Increasing counter only ONCE per session

[mband2000]

Hello,

I have a code on my pages that adds to the stored number in the database everytime someone visits the page. Basically it's a counter.

Now.. my problem is that when someone visits the page again.. or hits refresh... the page count will increase again.. how can I store this is a session to stop the increase on the second visit to THAT PAGE.

NOTE: I still want to counts to go up on other pages..

Here is the code I have so far.

	$counterquery = mysql_query("SELECT counter FROM users WHERE username = '".$member."'");
	$output = mysql_fetch_assoc($counterquery);

$newcount = $output["counter"];
$newcount ++;

$storecounter = mysql_query("UPDATE users SET counter = '".$newcount."' WHERE username = '".$member."'");

[devinemke]

what is the criteria by which you want the judge when the counter should NOT be increased? you say you don't want to increase when a user hits refresh? when? hitting refesh 5 seconds later? 5 hours later? 5 years later? what is the time interval?

[mband2000]

I would like for the session to remain the same until the session dies.. or the browser is restarted.

[Installer]

Try something like

if (!isset($_SESSION[$page_name . '_counted']) {
    increment_count();
    $_SESSION[$page_name . '_counted'] = true;
}

[mband2000]

^Thanks

But I think my question is more of... how do I STORE the session after the count is made.

[Installer]

...how can I store this is [in?] a session to stop the increase on the second visit to THAT PAGE.

Sorry. I thought that was your question.

[mband2000]

So does anyone know how to store the visitors hit in their session file?

[tekky]

You need to be more specific I think... since someone already posted what appears to be a good answer.... you says its not so explain yourself.... what do you really want?

[mband2000]

Ok, here's the whole kit and kaboddle 😃 ...

I have a member's profile site... and each member's page contains a counter. Everytime another member visits their page.. the counter increases for their page in the database.

What I need to do is create a way for visitors to beable to only increase a page's counter value only ONCE during the site's visit. BUT they can increase other member pages as they visit them.

So I need to increase the counter... then put in the session something like this..

Counter_session | member1 | member2

so the visitor using that session can't increase the counter on member1 and member2's page.

each time they visit a different member page.. the member's name will be added to their Counter_session value.

I need to figure out how to do this.

[tekky]

why not create an array, and add that to the session? and if arrays dont work in a session, serialize the array, then unserialize it when you pull it out the session to check it

[mband2000]

serial-what? ... ummm I'm a newbie...😕 It sounds like you're talking another language..lol

I appreciate your help.. but I don't understand a lot of PHP. So all this talk about Cereal is only making me dizzy and hungry... 🙁

[tekky]

[man]serialize[/man] and [man]unserialize[/man] its a way of taking non standard data into a single string (ie. an array and turning it into a single string of data that can be passed easily between webpages)

[Drakla]

Couldn't you use something similar to this?

session_start();
    // get the current url
$thisPage = $_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME'];
    // is has their been a visit already?  If not flag it all up
if (!isset($_SESSION[$thisPage]))
{
	increate_page_count();	// whatever you do
	$_SESSION[$thisPage] = 1;
}

If your pages are somehow indexed with numbers, like showpage.php?page=5

Then do something like

$SESSION['visited'][$GET['page']] = 1;

[mband2000]

Again, I thank everyone for their help.. but still, no one has showed me how to SAVE this into a session file.. so that it stores EACH page the user has visited.

I know how to call and check the session.. my problem is storing it.

[tekky]

$_SESSION[$thisPage] = 1;

thats storing a session variable....

[laserlight]

but still, no one has showed me how to SAVE this into a session file.. so that it stores EACH page the user has visited.

Basically, storing into a session variable is 'saving this into a session file'.

[mband2000]

Ok, I understand now.. thank you very much for your help people.

Baby Jesus loves you! 😃

[mband2000]

Oh noooo, I just noticed something...

That only gets the script name and ends at the .php

but my pages are like this..

profile.php?member=membername

^it won't save that...

How can I save the url string with this?

[tekky]

look up SUPER GLOBALS on php.net it will provide an interesting read that touches on topics such as $GET and $POST and a few others

[note -- the direct answer is not included in this post, you will have to actually look at php.net and find it unless another person comes along and spoon feeds ya, which doesn't help you any since you should learn where you can find the answers for yourself --]

[comment -- funny my note is longer than the answer hehe --]

[mband2000]

Thanks Tekky.. I'll look into that!