Session gets nuked using 'header' redirects

phplearner

After weeks of total frustration, I think I just discovered that $_SESSION['var'] will NOT get passed from page to page and no SESSION ID shows in the URL when using a 'header' go-to-page within a loop.

However, if I use $SESSION['var'] and a m-a-n-u-a-l html href page link, I get a SESSION ID and I can read the $SESSION['var'] down the line.

But this is a sad situation, because each successive page has a form involved and would require first clicking a submit button and then another click for a page link which is ridiculous.

Is there some kind of 'secret' trick to getting $_SESSION stuff to work with an if-else loop where 'header' go-to-next-page stuff is involved?

Thank you very much if you can help solve this friggin' dilemna.

marky2coats

Are you using session cookies or the URL to pass the session ID?

Mark

phplearner

Not cookies...to many people have cookies disabled.

Trying to use the URL (this works if a manual click-here-for-next-page but NOT via a 'header' redirect which is the unsolved problem!

keith73

please show a sequence of events here.

Here's what I would do.

form1.php submits to process1.php
process1.php creates the session, puts the values in the session and contains NO HTML. After creating the session and it's values, I would call header() to go to the next page, passing the session_id() in the url.

//some form processing up here
//start the session
session_start();
$_SESSION['var1'] = $_POST['var1'];
$sessid = session_id();
$url = "form2.php?" . session_name() . "=$sessid";
header("Location: $url");

on your forms, make sure that there is a hidden field with name=session_name and value=session_id

and the majority of web surfers out there don't know what a cookie is, let alone how to turn them off. You could use cookies, just make sure you test for them first and let your users know you're using cookies and they have to have them on.

keith

phplearner

keith73:

Thank you for the info. I've been trying to work through something similar on another forum, but can't seem to go from page1 to page 2 and then page 3 and have things work.

Will try your approach with some test files.

Tnx.

phplearner

keith73:

It appears I finally have a solution here...substantially thanks to YOUR help 😃

At the top of EACH page:

error_reporting(2039); // Temporary fix?  Without it, numerous Notices/warnings 
ob_start(); 
session_start();
$sessid = session_id();

In the code loops of EACH successive page until final processing page:

$_SESSION['someformvar'] = $_POST['someformvar']; 
$url = "eachnextpage.php?" . session_name() . "=$sessid"; 
header("Location: $url");

FYI, I also tried sticking this in above but it didn't seem to work:

// echo "<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"session_name\" value=\"session_id\">";

I don't know if the error_reportin(2039) might cause a problem on someone else's system, but for now I can use here myself which is a first step!

Thanks again to ALL who so kindly offered assistance, code examples & testing help.

Best Regards...

phplearner

Well, a new glitch here...getting the actual 1st page (Order Form) to properly route to the tax page.

Even though I have ztax3z.php in the form post action, it goes directly to zship3z.php and bypassess ztax3z.php which is no good. My latest attempt results in Submit just yielding the same order form page!!!

Here is my code:

<?php
error_reporting(2039); // Temporary fix?  Without it, numerous Notices/warnings 
ob_start(); 
session_start();
$sessid = session_id(); 
?>
<html>
<head>
<title>Test</title>
</head>

<FORM method=POST action="<?php "ztax3z.php?" . session_name() . "=$sessid";?>">

Quantity:<INPUT NAME=qty size=2 value="1">

Size:
<SELECT NAME=prodsize>
<OPTION value="XL">XL</OPTION>
<OPTION value="Large"></OPTION>
<OPTION value="Medium"></OPTION>
<OPTION value="Small"></OPTION>
</SELECT>

Color:
<SELECT NAME=prodcolor>
<OPTION value="Red">Red</OPTION>
<OPTION value="White">White</OPTION>
<OPTION value="Blue">Blue</OPTION>
</SELECT>

Inscription: <INPUT NAME=inscribe type="text" size=10 maxlength="10">

<br><br>
<INPUT TYPE="hidden" name="item" VALUE="TS^SFP-1^Stanley Shirt^12.950^qty^Super^prodsize^prodcolor^inscribe^.5^^^NC^^^^yes^^^[url]http://www.somedomain.com/images/prodpix1.gif[/url]">
<INPUT TYPE="hidden" name="item2" VALUE="RM^EXE-1^BLAH">
<INPUT TYPE="hidden" name="sesson_name" VALUE="session_id">
<INPUT NAME="submit" type="submit" name="Process">
</FORM>

<body>
</body>
</html>
<?php
ob_end_flush();
?>

Ultimately, the "item" values must end up getting processed after:

The form (goes to)
ztax3z.php (goes to)
zship3z.php (goes to)
Final page before Authorize.Net
(In the latter, a list(), explode, etc. parses it all out.

Thanks for any help.

HalfaBee

You forgot the echo.

<FORM method=POST action="<?php echo "ztax3z.php?" . session_name() . "=$sessid";?>">

As for your header() problem, why don't you process
the first form at the start of the second form and you don't need
the header().

HalfaBee