[Resolved] Session variables - How

bamboo2

I have read everything I could find and still haven't found the proper syntax or location in the page. The article on using session variables was a great help but I am still lost. Any help including sample code really apprecliated.

Page 1 has a list of links that call page 2.

On page 1 I have a form checkbox without a submit button.

If the checkbox is checked I need to save the status and pass it to page 2 whenever a link is called so I want to set the session variables to make the checkbox status global.

I need a function that will set the session variable and where the function is placed in the page ( before the <html> in the <head>?)

Don't know how to define the function but this is what I want to accomplish ?

function set_my_session_var
session_start();
if checkbox==checked then
$my_session_checkbox = "1";
else
$my_session_checkbox = "0";
endif
session_register("my_session_checkbox");
endfunction

In the checkbox onclick="set_my_session_var" to set the session variable.

On page 2 where do I place the php session start code?

Proposed code:
<?php
session_start();
?>

<body>
Below is what I want to accomplish

if 1 == $mysession_checkbox
do process1;
else
do process2;
endif

Any help with the proper php syntax and placement on the page will be appreciated.

Bert

Shrike

I'm not quite sure what you are trying to do.

For PHP to know that the checkbox is checked, you will either need to submit an actual form, that is, form fields enclosed by <form> ... </form> tags, or get the checkbox state using Javascript, and pass it as a GET parameter in the URL. The second method may be best as you say there are a number of links.

Once passed, the checkbox state can be accessed in PHP either with $GET['checkboxname'] or $POST['checkboxname'].

Just to make a point, a checkbox means nothing to PHP. When submitting data with GET or POST, all PHP sees are name + value pairs, e.g. $_GET['checkboxname'] = "checkboxvalue".

HTH

bamboo2

Page 1 has the normal header, left nav, footer and main body.

the main body is a tabular table with columns that shows the plant name, height, diam. min temp, sun/shade. The plant name on each row is a link to the display page for that plant and has full information about the plant with a photo.

Since much of my target audience is form rural areas and have slow dialup connections I wanted to set a global variable on page 1 so when a page 2 link opened i can check the global variable and load a regular photo or load a small or thumbnail photo to reduce the download time for slower connections.

Currently I load a thumbnail that displays on page 2 and they have to click on a link to download the full size photo.

I don't know java and am just learning php (on chapter 2 Thompson and Welling PHP and MySql).

Is there someway that a submit buttom could set the global var and do nothing else?

Bert

Shrike

The simplest way would be to create two links, one for the big image and one for the small e.g.

Plant name (big|small)

If you want to maintain state between pages, and also get this state from a checkbox...whilst still using regular links then as I said you'd need to use Javascript

// Javascript function to submit a link
function link(url){
  document.location.href = url+"?imgsize="+document.checkboxname.checked
}

Then to make use of the Javascript, each link would need to have an onclick method

<a href="page.php" onclick="link('page.php');return false">Link</a>

bamboo2

Thanks Shrike,

With my limited knowledge of php and no knowledge of java I have just added 2 pages one with a form and another to post the global variables.

Clumbsy I know but it works for now while I study more.

I have learned much already just form reading the forum post.

Bert