[RESOLVED] Storing a session variable

leofric

I think that is what I want to do. Here is my scenario:

I have 5 forms. Each is an HTML page, that when the submit button is pressed, posts the data to a PHP page for processing (the viewer just gets taken to the next form). On the PHP page, the data is formatted and sent as an email. The problem is that the email address of the viewer is only asked for and entered on the first form, yet each of the five forms will send an email, and will need that viewers address as an $EmailFrom variable.

I wanted to pass just the email address from the first form where it is physically entered, to each of the other forms. I don't think that a "GET" method will work since there is way too many fields on the form and it will be too much data to pass in a url. So, I thought that storing a session variable would be my best bet. My thoughts were to put it in the first HTML page, and then destroy it in the last PHP page. But I have never done this, and have not had any luck yet.

I put this code on my first HTML page, in between the DTD and the HTML tag:

<?php
session_start();
?>
Then I put this on the bottom of my PHP page:

$_SESSION['from']= $EmailFrom ;

Then on each of the remaining PHP pages, I entered this at the top:

$EmailFrom = $_SESSION['from'];

But the email address I see on the actual email I receive is:

"INVALID_ADDRESS@.SYNTAX-ERROR." <INVALID_ADDRESS@.SYNTAX-ERROR.

Can anyone help me to understand this a little better?
Thank you!

leofric

To add, I put the line:

$_SESSION['from']= $EmailFrom ;

in the PHP page and not on the HTML page, which concerns me. I did this though, because I was also concerned about the variable $EmailFrom being that it is also a fieldname in the form. I tried it on the HTML page, like this:

<?php
session_start();
// store session data
$_SESSION['from']= $EmailFrom ;
?>

But this gave me the same results. So I thought that maybe because I am saying that variable name twice (once in the session variable as above, and once in the actual form input shown below).

<p class="style8"><strong>Email Address:*</strong><br>
<input type="text" name="EmailFrom">

leofric

it was cancelling out, or at least not getting the value I wanted to have passed stored.

Would I need to store it as a different variable name, like this:

<?php
session_start();
// store session data
$_SESSION['from']= $NewVariable ;
?>

and then put something like this in my first HTML page:

$EmailFrom = $NewVariable;

I think I am getting more confused here, but trying to work it out!

Thanks

dagon

$EmailFrom should be either

$_GET['EmailFrom'];

$_POST['EmailFrom'];

depending on your form action

bradgrafelman

First and foremost, note that [man]session_start/man must be called on every PHP page where you want to use sessions (both storing and retrieving data).

Second... I'm confused as to what you're trying to do. Are you simply trying to store the e-mail address that gets sent in the first form so that you can use it on subsequent forms? If so, just add the session code that stores the address into the PHP page that processes the first form submission, e.g.:

session_start();
$_SESSION['email'] = $_POST['email'];

leofric

I added the code:

session_start();
$SESSION['email'] = $POST['email'];
to my first PHP page and NOT my HTML page, as you suggested. Then I added:

session_start();

to the top of every PHP page that I had, and it worked great! Thank you!