[Resolved] Session Data With Cookies Disabled?

cbj4074

Hi guys,

Is there any way to pass variables across multiple pages without using sessions? I'm just concerned that some of the users to my site might have their cookies turned off, which doesn't let session data be read.

I thought of storing the data in my SQL database, but it seems like more hassle than it's worth.

I might just tell them to shit in their ballcaps if they don't have cookies enabled.

Can you test to see if they have cookies enabled by doing:

if(!session_id()) {
session_start();
     if(!session_id()) {
     //they must not have cookies on
    } 
}

Thanks, I'm sure this one has come up before, but I couldn't find anything quite the same by searching around...

swr

The session ID is what matters. If PHP knows the session ID, it can load the session data from the file like it usually does.

Cookies are the usual way of passing the session ID but not the only way. See here:
http://www.php.net/manual/en/ref.session.php#session.idpassing

Still, I'd just tell them to spit in their ballcaps.
Whether they have cookies enabled or not. :p

cbj4074

LOL. 😃

Okay, so suppose they do NOT have cookies enabled. How can I check for that, so I can give them a message, like "You don't have cookies enabled. Dump in your tophat."

Would this work?

if (!session_id) {
//PHP doesn't know the session id, so cookies must be off...
}

swr

I don't think that will work, because PHP will assign a session ID before it knows whether the browser has accepted it or not.

Try setting a cookie using [man]set_cookie[/man] then on the next page check to make sure it is set.

cbj4074

Thanks, I checked out that link, but it says, right in the copy on that page,

"This does not indicate whether the user accepted the cookie."

So no dice? Hmm... a perplexing little problem. Lots of sites do it though, so I wonder how?

swr

You set the cookie, then on the next page see if it is set.

If the user accepted the cookie, there will be an entry (but only on the next page, and thereafter). If cookies are disabled the $_COOKIE array will always be empty, even after you try to set cookies.