[RESOLVED] SESSION variable problems

[OniLink]

I set a SESSION variable in this php file:

session_start();
$_SESSION['reg_verify'] = 'TEST';

It is called upon first.

Then to test if the SESSION variables value, I open this php file:

session_start();
echo '<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">';
echo 'alert("'.$_SESSION['reg_verify'].'");';
echo '</script>';

But when the alert window comes up, it doesn't display the 'TEST' like it should.

Can someone please let me know waht I'm doing wrong?

Thanks,
~Oni.

[bpat1434]

Why not just do this:

<?php
session_start();

if(!isset($_SESSION['reg_verify']) || empty($_SESSION['reg_verify']))
    $_SESSION['reg_verify'] = 'TEST';

echo '<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">
  alert("' . $_SESSION['reg_verify'] . '");
</script>';

// Now let's set it to todays date shall we ?
$_SESSION['reg_verify'] = date('r');

echo '<a href="' . $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'] . '">Click Me to check the session again!!</a>';
?>

Check it before you go to the page, and again after. But I think Sessions are typically per session. So if you open a new page, it won't work. You have to follow a link or be directed there. You can't just type in a new browser page. But I could be wrong.

[ EDIT ] Just realized the code above is useless.... revamped to actually work... Duh!!
Now, the first time it should alert "TEST" and the second the date and time.

[OniLink]

Thanks, but I stupidly failed to mention that SESSION['reg_verify'] isn't actually going to equal "TEST". That was just a test to see if the SESSION variable was working or not. It will actually have a random string.

So what I need to know is why the SESSION['reg_verify'] isn't holding it's value after I set it?

[bpat1434]

I understand that, but that's what my test was. I set it, then updated it, then went to a new page and it held it's value.

You may not have sessions configured correctly in PHP. Check your php.ini section dealing with sessions to make sure you're not restricting anything.

You might also try using a session name.

An easy way to see if a new session is created is this:

session_start();
echo session_name();
$_SESSION['reg_verify'] = 'TEST';

session_start();
echo session_name();
echo '<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">';
echo 'alert("'.$_SESSION['reg_verify'].'");';
echo '</script>'; 

If the session names are different, you need to think of a way of holding a table of values to match up the visitor to the session ID. One way is to use a flat-file and do
hostname session_name
Then it's just a matter of something like this:

<?php
session_start();
include_once('functions.php');
recordSession(session_name());
$_SESSION['reg_verify'] = 'TEST';
?>

<?php
include_once('functions.php');
if(hasSession() == true)
  session_name(getSessionName());
session_start();

echo '<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">
  alert("' . $_SESSION['reg_verify'] . '");
</script>';
?>

<?php
$session_info = array();

function recordSession($sessName) {
  global $session_info;
  if(($key = hasSession(true)) !== false) {
    $session_info['host'][$key] = getHost();
    $session_info['name'][$key] = $sessName;
  }
  else {
    $session_info['host'][] = getHost();
    $session_info['name'][] = $sessName;
  }
  writeSession($session_info);
}

function hasSession($retKey = false, $sep = '    ') {
  global $session_info;
  $tmp = file_get_contents('session_table.txt');

  $lines = explode($tmp, "\n");
  foreach($lines as $line) {
    list($session_info['host'][], $session_info['name'][]) = explode($sep, $line);
  }

if(($key = array_search(getHost(), $session_info['host'])) !== false) {
  if($retKey)
    return $key;
  else
    return true;
}

  return false;
}

function getSessionName() {
  global $session_info;

   if(($key = array_search(getHost(), $session_info['host'])) !== false) {
      return $session_info['name'][$key];
    }

return false;
}

function getHost() {
  return ((!isset($_SERVER['REMOTE_HOST']) || empty($_SERVER['REMOTE_HOST']) ? gethostbyaddr($_SERVRE['REMOTE_ADDR']) || $_SERVER['REMOTE_HOST']);
}

function writeSession($array, $sep = '    ') {
  for($i=0; $i<count($array['host']); $i++) {
    $sess[] = $array['host'][$i] . $sep . $array['name'][$i];
  }

  $fp = fopen('session_table.txt', 'w');
  foreach($sess as $line) {
    fwrite($fp, $line."\n");
  }
  fclose($fp);
}
?>

Something like that would work. Of course it would be better if it was done with an object, but that should give you an idea.

[OniLink]

Thanks mate. Doing that led to the problem and now its fixed.

Cheers,
~Oni.

[bpat1434]

So what was the problem?