session variables on PHP3 without PHPLIB?

Anon

Hi.

My hosting provider has support for PHP3 and MySQL. I need to work with session variables -being able to use them on different pages on a per-user/session basis- and thinked on using PHPLIB instead of the limitations of forms and/or cookies.

The support staff told me the following:
"Since the web server you are on already has tracking variables already enabled you should not have to do anything."

I answered the following:
"What if I want to use PHPLIB??, so I don't have to deal with forms or cookies to pass the variables... somebody told me that you have that available, but I need some extra info to get it working."

And they said the following:
"No you should not have to "pass" anything."

Web server is Apache, but I really don't understand this answer... I think that without PHPLIB I will have to deal with forms or cookies to pass the variables from page to page.

Any help/suggestions would be really appreciated.

In the case the ISP has PHPLIB installed, ¿what info do I need to configure and begin using it?

Regards

Anon

I am quite sure they use php4, where sessions is enabled. If it is fossible for you try make a file with <? phpinfo() ?> and take a look if sessions is enabled.

Lars Brandi Jensen

Anon

Thanks Lars.

They are running PHP3... thats what I don't understand!!

Your answer confirms what I thought... without PHPLIB, the only way to pass the variables is using cookies or forms. I just wanted to be sure that with PHP3 there wasn't another way to work with session variables. As I see it, I will have to test cookies enabled on every page with JavaScript.

Regards,

Luis

Anon

Why Javascript?

Basically your options are the same as they always have been:

pass arguments in the URL (http GET)
pass data on stdin (http PUT)
cookies

Even if you use sessions, you are employing one of those methods.

Sessions simply let you store data server-side and pass only an ID through the other methods.

If you think about that for a minute, you'll realize that you can write your own session-emulation layer in PHP (which essentially is what PHPLIB's authors did).

Anon

Thanks Steve.

I could use http GET/PUT, but I don't want to pass the variables with the URL.

If I can't use PHPLIB I'll use cookies, so the JavaScript is JUST to check if the user's browser is cookies-enabled.

BTW, if my ISP has PHPLIB installed, what info do I need in order to use it?... I assume I won't have acces to local.inc, so they should give me the names of the classes for authentication, sessions, etc.

Regards,

Luis

Anon

Why not just install PHPLIB yourself, it is quite easy and the dist at http://phplib.netuse.de gives you all you need to start using it. You can install it right into your web folder at your current host, although it could be a security hazard to leave the file that holds your db info inside the web root, but I never worry about it. Since PHP is parsed on the server

Anon

That's a good tip Louie.

Do you think I can have trouble with my ISP if I do that?

Regards,

Luis

Anon

Not at all they probably won't even know that you have done it, it would just be another dir in your web folder. You do have access to your MySQL database?

Anon

Cookies and url are the ONLY ways of transferring data from one page to the next, even PHPLIB will have to use one of these methods.

Checking for cookies-enabled using javascript is not good because I can disable javascipt too.
Instead, check for cookies by setting a cookie. If the cookie fails, they are disabled.

Anon

Yes I do.

Thans a lot,

Luis

Anon

Thanks Vincent.

So, if the ONLY thing I have to do is to pass sessionwide variables maybe I don't need to use PHPLIB at all... but I will have to check for cookies on EVERY page, because the user can deactivate them at any moment.

Regards,

Luis

Anon

Hmmmm, I think we are at the point, where YOU demand php4 on your ISP system. Or change ISP. Basically, it is not nessecary to invent the wheel again, unless you think it's fun ;-).

Lars Brandi Jensen

Anon

Hi Lars,

Maybe you are right... I'm getting too complicated, and taking a lot of space in the forum with this topic ;-)

Thanks everybody for the helpfull answers.

Regards,

Luis

Anon

PHP is allways fun :-)