cookie help

fxpepper

Hello

I am trying to save recent search terms by a user so I can display it back to that particular user. I am trying to do this with php...but it's not working...

can someone see if I am missing something:

setcookie($s, $_GET['s']); 

echo "<b>search:</b>".$_COOKIE['s'];  // ideally this would be an array too but just to get 1 term to display at this pt

thanks

bradgrafelman

Where do you define the variable $s?

EDIT: Also note that [man]setcookie/man does not touch the $_COOKIE array at all - you won't see anything in there until the next page request (when the client starts using the cookie you just set in the response of the current request).

fxpepper

bradgrafelman;10998569 wrote:
Where do you define the variable $s?

EDIT: Also note that [man]setcookie/man does not touch the $_COOKIE array at all - you won't see anything in there until the next page request (when the client starts using the cookie you just set in the response of the current request).

Actually should be this I believe:

 setcookie('s', $_GET['s']);
echo "<b>search:</b>".$_COOKIE['s'];

EDIT:
Actually..I see that it's working now but I do see the 'delay' that you mention (next page). is there there any way to access the value on the same page - maybe by using javascript/ajax? Also, i assume i can make this cookie into an array..?

thanks again

bradgrafelman

fxpepper;10998576 wrote:
is there there any way to access the value on the same page

You've already got the value - it's right there in $_GET['s'].

EDIT:

fxpepper;10998576 wrote:
Also, i assume i can make this cookie into an array..?

You can indeed; see the last bullet under 'Common Pitfalls' in the Notes section of setcookie() in the PHP manual.

fxpepper

bradgrafelman;10998580 wrote:
You've already got the value - it's right there in $_GET['s'].

OMG - wow - that's that right

EDIT: You can indeed; see the last bullet under 'Common Pitfalls' in the Notes section of setcookie() in the PHP manual.[/QUOTE

Great - thanks for the cookie array reference.

But quick question - if i am adding new search terms to this cookie array (showing 5 most recent search terms), would you say this is the best way? to use cookies...or do recommend looking at sessions? The reason initially i wasn't doing sessions, is b/c i wanted the recent search list to last a few days vs just a session..

thanks again

bradgrafelman

fxpepper;10998583 wrote:
i wanted the recent search list to last a few days vs just a session..

Sessions can potentially last as long as you want them to last (in other words, a PHP "session" doesn't have to be tied to a session cookie on the client's PC which gets deleted when the browser is closed).

In the end, the only difference between storing scalar data in PHP sessions vs. just plain cookies is that the former stores the data on the server while the latter stores the data on the client's PC.

fxpepper

bradgrafelman;10998585 wrote:
Sessions can potentially last as long as you want them to last (in other words, a PHP "session" doesn't have to be tied to a session cookie on the client's PC which gets deleted when the browser is closed).

In the end, the only difference between storing scalar data in PHP sessions vs. just plain cookies is that the former stores the data on the server while the latter stores the data on the client's PC.

I didn't know that sessions could be held longer...good to know.

thanks for all the help!