Do you recommend cookies?

[Dolemite50]

Hi,

I am building a site that will allow users to login, go to a forum, upload files, etc. I would like them to be able to have them just login once and have access to all "login required" features. I would be happy if anybody could give me some insight here...

Are cookies the way to go? I would like to accomplish things like populating pages with their login name, so I will need to have access to their login name in the php code at all times.

I am using mysql. Is their any technique to just set a boolean to logged in in a column? Would that make it easier?

Thanks alot for any input.

😕

[SumitGupta]

Hi..

Yes you can use cookies for the same..If you doesn't have an Idea than cookies are just a text file created on user computer where one can store some temprory data for as long as the cookie expires.(time can be set by u)

For your logon there are two good method..

1) Cookie
2) Session

The problem with cookie is that many of user doens't have cookie unable and hence you cannot always relay on it. But for this use session which is better option...

Session are not used if you have custom setting for your user like most of the fourm has related to custom setting that need to use cookie or database...

Hope it help u

[superwormy]

You basically have two choices:
cookies
passing a session id through the url

Either way, it'd be implemented pretty much teh same. It should be noted that PHP's session handling functions are propagated through either cookies or a session id through teh URL too, they just have the added benefit of convienent server-side storage for teh duration of the session.

And no, you can't just set a boolean 'logged in' field to true in MySQL. Though that'll probably be part of your solution.

The problem is that on each request, you need a way to identify which session the request belongs to... thus the need for a unique session id assigned to the browser.

[redrabbit]

Only if they are chocolate chip