Cannot send session cookie error message - help!

krisLITFO

Hi there!!

I keep getting this php error message and im really new to it so I was wondering if anyone could help me out at all please 🙂 ????

An error occurred in script 'C:\xampp\htdocs\gofaster\includes\header.php' on line 10: session_start() [function.session-start]: Cannot send session cookie - headers already sent by (output started at C:\xampp\htdocs\gofaster\includes\config.inc.php:68)

line 10 of header.php reads:

session_start();

I was wondering why i keep getting this message and what it means so that i can fix it. I am just building a login for a music community site i am building!

Any help is very much appreciated!!

thanks, Kris

bradgrafelman

Read the error message, PHP is explaining everything to you.

Starting a session using a cookie requires that a cookie be sent to the browser. Cookies are sent in the HTTP headers, thus starting such a session requires modifying the HTTP headers. PHP couldn't do this, however. Why? Read the error message.

PHP "Cannot send session cookie" because "headers already sent" due to the "output started" in the "C:\xampp\htdocs\gofaster\includes\config.inc.php" on line "68."

krisLITFO

Hi bradgrafelman,

thanks for getting back to me, am really new with all of this :queasy:

Im guessing then going from your response that the reason they cant send is because a different script has all ready done it??

bradgrafelman

krisLITFO wrote:
Im guessing then going from your response that the reason they cant send is because a different script has all ready done it??

In a sense, yes. Any output at all will cause PHP to send the HTTP headers (which must by definition precede the body/content of a web request).

A common example of this happening with config files is whitespace after the ending '?>' PHP tag.

krisLITFO

Ah i seeee, so its kind of not a major error more of a notification to let me know something else has done it??

I will have a look at the white space too and see if there is any after the closing ?> tag and remove that too 🙂

bradgrafelman

krisLITFO wrote:
Ah i seeee, so its kind of not a major error more of a notification to let me know something else has done it??

Well it's an error, yes. PHP is telling you that because the HTTP headers were already sent, it couldn't modify them to include whatever information you tried to include (such as a cookie to maintain a session).

krisLITFO

Ah coool i kind of get it, i have to head out for a bit now, but i will have a look at this again later.

Thanks loads for your help today, I will post back if i have any more problems later! If it works out I will put this as resolved 🙂

Thanks again for your help!!