HELP! Session problem passing form variables between pages

lauryn1298

Hello,

I have a problem passing the values of the form variables between pages when I want to save them in session.
I'm using sessions for saving another values that don't come from the form, and all of them are saved in the session correctly. For example I'm saving the user and the profile once the user is logged, and I pass this value through all the pages without any problem. But now I have to save some values of a form, just in case the user wants to come back and see the values that previously had inserted.
When I print the session in the page where I'm reading the form variables, all of them are set correctly, but when I go back they are empty, but the ones that I had previously are saved correctly.
I was looking for a solution in different forums, I change the name of the variable of the session (at the beginning the name of the session variable and the variable form were the same, and this was giving me problems). I did everything I can think, but the problem is still there.
I'm not sure if it's a problem with the global variables.... In my php.ini are off, and I wouldn't like to change this.

Many thanks

djjjozsi

if you post here the relevant PHP codes, we can help to troubleshoot.

-how you save the new values into $_SESSION?
-how you try to echo them?
-where did you start the session?
-when you save the files you should save as UTF8-without BOM if you prefer that character code.
-set the error reporting ON to catch misspelled variable names.

lauryn1298

My source code is very big, but I'll try to summarize.

page1.php

I have previous files where I saved some values on session.

<?php
session_start();
include('constants.php');

if (!isset($_SESSION['user'])) {
   header("Location: ".RELATIVE_PATH."/field_test/login.php");
   exit;
} else {
    //Calculate the time passed
    $previous_date = $_SESSION["last_access"];
    $actual_date = date("Y-n-j H:i:s");
    $time_pass = (strtotime($actual_date)-strtotime($previous_date));

//Compare the time passes
 if($time_pass >= 28800) {
 //If 20 minutes or more
  session_destroy(); // destroy session

  //Send to the login user page
  header("Location: ".RELATIVE_PATH."/field_test/index.php");

  //if not, update the date of the session
}else {
   $_SESSION["last_access"] = $actual_date;
   }
}
$profile = $_SESSION['profile'];
?>
........

......

//Start the html code and the form
<form action="page2.php" method="POST" name="report_gestion" >
<table border="0" width="100%">
<tr>
<td > X :</td>
<td > <select name='x_axis'>
<option label="&nbsp;" value="">&nbsp;</option>
<option label="Pair of Sockets" value="pair_sockets">Pair of Sockets</option>
<option label="Max Phy Rate(Mbps)" value="phy_max">Max Phy Rate(Mbps)</option>
<option label="Min Phy Rate(Mbps)" value="phy_min">Min Phy Rate(Mbps)</option>
<option label="Avg Phy Rate(Mbps)" value="phy_avg">Avg Phy Rate(Mbps)</option>
<option label="Avg Throughput(Mbps)" value="xput_avg">Avg Throughput(Mbps)</option>
<option label="Max Throughput(Mbps)" value="xput_max">Max Throughput(Mbps)</option>
<option label="Min Throughput(Mbps)" value="xput_min">Min Throughput(Mbps)</option>
</select>
</td>

<td ><input type="checkbox" name="parameters[]" value="hpav" title="HPAV" />HPAV</td>
<td ><input type="checkbox" name="parameters[]" value="mx" title="MX" disabled/>MX</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td > Y :</td>
<td > <select name='y_axis[]' multiple size= 5 >
<option label="Max Phy Rate(Mbps)" value="phy_max">Max Phy Rate(Mbps)</option>
<option label="Min Phy Rate(Mbps)" value="phy_min">Min Phy Rate(Mbps)</option>
<option label="Avg Phy Rate(Mbps)" value="phy_avg">Avg Phy Rate(Mbps)</option>
<option label="Avg TCP Throughput(Mbps)" value="xput_max">Avg TCP Throughput(Mbps)</option>
<option label="Max TCP Throughput(Mbps)" value="xput_max2">Max TCP Throughput(Mbps)</option>
<option label="Min TCP Throughput(Mbps)" value="xput_min">Min TCP Throughput(Mbps)</option>
<option label="Counters" value="sel_primitives">Counters</option>
</select>
</tr>
</td>
</table>
</form>

If I do print_r($_SESSION); in this file I obtain:

Array ( [profile] => 1 [last_access] => 2010-3-26 12:34:16 [user] => 1 );

what is correct.

Then I send this form to the page2.php

<?php
//Initialize the session for saving the user
session_start();
require_once '../Smarty/libs/Smarty.class.php';
include('../constants.php');
if (!isset($_SESSION['user'])) {
   header("Location: ".RELATIVE_PATH."/field_test/login.php");
   exit;
} else {
    //Calculate the time passed
    $previous_date = $_SESSION["last_access"];
    $actual_date = date("Y-n-j H:i:s");
    $time_pass = (strtotime($actual_date)-strtotime($previous_date));

//Compare the time passes
 if($time_pass >= 28800) {
 //If 20 minutes or more
  session_destroy(); // destroy session

  //Send to the login user page
  header("Location: ".RELATIVE_PATH."/field_test/index.php");
 exit;
  //if not, update the date of the session
}else {
   $_SESSION["last_access"] = $actual_date;
   }
}
$profile = $_SESSION['profile'];

//Read the parameters from the form
$_SESSION['x_axis_session'] =  $_POST['x_axis'];
$x_axis_param = $_SESSION['x_axis_session'];

$_SESSION['y_axis_session'] =  $_POST['y_axis'];
$y_axis_param = $_SESSION['y_axis_session'];

$_SESSION['parameters_session'] =  $_POST['parameters'];
$params = $_SESSION['parameters_session'];

.... I made different calculation correctly

If I do print_r($_SESSION); in this file I obtain:

Array ( [profile] => 1 [last_access] => 2010-3-26 12:39:40 [user] => 1 [x_axis_session] => pair_sockets [y_axis_session] => Array (

* => phy_max ) [parameters_session] => Array (
* => hpav ) )

what is correct.

But when I come back to page1.php and I print the session I obtain:
Array ( [[profile] => 1 [last_access] => 2010-3-26 12:41:31 [user] => 1[x_axis_session] => [y_axis_session] => [parameters_session] => )

Here is where I have the problem, the variables of the form haven't been saved in the session, I don't know why.

I hope the code helps. Let me know if you need more details

djjjozsi

how you go back to page1 (where you haven't got a submit button) ?
And error reporting should set ON in page2.php:

	error_reporting(E_ALL);
ini_set("display_errors", 1);

And post here what you get.

you should save time() instead into the last access $_SESSION, its much easier to work with.

(please use the PHP BB tags around your PHP codes.)

lauryn1298

I included

error_reporting(E_ALL);
ini_set("display_errors", 1);

in page2.php and any error appears.

For going back I'm using a link, as it is only for coming back to the previous form with the filled variables:

Although I tried submitting it with a submit button but the result is the same.

djjjozsi

any error appears.

Can you mention them ?

Weedpacket

The most curious thing is that on returning to page 1 the new session variables are set, but are empty.

How and where do you print the $SESSION array on page 1? Just on the off-chance that something is mangling it on that page, put this immediately after session_start():

if(array_key_exists('parameters_session', $_SESSION))
{
echo '<pre>'.htmlspecialchars(print_r($_SESSION, true)).'</pre>';
die();
}

and get a look at the $_SESSION array before page 1 has a chance to do anything to it.

(Another possibility if you can look at the temp directory where the session data is held and watch what happens to the contents of the session file; but that's a bit more tedious and assumes things like the default directory storage mechanism is being used and that you can see that directory in the first place.)