refresh and session problems

[JLW]

I have been having a problem with printing session variables. I am making an admin area for a shopping cart. It has a login, then each user has different access levels. So before allowing a user into a certain area it checks the access level. However even if the user does have the right access privileges they can't access a anything until they refresh the page.

I have looked at ways of refreshing the page, the meta refresh or using the include header as a sort of refresh. Maybe I am not going about this the right way, but those methods did not work for me.

Can someone please explain how this refresh thing works?

[keith73]

page 1, enter.php:
form posts to login.php
page 2, login.php:
verifies info, creates session
redirects to mypage.php
page3, mypage.php:
displays session data

Are you using cookies or passing the SID by URL?
are you calling session_start() on the page that you want to print the data on?

post some code please.

• keith

[JLW]

Thanks for the quick response!!

I will try to cut the code down as much as possible.
I have an html form that has the user enter their information. I don't think you want to see that.

Here is the script that checks for a correct username and password, if the user name exists then a link is displayed for
them to enter the site:

Validate.php

session_start();  

error_reporting(E_ALL ^ E_NOTICE);
include ("include.php");//database connection
$table= "adminarea";

//post from form
$UserName = $_POST['UserName'];
$Password = $_POST['Password'];

if((!$UserName) || (!$Password )){
	include ("AdminLogin.html");
	echo "Please fill in both fields! <br />";
	exit();
}
include ("AdminLogin.html");
// check user input with db
$sql = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM $table WHERE UserName='$UserName' AND Password='$Password'");

$checklogin = mysql_num_rows($sql);


if($checklogin > 0){
	while($row = mysql_fetch_array($sql)){
	foreach( $row AS $key => $val ){
		$$key = stripslashes( $val );
	}

	session_register('AccessLevel');	
	$AccessLevel = $_SESSION['AccessLevel'];

	session_register('UserName');
	$UserName = $_SESSION['UserName'];

	session_register('UserFName');
	$UserFName = $_SESSION['UserFName'];


}//end while

echo "Enter Admin Area <a href=Admin.php> HERE </a><br>";

//LOGOUT 
echo "<br><br>";
echo "<form action=logout.php method=post>";
echo "<input type=\"submit\" name =\"submit\" value=\"Logout\">"; 
echo "</form>";

}else {
	echo "You could not be logged in!<br>";
	exit();
}



//This is Admin.php
session_start();
include("AdminGlobal.php");

//verifies they are logged in if they aren't takes them to
//the login form
CheckLogin();

error_reporting(E_ALL ^ E_NOTICE);
include("Admin.html");

$AccessLevel = $_SESSION['AccessLevel'];
$UserName = $_SESSION['UserName'];

print("<br>Welcome: $UserName<br>");

if($AccessLevel == 1){
	print("$UserName, You have the following privileges:<br><br>");
	//lists what privleges they have
	}
elseif($AccessLevel == 2){
	print("You have the following privileges:<br><br>");
                //lists what privleges they have
	}	
elseif($AccessLevel == 3){
	print("You have the following privileges:<br><br>");
	//lists what privleges they have
else print("you are not logged in");
}
?>

This works, but in order for it to work I must refresh on Validate.php, otherwise when you enter the site it says you are not logged in.

[JLW]

I went throught the process you said and it is still not working when you refresh. I am using version 4.2.2 of php, and globals are on. I don't know if that makes a difference.

Here are the changes I have made and it still requires a refresh:

<?PHP
//Validate.php
//everything is the same except include("Enter.php")
//instead of Admin.php
if($checklogin > 0){

while($row = mysql_fetch_array($sql)){
foreach( $row AS $key => $val ){
	$$key = stripslashes( $val );
}

	session_register('AccessLevel');	
	$AccessLevel = $_SESSION['AccessLevel'];

	session_register('UserName');
	$UserName = $_SESSION['UserName'];

	session_register('UserFName');
	$UserFName = $_SESSION['UserFName'];


}//end while

            //I changed this, the rest is the same
include("Enter.php");
}

?>

<?PHP
//Enter.php
//I added this, before it went to Admin.php
<?PHP
	session_start();
	include("AdminLogin.html");

$AccessLevel = $_SESSION['AccessLevel'];
$UserName = $_SESSION['UserName'];
$UserFName = $_SESSION['UserFName'];

echo "Enter Admin Area <a href=Admin.php> HERE </a><br>";
?>
//Admin.php is the same

As you can see I am using
1.Validate.php to post variables to the form, then verify the username and password.

2.Then Enter.php gives them a link to Admin.php
3. Admin php checks access level and lists privileges
Admin.php doesn't work unless I refresh the page at step 2.
I have spent a long time with this seemingly small problem but it just doesn't work. Does anyone have any ideas???? I would really appreciate it!