[RESOLVED] Session assistance

[fxpepper]

Hi guys,

I am trying to count the users recent searches. I attempted this awhile back with cookies but now I am trying with Sessions.

It's kind of a mess...and kind of works..so i need some help. This is my current code:

session_start();

$answers = array();

if ( !isset($_SESSION['mysearch']) ) {
	$_SESSION['mysearch'] = $_GET['s'];
	$answers = array($_SESSION['mysearch']);
} elseif ( (isset($_SESSION['mysearch'])) && (!isset($_SESSION['mysearch2']))  ) {
	$_SESSION['mysearch2'] = $_GET['s'];
	$answers = array($_SESSION['mysearch'],  $_SESSION['mysearch2']);
} elseif ( isset($_SESSION['mysearch2']) & !isset($_SESSION['mysearch3'] ))  {
	$_SESSION['mysearch3'] = $_GET['s'];
	$answers = array($_SESSION['mysearch'],  $_SESSION['mysearch2']);
} elseif ( isset($_SESSION['mysearch3']) & !isset($_SESSION['mysearch4'] ))  {
	$_SESSION['mysearch4'] = $_GET['s'];
	$answers = array($_SESSION['mysearch'],  $_SESSION['mysearch2'], $_SESSION['mysearch3']);
} elseif ( isset($_SESSION['mysearch4']) & !isset($_SESSION['mysearch5'] ))  {
	$_SESSION['mysearch5'] = $_GET['s'];
	$answers = array($_SESSION['mysearch'],  $_SESSION['mysearch2'], $_SESSION['mysearch3'], $_SESSION['mysearch4'] );
} elseif (isset($_SESSION['mysearch']) & isset($_SESSION['mysearch2'])  & isset($_SESSION['mysearch3']) & isset($_SESSION['mysearch4'] ) & isset($_SESSION['mysearch5'] )) {
	$answers = array($_SESSION['mysearch'],  $_SESSION['mysearch2'], $_SESSION['mysearch3'], $_SESSION['mysearch4'], $_SESSION['mysearch5'] );
}

$RequestSignature = md5($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'].$_SERVER['QUERY_STRING'].print_r($_POST, true));

if (count($answers) == 5) {
	if ($_SESSION['LastRequest'] == $RequestSignature) {
  		//refresh;
		$answers = array($_SESSION['mysearch'],  $_SESSION['mysearch2'], $_SESSION['mysearch3'], $_SESSION['mysearch4'], $_SESSION['mysearch5']);
	} else { 
		// new request
		$_SESSION['mysearch5'] = $_SESSION['mysearch4'];
		$_SESSION['mysearch4'] = $_SESSION['mysearch3'];
		$_SESSION['mysearch3'] = $_SESSION['mysearch2'];
		$_SESSION['mysearch2'] = $_SESSION['mysearch'];
		$_SESSION['mysearch'] = $_GET['s'];	

	$answers = array($_SESSION['mysearch'],  $_SESSION['mysearch2'], $_SESSION['mysearch3'], $_SESSION['mysearch4'], $_SESSION['mysearch5']);
	$_SESSION['LastRequest'] = $RequestSignature;
}	
}

$_SESSION['mysearches'] = $answers;

if (isset($_SESSION['LAST_ACTIVITY']) && (time() - $_SESSION['LAST_ACTIVITY'] > 1800)) {
     //last request was more than 30 minates ago
    session_destroy();   // destroy session data in storage
    session_unset($_SESSION['mysearches']);     // unset $_SESSION variable for the runtime
}
$_SESSION['LAST_ACTIVITY'] = time(); // update last activity time stamp

basically the session isn't saving. I thought with the above code (the last_activity session variable) it would last for approx 30 mins. On one page it isn't populating and starts a new list but then if you refresh the list is there.

And sometimes, all the items are there except the first one - or the first one and the second item match but shouldn't. I see what this happens when i set mysearch2 = mysearch but i am not sure how to fix this..

i hope that makes sense.

I tried at this for awhile so i am hoping you can give advice on how to clean it up and make it work well.

thanks

[bradgrafelman]

Seems like it would be a lot simpler to get rid of all of those numbered search variables and instead just use $_SESSION['mysearch'] as an array.

[fxpepper]

bradgrafelman;10999509 wrote:

Seems like it would be a lot simpler to get rid of all of those numbered search variables and instead just use $_SESSION['mysearch'] as an array.

like this?

session_start();


$_SESSION['mysearches'] = array();
if ( !isset($_SESSION['mysearches'][0]) ) {
	$_SESSION['mysearches'][0] = $_GET['s'];
	$_SESSION['mysearches'] = array($_SESSION['mysearches'][0]);
} elseif ( (isset($_SESSION['mysearches'][0])) && (!isset($_SESSION['mysearches'][1]))  ) {
	$_SESSION['mysearches'][1] = $_GET['s'];
	$_SESSION['mysearches'] = array($_SESSION['mysearches'][0],  $_SESSION['mysearches'][1]);
} elseif ( isset($_SESSION['mysearches'][1]) & !isset($_SESSION['mysearches'][2] ))  {
	$_SESSION['mysearches'][2] = $_GET['s'];
	$_SESSION['mysearches'] = array($_SESSION['mysearches'][0], $_SESSION['mysearches'][1], $_SESSION['mysearches'][2] );
} elseif ( isset($_SESSION['mysearches'][2]) & !isset($_SESSION['mysearches'][3] ))  {
	$_SESSION['mysearches'][3] = $_GET['s'];
	$_SESSION['mysearches'] = array($_SESSION['mysearches'][0],  $_SESSION['mysearches'][1], $_SESSION['mysearches'][2], $_SESSION['mysearches'][3] );
} elseif ( isset($_SESSION['mysearches'][3]) & !isset($_SESSION['mysearches'][4] ))  {
	$_SESSION['mysearches'][4] = $_GET['s'];
	$_SESSION['mysearches'] = array($_SESSION['mysearches'][0],  $_SESSION['mysearches'][1], $_SESSION['mysearches'][2], $_SESSION['mysearches'][3], $_SESSION['mysearches'][4]  );
} elseif (isset($_SESSION['mysearches'][0]) & isset($_SESSION['mysearches'][1])  & isset($_SESSION['mysearches'][2]) & isset($_SESSION['mysearches'][3] ) & isset($_SESSION['mysearches'][4] )) {
	$_SESSION['mysearches'] = array($_SESSION['mysearches'][0],  $_SESSION['mysearches'][1], $_SESSION['mysearches'][2], $_SESSION['mysearches'][3], $_SESSION['mysearches'][4] );
}

$RequestSignature = md5($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'].$_SERVER['QUERY_STRING'].print_r($_POST, true));

if (count($answers) == 5) {
	if ($_SESSION['LastRequest'] == $RequestSignature) {
  		//refresh;
		$_SESSION['mysearches'] = array($_SESSION['mysearches'][0],  $_SESSION['mysearches'][1], $_SESSION['mysearches'][2], $_SESSION['mysearches'][3], $_SESSION['mysearches'][4] );
	} else { 
		// new request
		$_SESSION['mysearches'][4] = $_SESSION['mysearches'][3];
		$_SESSION['mysearches'][3] = $_SESSION['mysearches'][2];
		$_SESSION['mysearches'][2] = $_SESSION['mysearches'][1];
		$_SESSION['mysearches'][1] = $_SESSION['mysearches'][0];
		$_SESSION['mysearches'][0] = $_GET['s'];	

	$_SESSION['mysearches'] = array($_SESSION['mysearches'][0],  $_SESSION['mysearches'][1], $_SESSION['mysearches'][2], $_SESSION['mysearches'][3], $_SESSION['mysearches'][4] );
	$_SESSION['LastRequest'] = $RequestSignature;
}	
}

//$_SESSION['mysearches'];

if (isset($_SESSION['LAST_ACTIVITY']) && (time() - $_SESSION['LAST_ACTIVITY'] > 1800)) {
     //last request was more than 30 minates ago
    session_destroy();   // destroy session data in storage
    session_unset($_SESSION['mysearches']);     // unset $_SESSION variable for the runtime
}
$_SESSION['LAST_ACTIVITY'] = time(); // update last activity time stamp

[bradgrafelman]

The point of using arrays is that you don't need all of that code that checks specific indexes.

Instead, just use [man]array_push/man to add new searches onto the end of the array, [man]array_shift/man to retrieve (and remove) the first search, [man]array_pop/man to retrieve (and remove) the last search, etc.

[fxpepper]

bradgrafelman;10999515 wrote:

The point of using arrays is that you don't need all of that code that checks specific indexes.

Instead, just use [man]array_push/man to add new searches onto the end of the array, [man]array_shift/man to retrieve (and remove) the first search, [man]array_pop/man to retrieve (and remove) the last search, etc.

I did play with push, pop, etc before but it wasn't working for me : (

For some reason, I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this.

Anyway...If I still wanted to check if there were already values in the array, i was using the count method instead of isset (like above). But now I am getting dupe responses.

$_SESSION['mysearches'] = array($_GET['s']);

if ( count($_SESSION['mysearches']) == 1) {
	array_push($_SESSION['mysearches'], $_GET['s']);
} 

[bradgrafelman]

You're getting duplicates because that's what you're telling PHP to do in that code snippet. You first initialize $SESSION['mysearches'] to be an array with one element: $GET['s']. You then check to see if that array has exactly one element; if it does, you add a second element... $_GET['s'].

If you're wanting to save the 5 most recent search terms, you'll want to do something like:

if(!isset($_SESSION['mysearches'])) {
    $_SESSION['mysearches'] = array($_GET['s']);
} else {
    array_push($_SESSION['mysearches'], $_GET['s']);

while(count($_SESSION['mysearches']) > 5)
    array_shift($_SESSION['mysearches']);
}

[fxpepper]

bradgrafelman;10999521 wrote:

You're getting duplicates because that's what you're telling PHP to do in that code snippet. You first initialize $SESSION['mysearches'] to be an array with one element: $GET['s']. You then check to see if that array has exactly one element; if it does, you add a second element... $_GET['s'].

If you're wanting to save the 5 most recent search terms, you'll want to do something like:

if(!isset($_SESSION['mysearches'])) {
    $_SESSION['mysearches'] = array($_GET['s']);
} else {
    array_push($_SESSION['mysearches'], $_GET['s']);

while(count($_SESSION['mysearches']) > 5)
    array_shift($_SESSION['mysearches']);
}

omg - thank you!!!!!!

[fxpepper]

Hi bradgrafelman,

quick question - i believe you said (in another thread) i could extend the session? I see how it can be extended with no activity but can it be extended if the browser closes? or do i need to resort to cookies in that case?

thanks again

[bradgrafelman]

fxpepper;10999561 wrote:

i believe you said (in another thread) i could extend the session?

There are two conditions in which a session will become "lost", "timed out", or otherwise unusable:

1. PHP's session garbage collector (gc) has been invoked and has determined that the age of the session has exceeded the session.gc_maxlifetime directive.

2. The mechanism (usually cookies) by which the session ID is propagated across requests loses that ID value or otherwise times out (e.g. the cookie expires).

Thus, to "extend" a session to last as long as you'd like, simply configure the appropriate PHP directives such that neither of the above conditions is met too soon.

fxpepper;10999561 wrote:

can it be extended if the browser closes?

Since PHP has no idea when users close their browsers, condition #1 above doesn't apply. Thus, all you need to do is prevent #2 from happening when the browser closes.

fxpepper;10999561 wrote:

or do i need to resort to cookies in that case?

What do you mean "resort to" cookies? Unless you're passing the session ID in the query string on every request (e.g. all of your URLs have something like "?PHPSESSID=1234567890abcdef" tacked onto the end of them), then you're already using cookies. The trick is simply to change them from being session cookies (note that "session" here has nothing to do with PHP sessions at all) to cookies that have an expiration date some time in the future (where the amount of time is up to you).

To that end, you'll want to look at the session.cookie_lifetime directive and/or the [man]session_set_cookie_params/man function.

[fxpepper]

bradgrafelman;10999571 wrote:

There are two conditions in which a session will become "lost", "timed out", or otherwise unusable:

1. PHP's session garbage collector (gc) has been invoked and has determined that the age of the session has exceeded the session.gc_maxlifetime directive.

2. The mechanism (usually cookies) by which the session ID is propagated across requests loses that ID value or otherwise times out (e.g. the cookie expires).

Thus, to "extend" a session to last as long as you'd like, simply configure the appropriate PHP directives such that neither of the above conditions is met too soon.

Since PHP has no idea when users close their browsers, condition #1 above doesn't apply. Thus, all you need to do is prevent #2 from happening when the browser closes.

What do you mean "resort to" cookies? Unless you're passing the session ID in the query string on every request (e.g. all of your URLs have something like "?PHPSESSID=1234567890abcdef" tacked onto the end of them), then you're already using cookies. The trick is simply to change them from being session cookies (note that "session" here has nothing to do with PHP sessions at all) to cookies that have an expiration date some time in the future (where the amount of time is up to you).

To that end, you'll want to look at the session.cookie_lifetime directive and/or the [man]session_set_cookie_params/man function.

THanks so much for explaining and the reference : )