session problem

ceanth

i have a "session_start()" but i get this error message:

Warning: Cannot send session cookie - headers already sent by (output started at /homes/cghe11/public_html/finalsite/php/validatelogin.php:13) in /homes/cghe11/public_html/finalsite/php/validatelogin.php on line 36

Warning: Cannot send session cache limiter - headers already sent (output started at /homes/cghe11/public_html/finalsite/php/validatelogin.php:13) in /homes/cghe11/public_html/finalsite/php/validatelogin.php on line 36
You could not be logged in! Either the username and password do not match or you have not validated your membership!
Please try again!

what does this mean?

TheIceman5

exactly as it says

Cannot send session cookie - headers already sent by (output started at /homes/cghe11/public_html/finalsite/php/validatelogin.php:13

and again, exactly as it says

You could not be logged in! Either the username and password do not match or you have not validated your membership!

ceanth

umm what exactly does that mean? line 13 doesnt contain any php coding, am i missing some kind of coding?

this is what i have

session_start();

include 'db.php';

$result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM staff ");
while ($r = mysql_fetch_array($result)) {
if ($r[1] == $uname) {
if ($r[2] == $pass) {

echo "we have a match";

}
}
else echo "error";
}

if u remove the line "session_start()" it works

ceanth

oh sorry that but i was what i took out, with the code i pasted the second error becomes:

So that means the login bit is working i.e. link to the database

cosminb

this means that you can't start a session or send a cookie after you started outputing

Ex:
<?php echo 'bla bla bla';?>
or
<html>
  <head> ....
or 

eaven if you have an empty line outside the php code

you can not echo something and then start the session.
In other words this:

echo 'bla bla';
session_start();

won't work

TheIceman5

and theres nothing above the '<?' not even a space? and theres nothing before 'session_start(); ' except '<?' ?

cosminb

there must be nothing before <?php
after <?php you can have anything you want except echo or other functions that have an output

ceanth

interesting, i have other stuff b4 the <? but its html code, would that cause the error?

TheIceman5

Originally posted by ceanth
interesting, i have other stuff b4 the <? but its html code, would that cause the error?

YES

ceanth

woohoo, cheers everyone, i put

<?php
session_start();
?>

right at the top and then carred on with the <html> then opened another <? with the rest of it, it worked but will this cause any problems (having 2X <? statements)?

TheIceman5

it worked but will this cause any problems (having 2X <? statements)?

NOu can have a million if ya want.

ceanth

excellent! thanks for ur help 😉

ceanth

one quick question, how do u set a time for the session? like a 2min timeout from when it is created

cosminb

Have you heard of The PHP Manual ?????
Here you will find an answer to your problem
🙂 🙂

ceanth

lol i was looking for it but got lazy 😃 The link u gave doesnt work

cosminb

Sorry

Now it works