creating cookies

Anon

I know that you have to have cookies at the top of the pages, before any print out. but what I need to know is does it go inbetween <head> or in the <body>. I also need to know if i have a cookie: setcookie("username", "$username", time()+3600); and no value is set as $username will that cookie show an error. basically I have a site that has a template for all the pages. The content in the middle changes per a require(" ");. I have my log in script with the cookie but it will not work because it isnt in a header. If I put the cookie in the template and no value can be set on the index.php page will that cookie show any errors. if anyone can understand what I am tring to say and can help that would be great.

retoknaak

I had a similar problem.
The cookie has to be sent before any <head>, as first thing of the file!!
I did it like this:
<?php include('cookie.inc'); ?>

<head>
....

and the file cookie.inc contains all the code needed for the cookies....

frigidman

You put the setcookie() function before ANY output. Even a space, or a single return. If you have anything before the actual setcookie() function in your php execution, it will throw a warning about the header already being sent out (if your php.ini has warnings on).

Your second question, if you try to set a cookie with a variable, and the variable is empty, it will simply set an empty cookie. It will not error on you. Just make sure you put SOMETHING in the cookie value param (second param), or when users return to the site with the malformed cookie, the site will possibly hang on them (at least in the new 4.1x PHP it does this).

If you wish to set an empty cookie, use:

setcookie('cookiename','');

NEVER do this:

setcookie('cookiename');

I'm not sure why, but doing the second creates a cookie with contents of "0%2" or some combination of, and when you try to hit the website again with that cookie existing, it hangs.

This has never happened on my linux/php4.0.6 server, but it has occurred in servers I have used with the new 4.1x.

Anon

setcookie("username", "$username", time()+3600);