[Resolved] Header redirection kills $_SESSION variables

[Calahan]

Is this supposed to happen?!
For weeks I couldn't figure out why my session variables were not being passed to other pages. Finally tried taking off the automatic redirect and prompted the user to just click on a link and it worked without any probs. I liked the automatic redirection and would like to impliment it back into my website but without the afore mentioned problems.
Does anyone know of a fix or alternative that will give me the same effect?

Cheers.

[planetsim]

ive had things like this work with header redirections

can you show us some code.

[phpmaven]

It sounds like you are appending the session id to the end of the url. If that is true then that may explain why you are having this problem.

PHP will append the session id to any links that appear in hrefs on the page but it will not do so to any urls in JavaScript functions. If you are using JavaScript to do a redirect, then you will need to manually append the session id to the end or you will lose your session.

If you are not using JavaScript then as suggested above, post your code so we can help you figure it out.

[Calahan]

Thanks guys. This is the end of the code as to post it all would take up too much space. Basically, the code, checks required fields and input to make sure it's valid and then if all checks pass, the user is entered into the database using the else statement at the end.

$result_email_exists = mysql_query($email_exists) OR die(mysql_error());

//
if(mysql_num_rows($result_email_exists) == 1)
	{
echo "<H2><center>Someone has already regisered with that e-mail address. Please use your browser's BACK button and select an alternative one.</H2></center>";
exit();
	}

//Otherwise, run the $sql query and update the member table//
else
	{
	$_SESSION['entered_username'] = $_POST['username'];
	$_SESSION['login'] = 'yes';
	mysql_query($insert_member) OR die(mysql_error());
	header("Location: member.php");
	echo "<b><u><center>Your account has been created! </b></u><br>Sit tight, we're sending you back to the login page in 5 seconds.<br>
    If your browser doesn't support redirection and you're still here in 5 seconds, <a href='index.php'>click here</a></center>";
	}
?>

Now, the code on the member.php page contains an if statement that simply checks that the user has logged on using the following:

if (@$_SESSION['login'] != 'yes')
{
echo "<b><u><center>You haven't logged on!</b></u><p>
<a href='index.php'>Click Here</a> to return to the login page";
exit();
}

$_SESSION['login'] is set to yes after an existing user has logged on or as above, a new user registers but what happens is that I get the message that I have not logged on when being forwarded to the member.php page after creating a new account.
It works fine if I don't use a forwarder. Very confused 😕 .
On another note, I need a memory jog. Whats the syntax to make the redirect wait for x seconds?

Thanks for your help.

[planetsim]

from what ive seen you didnt call session_start(); before registering the sessions or checking if they exist

[Merve]

Don't use JavaScript redirects; use header(location: $whichever_URL_fits_here);

[Calahan]

Ahem. Rather embarresed now! Not happy with myself for missing the most obvious thing. I missed it because I had been using Auto Start for the sessions to try it out and that was the only page that I didn't put it back on. :rolleyes:
Cheers Planetsim. All is well again except for one thing, I used to have it set up to pause for n seconds before redirecting. Nothing I have found on Google so far clues me in to the syntax of it.
Any pointers?

[planetsim]

No problems

Look at Sleep

e.g.

Sleep(2); will pause for 2seconds.

Hope that helps.