HTTP_COOKIE_VARS not returning values

[eahenry2]

I have a mandrake distribution of linux running apache and php3. In the php3.ini file, track_vars = On. In a couple of my php scripts I have the following code:

if(!isset($HTTP_COOKIE_VARS[user_name])){
echo "please login.";
}
elseif(isset($HTTP_COOKIE_VARS[user_name])){
echo "welcome, $HTTP_COOKIE_VARS[user_name]!";
}

I can't see why, but the script always acts as if there is no cookie, although i can plainly see it when i look in my cookie folders. Can anyone explain why this might be and what I should do to correct this?

Thanks!

Alex

[Anon]

try this:
$HTTP_COOKIE_VARS['user_name']

[eahenry2]

that was my bad. the original code had the single quotes in there. it acts as if it's ignoring the cookies altogether. i've even tried with cookies set by other sites. is there something possibly wrong with the way i've written the check? the format if(!isset(... should trigger only if the cookie is not set, right?

thanks for your help!

[vsego]

Check the browser:
1. Are cookies on?
2. Do they get set? (in IE check cookies in "Temporary Internet Files" directory, in Netscape, find cookies.txt in user's profile directory)

If both answers are yes, add phpinfo() call to your page and check if you can find something there (i.e. Ctrl+F for Find and then look if the user name you typed appears anywhere).

Good luck!

[[deleted]]

thanks. i have made sure that the cookies are being set in ie for windows by setting the browser up to prompt when a cookie is being set. the scripts definitely set the cookies. i then inserted phpinfo() into the script and read the results. i could find no references to the cookie variables. i'm assuming that i would look under the area titled "PHP Variables," but i searched every where else as well.

in case it means anything, the only value under PHP Variables was PHP_SELF.

is there a bug tracker somewhere for PHP, because i can't find any reason why this shouldn't work.

thanks again for all of your help and advice!

[vsego]

If cookie was read by PHP, you should find these:

HTTP_COOKIE - under "Apache Environment"
Cookie - under "HTTP Headers Information", subsection "HTTP Request Headers"
HTTP_COOKIE_VARS["..."] (all of them) - under "PHP Variables"

Try posting the whole script. I have a feeling that this bug is something trivial and has nothing to do with cookies. Maybe some if() or something.

[Anon]

Now I might be mistaken on this but since I'm cruising through the threads I thought I'd ad my two bits worth.

The HTTP_COOKIE_VARS is a global and therefore is always set. Use empty() instead.

On top of that why not take the simpler road and use:

if (empty($yourcookiename)) {
do something;
}
else{
do something else;
}

seems a whole lot easier to me.

Cheers, Randy

[Anon]

Found something in the manual that is related:

From the php.manual:

$HTTP_POST_VARS is a pre-defined variable in PHP, do not confuse between this var being empty and being undefined/unset, if you want to check whether the vars are coming from a POST method, use empty() instead.]

isset($HTTP_POST_VARS) returns TRUE, even if there hasn't been a form posted, and phpinfo() confirms that the variable doesn't exist.

Same thing - differentt story - Randy

[vsego]

From the original post:

if(!isset($HTTP_COOKIE_VARS[user_name])){
echo "please login.";
}
elseif(isset($HTTP_COOKIE_VARS[user_name])){
echo "welcome, $HTTP_COOKIE_VARS[user_name]!";
}

I can't see why, but the script always acts as if there is no cookie

--- end of quote ---

This means that alex never gets the $HTTP_COOKIE_VARS[user_name] set!

Hey, Alex, did you solve your problem?

[Anon]

Hello,
I had few doubts in Cookies.

I am doing User Tracking in PHP.
Can you please solve this Cookies Problem.

I had Cookies Collection in ASP like this:

ASP CODE:
<%
if Request.Cookies("SiteCount")(SiteVisited) <> "Visited" then
rs("HitCount") = 1
Response.Cookies("SiteCount")(SiteVisited) = "Visited"
end if
%>

Please I want the Same Cookie Collection Syntax in PHP.

Please can u send it. If Could find any thing on this, It will be a great help to me.. I am struggling this problem since a yesterday.

So please try to solve and Give the reply whether it is possible or not????

Regards,
Katkuri Srinivas
[e-mail]