Problem with SESSION variables...

Hi. Im very new to php, and I have a problem here that I cant find the
solution for. I have problems with session variables, I want some
variables to maintain their value between different php script that is
being called. I have read the online manual, and here is an example from
it that doesnt work for me, it illustrates very well my problem.

File 1, index.php

<?php
// index.php

session_start();

echo '<br />Welcome to page #1';

$_SESSION['favcolor'] = 'green';
$_SESSION['animal'] = 'cat';
$_SESSION['time'] = time();


// Works if session cookie was accepted
echo '<br /><a href="page2.php">page 2</a>';

// Or maybe pass along the session id, if needed
echo '<br /><a href="page2.php?' . SID . '">page 2</a>';
?>

File 2, page2.php

<?php
// page2.php

session_start();

echo '<br />Welcome to page #2<br />';

echo $_SESSION['favcolor']; // green
echo $_SESSION['animal']; // cat
echo date('Y m d H:i:s', $_SESSION['time']);

// You may want to use SID here, like we did in page1.php
echo '<br /><a href="index.php">page 1</a>';
?>

I get no output, except the date which shows 1970 bla bla

I have apache 2.0.48, PHP 4.3.3 running on a Redhat 9.0 box. I have not
touched the register_globals in php.ini, it's Off. What can be the problem
here ? Any help would be much appreciated, I'm stuck....

Thanx

/ZoombyWoof

On Tue, 04 Nov 2003 15:32:14 +0000, Pedro wrote:

> ZoombyWoof wrote:
> [...]
>> I get no output, except the date which shows 1970 bla bla
>>
>> I have apache 2.0.48, PHP 4.3.3 running on a Redhat 9.0 box. I have not
>> touched the register_globals in php.ini, it's Off. What can be the problem
>> here ? Any help would be much appreciated, I'm stuck....
>
> What do you have for "session.save_path" in php.ini?
> Does the webserver have write- permissions are
rwxrwxrwxt owned by root, so that shouldnt be a problem, or ?

/ZW

ZoombyWoof wrote:
[...]
> I get no output, except the date which shows 1970 bla bla
>
> I have apache 2.0.48, PHP 4.3.3 running on a Redhat 9.0 box. I have not
> touched the register_globals in php.ini, it's Off. What can be the problem
> here ? Any help would be much appreciated, I'm stuck....

What do you have for "session.save_path" in php.ini?
Does the webserver have write-access to that directory?

--
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To mail me include "urkxvq" (with or without the quotes)
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ZoombyWoof <zoombywoofremove@thishotmail.com> wrote:

> Hi. Im very new to php, and I have a problem here that I cant find the
> solution for. I have problems with session variables, I want some
> variables to maintain their value between different php script that is
> being called. I have read the online manual, and here is an example from
> it that doesnt work for me, it illustrates very well my problem.
>
> // Or maybe pass along the session id, if needed
> echo '<br /><a href="page2.php?' . SID . '">page 2</a>';

The above will only work if you set session.use_trans_sid in php.ini to 1.
Furthermore cookies must be accepted by your browser in order to work.

Alternatively you could use:

echo '<br /><a href="page2.php?'.session_name().'='.session_id(). '">page
2</a>';

Check the session cookie on page 2 with session_get_cookie_params() .. if
that's empty, the cookie hasn't been set.

http://uk.php.net/manual/en/function...kie-params.php

HTH;
JOn

--
Begathon, n.:
A multi-day event on public television, used to raise money so
you won't have to watch commercials.

On Tue, 04 Nov 2003 15:35:08 +0000, Jon Kraft wrote:

> ZoombyWoof <zoombywoofremove@thishotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi. Im very new to php, and I have a problem here that I cant find the
>> solution for. I have problems with session variables, I want some
>> variables to maintain their value between different php script that is
>> being called. I have read the online manual, and here is an example from
>> it that doesnt work for me, it illustrates very well my problem.
>>
>> // Or maybe pass along the session id, if needed
>> echo '<br /><a href="page2.php?' . SID . '">page 2</a>';
>
> The above will only work if you set session.use_trans_sid in php.ini to 1.
> Furthermore cookies must be accepted by your browser in order to work.
>
> Alternatively you could use:
>
> echo '<br /><a href="page2.php?'.session_name().'='.session_id(). '">page
> 2</a>';
>
> Check the session cookie on page 2 with session_get_cookie_params() .. if
> that's empty, the cookie hasn't been set.
>
> http://uk.php.net/manual/en/function...kie-params.php
>
> HTH;
> JOn
I have tried all of what you suggested above, setting use_trans_sid to 1
didnt help. I used the link with session_name=session_id, didnt help. I
have changed session.save_path to /usr/local/apache2/sessions, apache owns
that directory, apache is the user who runs the server, but nothing goes
in that directory. I have checked the cookie_params, and it doesnt contain
anything else from what is set as default in php.ini.
I dont understand this....*HELP* :-)

Thanx

/ZW

ZoombyWoof <zoombywoofremove@thishotmail.com> wrote:

> I have tried all of what you suggested above, setting use_trans_sid to 1
> didnt help. I used the link with session_name=session_id, didnt help. I
> have changed session.save_path to /usr/local/apache2/sessions, apache owns
> that directory, apache is the user who runs the server, but nothing goes
> in that directory. I have checked the cookie_params, and it doesnt contain
> anything else from what is set as default in php.ini.
> I dont understand this....*HELP* :-)

Hm, strange, are you sure you are editing the php.ini PHP uses? Check with
phpinfo(). That will also tell you whether PHP was compiled with
--disable-session.

JOn

--
He only knew his iron spine held up the sky -- he didn't realize his brain
had fallen to the ground.
-- The Book of Serenity

On Tue, 04 Nov 2003 18:15:12 +0000, Jon Kraft wrote:

> ZoombyWoof <zoombywoofremove@thishotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I have tried all of what you suggested above, setting use_trans_sid to 1
>> didnt help. I used the link with session_name=session_id, didnt help. I
>> have changed session.save_path to /usr/local/apache2/sessions, apache owns
>> that directory, apache is the user who runs the server, but nothing goes
>> in that directory. I have checked the cookie_params, and it doesnt contain
>> anything else from what is set as default in php.ini.
>> I dont understand this....*HELP* :-)
>
> Hm, strange, are you sure you are editing the php.ini PHP uses? Check with
> phpinfo(). That will also tell you whether PHP was compiled with
> --disable-session.
>
> JOn
Yes, I'm editing the one PHP is using, it's /etc/php.ini, however, if you
mean that it should say --disable-session under configure command at the
top, it doesnt. Do I have to have disable-session compiled in ? Why is
this not the default, if it's necessary to get session to work...?

Thanx

/ZW

ZoombyWoof wrote:

> On Tue, 04 Nov 2003 15:35:08 +0000, Jon Kraft wrote:
>
>
>>ZoombyWoof <zoombywoofremove@thishotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Hi. Im very new to php, and I have a problem here that I cant find the
>>>solution for. I have problems with session variables, I want some
>>>variables to maintain their value between different php script that is
>>>being called. I have read the online manual, and here is an example from
>>>it that doesnt work for me, it illustrates very well my problem.
>>>
>>>// Or maybe pass along the session id, if needed
>>>echo '<br /><a href="page2.php?' . SID . '">page 2</a>';
>>
>>The above will only work if you set session.use_trans_sid in php.ini to 1.
>>Furthermore cookies must be accepted by your browser in order to work.
>>
>>Alternatively you could use:
>>
>>echo '<br /><a href="page2.php?'.session_name().'='.session_id(). '">page
>>2</a>';
>>
>>Check the session cookie on page 2 with session_get_cookie_params() .. if
>>that's empty, the cookie hasn't been set.
>>
>>http://uk.php.net/manual/en/function...kie-params.php
>>
>>HTH;
>>JOn
>
> I have tried all of what you suggested above, setting use_trans_sid to 1
> didnt help.

Did you restart the webserver after editing php.ini? That's a commonly
overlooked step...

> I used the link with session_name=session_id, didnt help. I
> have changed session.save_path to /usr/local/apache2/sessions, apache owns
> that directory, apache is the user who runs the server, but nothing goes
> in that directory. I have checked the cookie_params, and it doesnt contain
> anything else from what is set as default in php.ini.

Be sure that session.auto_start is off.

session.save_handler needs to be set to files for session.save_path to
be used.

session.use_cookies should be on if you want to use cookies. If you want
to use *only* cookies, then session.use_only_cookies should be on as well.

Make sure that session.gc_maxlifetime isn't set really low (default is
1440 seconds, or 24 minutes). Same with session.cookie_lifetime, but 0
is no exipre in this case. (Watch for session.cache_expire as well.)

--
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PHP POSTERS: Please use comp.lang.php for PHP related questions,
alt.php* groups are not recommended.

ZoombyWoof wrote:

> On Tue, 04 Nov 2003 18:15:12 +0000, Jon Kraft wrote:
>
>>ZoombyWoof <zoombywoofremove@thishotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>I have tried all of what you suggested above, setting use_trans_sid to 1
>>>didnt help. I used the link with session_name=session_id, didnt help. I
>>>have changed session.save_path to /usr/local/apache2/sessions, apache owns
>>>that directory, apache is the user who runs the server, but nothing goes
>>>in that directory. I have checked the cookie_params, and it doesnt contain
>>>anything else from what is set as default in php.ini.
>>>I dont understand this....*HELP* :-)
>>
>>Hm, strange, are you sure you are editing the php.ini PHP uses? Check with
>>phpinfo(). That will also tell you whether PHP was compiled with
>>--disable-session.
>
> Yes, I'm editing the one PHP is using, it's /etc/php.ini, however, if you
> mean that it should say --disable-session under configure command at the
> top, it doesnt. Do I have to have disable-session compiled in ? Why is
> this not the default, if it's necessary to get session to work...?

If id did say --disable-session, then sessions would be disabled and not
available on the server.

Check the under phpinfo() for "Configuration File (php.ini) Path" and be
sure that it is set to /etc/php.ini, otherwise all your edits will do
nothing. Also be sure to restart apache after editing.

--
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PHP POSTERS: Please use comp.lang.php for PHP related questions,
alt.php* groups are not recommended.

On Tue, 04 Nov 2003 18:27:23 +0000, Justin Koivisto wrote:

> ZoombyWoof wrote:
>
*snip*

>
> Did you restart the webserver after editing php.ini? That's a commonly
> overlooked step...
Oh yes I did.
>
*snip*
>
> Be sure that session.auto_start is off.
It is
>
> session.save_handler needs to be set to files for session.save_path to
> be used.
It is
>
> session.use_cookies should be on if you want to use cookies. If you want
> to use *only* cookies, then session.use_only_cookies should be on as well.
Cookies is on
>
> Make sure that session.gc_maxlifetime isn't set really low (default is
> 1440 seconds, or 24 minutes). Same with session.cookie_lifetime, but 0
> is no exipre in this case. (Watch for session.cache_expire as well.)
Default values

/ZW