[RESOLVED] Cookies acting strange

amy_damnit

I'm in chapter 9 now of Larry Ullman's PHP book, and having some issues with cookies.

Here is the example I'm on...

Set Color Preferences

<?php
	// Address eroor handling.
	// error_reporting(E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE);

// Cookies have not been sent.
$cookies = FALSE;

// Handle the form if it has been sent.
if (isset($_POST['submit'])) {
	// Send the cookies.
	setcookie ('bg_color', $_POST['bg_color']);
	setcookie ('font_color', $_POST['font_color']);

	// Cookie have been sent.
	$cookies = TRUE;
}
?>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
    <head>
        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
        <title></title>
    </head>
    <body>
        <?php
			// If the cookies were sent, then print a message.
			if ($cookies) {
				print '<p>Your settings have been entered.
				Click <a href="0902_ViewSettings.php">here</a>
				to go back to the main page.</p>';
			}
        ?>

	<p>Use this form to set your preferences:</p>

	<form action="0901_Customize.php" method="post">
		<select name="bg_color">
			<option value="">Background Color</option>
			<option value="#ffffff">White</option>
			<option value="#00cc00">Green</option>
			<option value="#0000ff">Blue</option>
			<option value="#cc0000">Red</option>
			<option value="#000000">Black</option>
			<option value="#111111">Other</option>
		</select>

		<select name="font_color">
			<option value="">Font Color</option>
			<option value="#ffffff">White</option>
			<option value="#00cc00">Green</option>
			<option value="#0000ff">Blue</option>
			<option value="#cc0000">Red</option>
			<option value="#000000">Black</option>
			<option value="#111111">Other</option>
		</select>

		<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Set My Preferences" />
	</form>
</body>
</html>

Display Color Preferences

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
    <head>
        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
        <title></title>

	<style type="text/css">
		body {
	        <?php
				// Address eroor handling.
				// error_reporting(E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE);

				// Check for a bg_color value.
				if (isset($_COOKIE['bg_color'])) {
					print "\tbackground-color: {$_COOKIE['bg_color']};\n";
				} else {
					print "\tbackground-color: #ffffff;\n";
				}

				// Check for a font_color value.
				if (isset($_COOKIE['font_color'])) {
					print "\t\t\t\tcolor: {$_COOKIE['font_color']}; \n";
				} else {
					print "\t\t\t\tcolor: #000000; \n";
				}
	        ?>
		}
	</style>
</head>
<body>
	<p><a href="0904_Reset.php">Reset Your Settings</a></p>

	<p>
	yadda yadda yadda yadda yadda
	yadda yadda yadda yadda yadda
	yadda yadda yadda yadda yadda
	yadda yadda yadda yadda yadda
	yadda yadda yadda yadda yadda
	</p>

</body>
</html>

When I run this code, it appears to work, however I've stumbled across some weird cookie behavior...

1.) When I step through the code in NetBeans, it doesn't show the cookies being updated on real time? (They only appear with the new values the next time I "debug".)

2.) I'm using Firefox on my Mac, and have it so I'm always prompted to Accept/Reject cookies, yet when I run this ocde I never get prompted?!

3.) I don't know where the cookies are being stored, because they cannot be found in Firefox?! (Yet they do seem to be working/updating.)

4.) The book says the cookies should "expire" when I close the browser, yet they persist even without having an "expiration date" argument?!

So far these book examples work, but I'm not following the aforementioned areas.

What am I missing?

Thanks,

Amy

amy_damnit

Does anyone else know why the code in my original post does not trigger the Accept/Reject Cookie Prompt and why I can't find the cookies on my Mac?

:bemused:

Amy

NogDog

If the two scripts are in different directories, you might want to set the 4th parameter of setcookie() to "/" so that the cookie is available to all pages in that domain regardless of what directory they are in.

amy_damnit

NogDog,

I did put a "/" in the fourth parameter but that doesn't changes things.

Since no one else responded, let me re-post what my problem is...

There are 3 scripts in my PHP book:

1.) 0903_Customize.php
Allows you to set background color and font color by setting cookies.

2.) 0902_ViewSettings.php
Allows you to view the new settings.

3.) 0904_Reset.php
Allows you to re-set the background color to white and font color to black.

When I run the first script and select new colors, Firefox doesn't prompt me to accept/reject the cookies. And they do not appear in Firefox afterwards.

When I run the second script, the colors do seem to change.

When I run the third script, it re-sets the colors, but when I go back to the second script via hyperlink, the non-standard colors reappear, which leads me to belive there is a cookie issue.

Besides, why can't I find the cookies?

Here are my scripts...

0903_Customize.php

<?php
	// Address eroor handling.
	// error_reporting(E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE);

// Cookies have not been sent.
$cookies = FALSE;

// Handle the form if it has been sent.
if (isset($_POST['submit'])) {
	// Send the cookies.
	setcookie ('bg_color', $_POST['bg_color'],
					time()+10000000, '/', '', 0);
	setcookie ('font_color', $_POST['font_color'],
					time()+10000000, '/', '', 0);

	// Cookie have been sent.
	$cookies = TRUE;
}
?>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
    <head>
        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
        <title></title>
    </head>
    <body>
        <?php
			// If the cookies were sent, then print a message.
			if ($cookies) {
				print '<p>Your settings have been entered.
				Click <a href="0902_ViewSettings.php">here</a>
				to go back to the main page.</p>';
			}
        ?>

	<p>Use this form to set your preferences:</p>

	<form action="0901_Customize.php" method="post">
		<select name="bg_color">
			<option value="">Background Color</option>
			<option value="#ffffff">White</option>
			<option value="#00cc00">Green</option>
			<option value="#0000ff">Blue</option>
			<option value="#ffff33">Yellow</option>
			<option value="#cc0000">Red</option>
			<option value="#000000">Black</option>
			<option value="#111111">Other</option>
		</select>

		<select name="font_color">
			<option value="">Font Color</option>
			<option value="#ffffff">White</option>
			<option value="#00cc00">Green</option>
			<option value="#0000ff">Blue</option>
			<option value="#ffff33">Yellow</option>
			<option value="#cc0000">Red</option>
			<option value="#000000">Black</option>
			<option value="#111111">Other</option>
		</select>

		<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Set My Preferences" />
	</form>
</body>
</html>

0902_ViewSettings.php

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
    <head>
        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
        <title></title>
		<style type="text/css">
			body {
		        <?php
					// Address eroor handling.
					// error_reporting(E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE);

				// Check for a bg_color value.
				if (isset($_COOKIE['bg_color'])) {
					print "\tbackground-color: {$_COOKIE['bg_color']};\n";
				} else {
					print "\tbackground-color: #ffffff;\n";
				}

				// Check for a font_color value.
				if (isset($_COOKIE['font_color'])) {
					print "\t\t\t\tcolor: {$_COOKIE['font_color']}; \n";
				} else {
					print "\t\t\t\tcolor: #000000; \n";
				}
	        ?>
		}
	</style>
</head>
<body>
	<p><a href="0904_Reset.php">Reset Your Settings</a></p>

	<p>
	yadda yadda yadda yadda yadda<br />
	yadda yadda yadda yadda yadda<br />
	yadda yadda yadda yadda yadda<br />
	yadda yadda yadda yadda yadda<br />
	yadda yadda yadda yadda yadda<br />
	</p>
</body>
</html>

0904_Reset.php

<?php
	// Address eroor handling.
	// error_reporting(E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE);

// Delete the cookies.
setcookie ('bg_color', '', time()-60, '/', '', 0);
setcookie ('font_color', '', time()-60, '/', '', 0);
?>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
    <head>
        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
        <title></title>
    </head>
    <body>
		<p>Your settings have been reset!
		Click <a href="0902_ViewSettings.php">here</a>
		to go back to the main page.</p>
    </body>
</html>

I'm not sure what is wrong, but sure could use some help!

Thanks,

Amy

amy_damnit

I've tried this in both Firefox and Safari on my Mac with no luck, and have really reached an impasse.

Can anyone offer some help please? 😕

Amy

amy_damnit

Oh the CRAZINESS?! :eek:

Looks like I may have solved my problem all by myself. (Come on the 87 people who viewed my original post, where were you?! I'm a newbie?! :p:p )

Here is what I did...

1.) I found this link Firefox not saving cookies that seemed to help. (It was written for PC users, but I figured it out on my Mac.)

2.) It appears that Safari doesn't save my cookies either, but it was kind of working?!

3.) I re-wrote Larry Ullman's code - again! - and made the three programs flow together better. (See below.)

0903_Customize.php

<?php
	// Address eroor handling.
	// error_reporting(E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE);

// Cookies have not been sent.
$cookies = FALSE;

// Handle the form if it has been sent.
if (isset($_POST['submit'])) {
	// Send the cookies.
	setcookie ('bg_color', $_POST['bg_color'],
					time()+10000000, '/', '', 0);
	setcookie ('font_color', $_POST['font_color'],
					time()+10000000, '/', '', 0);

	// Cookie have been sent.
	$cookies = TRUE;
}
?>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
    <head>
        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
        <title></title>
    </head>
    <body>
		<!-- NEW -->
		<h1>Customize Form Colors</h1>

	<?php
		// If the cookies were sent, then print a message.
		if ($cookies) {
			print '<p>Your settings have been entered.</P
			<p>Click <a href="0902_ViewSettings.php">here</a>
			to go back to the main page.</p>';
		} else {
			print '<p>Use this form to set your preferences:</p>

			<form action="0903_Customize.php" method="post">
				<select name="bg_color">
					<option value="">Background Color</option>
					<option value="#ffffff">White</option>
					<option value="#00cc00">Green</option>
					<option value="#0000ff">Blue</option>
					<option value="#ffff33">Yellow</option>
					<option value="#cc0000">Red</option>
					<option value="#000000">Black</option>
					<option value="#111111">Other</option>
				</select>

				<select name="font_color">
					<option value="">Font Color</option>
					<option value="#ffffff">White</option>
					<option value="#00cc00">Green</option>
					<option value="#0000ff">Blue</option>
					<option value="#ffff33">Yellow</option>
					<option value="#cc0000">Red</option>
					<option value="#000000">Black</option>
					<option value="#111111">Other</option>
				</select>

				<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Set Preferences"/>
			</form>';
		}
    ?>
</body>
</html>

0902_ViewSettings.php

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
    <head>
        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
        <title></title>
		<style type="text/css">
			body {
		        <?php
					// Address eroor handling.
					// error_reporting(E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE);

				// Check for a bg_color value.
				if (isset($_COOKIE['bg_color'])) {
					print "\tbackground-color: {$_COOKIE['bg_color']};\n";
				} else {
					print "\tbackground-color: #ffffff;\n";
				}

				// Check for a font_color value.
				if (isset($_COOKIE['font_color'])) {
					print "\t\t\t\tcolor: {$_COOKIE['font_color']}; \n";
				} else {
					print "\t\t\t\tcolor: #000000; \n";
				}
	        ?>
		}
	</style>
</head>
<body>
	<!-- NEW -->
	<h1>Main Page</h1>

	<p><a href="0904_Reset.php">Reset Your Settings</a></p>

	<p>
	yadda yadda yadda yadda yadda<br />
	yadda yadda yadda yadda yadda<br />
	yadda yadda yadda yadda yadda<br />
	yadda yadda yadda yadda yadda<br />
	yadda yadda yadda yadda yadda<br />
	</p>
</body>
</html>

0904_Reset.php

<?php
	// Address eroor handling.
	// error_reporting(E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE);

// Delete the cookies.
setcookie ('bg_color', '', time()-60, '/', '', 0);
setcookie ('font_color', '', time()-60, '/', '', 0);
//	setcookie ('bg_color', '');
//	setcookie ('font_color', '');?>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
    <head>
        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
        <title></title>
    </head>
    <body>
		<!-- NEW -->
		<h1>Re-Set</h1>

	<p>Your settings have been reset!</p>
	<p>Click <a href="0902_ViewSettings.php">here</a>
	to go back to the main page.</p>

	<!-- NEW -->
	<p>Click <a href="0903_Customize.php">here</a>
	to go back to the customize page.</p>
</body>
</html>

I have tested my new code combined with the Firefox fix and things seem (??) to be working finally.

I now do get a prompt to save my cookies the first time. And if I look in Firefox, I now see a localhost cookie in there.

I will assume at this point that my issue was the Firefox bug and maybe some funky code.

Glad it is fixed, because I want to get on to learning about SESSIONS and get out of Chapter 9 and finish up this book by Sunday night!! 🙂

Don't be a stranger...

Amy