Cookies in Functions What Tha f%$#^*

[gomer_pyle]

I am trying to set cookies in a function, but they will not work. Is this just a limitation of php or is there a way to do it?

Thanks
Gomer

[Mordecai]

Nope, they work fine.

Do you get an error? (If it's 'headers already sent...', I'd advise you search for the error.)

[gomer_pyle]

Thanks for the reply,

I get no error that I know of.

the code looks like this:

function exampe(){
setcookie('mycookie', 'test');
echo HTTP_COOKIE_VARS['mycookie'];
}

example();

If I use the setcookie and echo commands outside of the function it works like a charm. Could it have to do with my php settings?

Thanks again,

Gomer

[tommynanda]

Try adding expiration time
setcookie('mycookie', 'test',time()+3600);

[drew010]

cookies wont be available until the next page load so setting the cookie and then trying to display it wont work. you will first have to reload the page.
something like this can work:

//page.php

if (!isset($_COOKIE['c_name'])) {
  setcookie("c_name", "value");
  header("Location: page.php"); //refresh
} else {
  echo "Cookie value is {$_COOKIE['c_name']}.";
}

$HTTP_COOKIE_VARS is deprecated so you should use $_COOKIE now.

[gomer_pyle]

Drew,

Thanks for the good advice I can now get cookies to work in functions. I have tried to apply your good advice to a form function I was working on.

2 problems have arisen.

Problem 1: The basic idea is to have the form reload when the "Country" field is changed. When the Form re-loads cookies are set with values already entered in other fields, so that when the reloading is finished the entries are preserved. I did this by the following code:

<td><select name= "country" onChange="window.location=('testform.php');
writeCookie('cCountry', country.options[country.selectedIndex].value, .02);
writeCookie('cFname', window.first_name.value, .02);
writeCookie('cLname', window.last_name.value, .02);
writeCookie('cCity', window.city.value, .02);
writeCookie('cZip', window.zip.value, .02);
writeCookie('cPhone', window.phone.value, .02);
writeCookie('cMail', window.email.value, .02);
writeCookie('cBand', window.band_name.value, .02);
writeCookie('cNumMem', window.num_members.value, .02);
writeCookie('cAddress', window.address.value, .02);
writeCookie('cGenre', genre.options[genre.selectedIndex].value, .02);
"> <?php dynamic_menu(nation, $change_var); ?> //<- dynamic drop down
</td></tr>

The first problem is this solution only works on the safari browser. Other browser such as Mozilla and IE do not retireve the cookie values and the other fields remain blank. What is strange is the Drop Down menus new value which is also stored in a cookie IS Retrieved. I tried to use your "header()" solution by replacing the "window.location" command with <? header(Location: 'testform.php')?> however it fails to load the page and warns me I have too many headers.

Problems #2 is just that I would like the whole
solution to be in php and not javascript. That is why I liked your header solution.

Again any help by all would be great!

Thanks Again
Gomer

[drew010]

if you want it to be pure php, you will need to put a submit button on the form so after the user changes all the dropdowns and text fields, they click submit and all the changes are processed and the cookies are set by checking the $POST values.
if you want the page to refresh after they change a dropdown, you will need to use js. rather than using window.location, try using document.forms.formname.submit() so when they change the value, it pseudo submits the form as if they pressed a submit button and then you can still set cookies thru php using $POST values to determine what they selected, of course that method will include a small amount of js to submit using the onChange event.

[gomer_pyle]

Drew,

Great idea thanks alot the this.document.formname.submit() worked! I just had to add this.document.formname.action = this.document.URL so that the posting would return to the current page as opposed to going to the page pointed to in the original HTLM action tag.

Thanks again.
-Gomer