same code above. The second page reads the $brackets array successfully, then I also edit $brackets in that page. When I get to the third page (using the same code) I can't read $brackets at all.

Does anyone have a suggestion (or solution) for me? I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!!

DigitalMustache.com

ereptur

You do not need to use a session_register('brackets') on the subsequent pages. In fact, some people advise against it's use altogether. They would tell you to use $_SESSION['brackets'] instead, which I don't disagree with; it's the only way I've ever done it and it works fine.

Even with that change though, you don't want to set that value on each page. You want to set it on your login page and then just access it on the subsequent pages.

example_page1.php

session_name('Tournament');
session_set_cookie_params(time()+3600, '/', 'digitalmustache.com');
session_start();
$_SESSION['brackets'] = "yourvaluehere";

example_page2.php

session_name('Tournament');
session_start();
$brackets = $_SESSION['brackets'];

digitalmustache

What about an array? My 'brackets' is an array and I initialize/add values after that initial call and on subsequent pages. How would I go about doing that?

ereptur

then just wait to assign your array to a session variable until the next page.

example_page1.php

session_name('Tournament');
session_set_cookie_params(time()+3600, '/', 'digitalmustache.com');
session_start();

example_page2.php

session_name('Tournament');
session_start();
$_SESSION['brackets'] = serialize($yourarray);

The only thing you have to remember is that the session variable won't be available until the page reloads or your go to your next session-aware page.

Also, you will need to serialize the array for the session. Sessions cannot store associative arrays.

example_page3.php would then look like this.

session_name('Tournament');
session_start();
$brackets = unserialize($_SESSION['brackets']);

digitalmustache

That worked!! Thanks a bunch... You're a life saver!

I'll post a reply when my tournament is up on my website so you can check it out.

DigitalMustache.com