Forms and sessions

[fragger]

Hi all,

i have problems with a variable which i store in $SESSION['test']. each time i submit my form the variable in $SESSION is lost.
The var for $content will be send from the navigation (eg. p_textChange.php?content=news )

Here is my code:

p_dirs.php:

if ($content == "news")
{
$destFile = "newsFile.txt";
}
if ($content == "career")
{
$destFile = "careerFile.txt";

}

here is my p_textChange.php

<?PHP
session_start();
include("../p_dirs.php");

$SESSION['test'] = "../".$destFile;
print"<form method=get action=$SERVER[PHP_SELF]>";
//*******************************************************************************************

if (!file_exists ($_SESSION['test']))
  {
    print "<b>! File Missing !</b>";
	exit;
  } 
	if(isset($eventsField))
	{ 
	  $fp      = fopen($_SESSION['test'],"w");
	  $removeSlashes  = stripslashes ($update);
	  fputs($fp ,$removeSlashes);
      fclose($fp); 
	}
     if (isset($clearAll))
	  {
	   $NewsField = "";
	  }
	   $readout = file_get_contents($_SESSION['test']);	  

			print "<textarea name=NewsField class=forms cols=45 rows=20>$readout</textarea>";	
	        print "<p><input type=submit name=eventsField class=forms value=SCHREIBEN/&#196;NDERN>";
		    print "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<input type=submit name=clearAll class=forms value=EINGABEFELD&nbsp;DELETE>";
            print "<p>";

	print "</form>";		

?>

can anyone help me on that ?

Thanx in advance
Olli

[ragedigital]

if ($_GET['content'] == "news")
{
$destFile = "newsFile.txt"; 
}
if ($_GET['content']== "career")
{
$destFile = "careerFile.txt"; 
}

[fragger]

hmmmm still not working....

[ragedigital]

Have you worked with SESSION variables before to verify that they have the correct path?

PHP Manual: http://us2.php.net/session_save_path

[ragedigital]

Although, I'm still not sure why you're using the variable $_SESSION['test'] in this script anyway. You're not using it or testing it, but instead you're reassigning it based on an incoming GET variable each time the script is run.

You also should have a DEFAULT value if there is nothing in the $_GET['content'] variable.

if ($_GET['content'] == "news")
    $destFile = "newsFile.txt"; 
else
    $destFile = "careerFile.txt"; 

[fragger]

I used $_SESSION['test'] to make the var '$destDir' part of the session...

and the director are not only 2....

if ($GET['content'] == "news")
{
$destFile = "newsFile.txt";
}
if ($GET['content']== "career")
{
$destFile = "careerFile.txt";
}
if ($_GET['content']== "aboutme")
{
$destFile = "aboutmeFile.txt";
}

[tsinka]

Hi,

one of the problems is that the fourth line of the second script overwrites the session variable as soon as you submit the form because you're not checking if the script has been requested the first time (with the content parameter) or if the form has been submitted (you need to this in the p_dirs.php script, too.

I created both scripts a litte bit to show you one possible way. Form data validation and some other stuff is missing but the basics should be clear.

I changed the form method to post

p_dirs.php:

<?PHP
$arrDirs = array('news' => 'newsFile.txt',
                 'career' => 'careerFile.txt');

$strBaseDir = '../';

$destFile = '';

if (isset($_GET['content'])) {
  if (array_key_exists($_GET['content'], $arrDirs)) {
    $destFile = $strBaseDir.$arrDirs[$_GET['content']];
        $_SESSION['destFile'] = $destFile;
  } else {
    echo '<b>Invalid target file selected</b><br>';
        exit;
  }
} else if (isset($_SESSION['destFile'])) {
  $destFile = $_SESSION['destFile'];
}
?>

p_textChange.php:

<?PHP
session_start();
require_once("../p_dirs.php");

$readout = '';

if (empty($destFile) || !file_exists($destFile)) {
  echo "<b>! destination file missing !</b>";
  exit;
}

if(isset($_POST['eventsField'])) {
  $readout = $_POST['NewsField'];
  $fp = fopen($destFile, 'w');

  // change the code to use stripslashes only if magic_quotes_gpc is enabled ?
  $readout = stripslashes($readout);
  fputs($fp, $readout);
  fclose($fp);
} else if (isset($_POST['clearAll'])) {
  $readout = '';
} else {
  $readout = file_get_contents($destFile);
}

?>
<form method="post" action="<?PHP echo $_SERVER[PHP_SELF]; ?>">
  <textarea name="NewsField" class="forms" cols="45" rows="20"><?PHP echo $readout; ?></textarea>
  <p>
    <input type="submit" name="eventsField" class="forms" value="SCHREIBEN/&Auml;NDERN">
    &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
    <input type="submit" name="clearAll" class="forms" value="EINGABEFELD&nbsp;DELETE">
  </p>
</form>

Thomas

[fragger]

The script is now a little bit clearer. Thank you 😉..but when i hit the submit button a second time the var $destdir is empty.

[tsinka]

Add some lines just after the session_start() function call:

echo session_id()."<br>";
echo "<pre>";
print_r($_SESSION);
echo "</pre>";

Check if the session id and/or the session content changes between form submits.

Thomas

[fragger]

The output says:

b4bf2d48b485fc34e1bdafa7b0ea8df2

Array
(
)

[tsinka]

Does the session id change if you reload the page ?

[fragger]

ID changes, yes.

[tsinka]

Ok,

that's bad. The id shouldn't change. Some checks:

1. Post the session settings (session section in the output of phpinfo())
2. What are your cookie settings
3. Do you have a (personal) firewall that may be filtering cookies ?
4. Make sure that the session save path exists and that the web server can write to that directory

[fragger]

Here is the output:

It seems that everything is ok. I checked the Firewall, cookie settings

Session Support enabled
Registered save handlers files user

Directive Local Value Master Value
session.auto_start Off Off
session.bug_compat_42 On On
session.bug_compat_warn On On
session.cache_expire 180 180
session.cache_limiter nocache nocache
session.cookie_domain no value no value
session.cookie_lifetime 0 0
session.cookie_path / /
session.cookie_secure Off Off
session.entropy_file no value no value
session.entropy_length 0 0
session.gc_divisor 100 100
session.gc_maxlifetime 1440 1440
session.gc_probability 1 1
session.name PHPSESSID PHPSESSID
session.referer_check no value no value
session.save_handler files files
session.save_path /tmp /tmp
session.serialize_handler php php
session.use_cookies On On
session.use_only_cookies Off Off
session.use_trans_sid Off Off