Detecting a users browser with PHP?

[bobleny]

How can I detect a users browser type and version? (e.g. Internet Explorer 6.2)

[birdie]

All info like that are stored in the $_SERVER variable.

$_SERVER[HTTP_USER_AGENT] == users browser

Hope that helped ;D

[bobleny]

Neat, "Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.4) Gecko/20060508 Firefox/1.5.0.4".

But how do I create an if statment out of it? I wan't to use this to limit the abilitys of IE.

[nogray]

There is a [url=http://us2.php.net/manual/en/function.get-browser.php]get_browser()[/url] function in php

Just look it up in php.net

[bobleny]

I just keep getting error messages with the get_browser() function! I tried the examples there at php.net.

[nogray]

I am not sure if you notice this part
[quote]
Note: In order for this to work, your [url=http://us2.php.net/manual/en/ref.misc.php#ini.browscap]browscap[/url] configuration setting in php.ini must point to the correct location of the browscap.ini file on your system.

browscap.ini is not bundled with PHP, but you may find an [url=http://browsers.garykeith.com/downloads.asp]up-to-date php_browscap.ini[/url] file here.
[/quote]


if the get_browser() doesn't work on your server, you can use an alternative at http://alexandre.alapetite.net/doc-alex/php-local-browscap/

[bobleny]

lol, yes, I did miss that. I went through it again 3 other times before I seen it. Anyways, it seems to me as though it is the same as $_SERVER[HTTP_USER_AGENT]. Is it not?

[toplay]

FYI:

http://techpatterns.com/downloads/php_browser_detection.php#php_full

http://www.apptools.com/phptools/browser/

http://www.sitepoint.com/article/browsers-suck-php-rescue

http://www.phpclasses.org/browse/package/2669.html

[nogray]

[quote]
it seems to me as though it is the same as $_SERVER[HTTP_USER_AGENT]. Is it not?
[/quote]

It uses the $_SERVER[HTTP_USER_AGENT] to get the browser info, but it also uses a database to fill in all the details, Here is a sample output

[quote]
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7) Gecko/20040803 Firefox/0.9.3

Array
(
    [browser_name_regex] => ^mozilla/5\.0 (windows; .; windows nt 5\.1; .*rv:.*) gecko/.* firefox/0\.9.*$
    [browser_name_pattern] => Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; ?; Windows NT 5.1; *rv:*) Gecko/* Firefox/0.9*
    [parent] => Firefox 0.9
    [platform] => WinXP
    [browser] => Firefox
    [version] => 0.9
    [majorver] => 0
    [minorver] => 9
    [css] => 2
    [frames] => 1
    [iframes] => 1
    [tables] => 1
    [cookies] => 1
    [backgroundsounds] =>
    [vbscript] =>
    [javascript] => 1
    [javaapplets] => 1
    [activexcontrols] =>
    [cdf] =>
    [aol] =>
    [beta] => 1
    [win16] =>
    [crawler] =>
    [stripper] =>
    [wap] =>
    [netclr] =>
)

[/quote]

as you can see, you'll get all the browser details such as the name, version, support for css, frames, javascript, java, etc etc.... (the support part is if the browser is capable, and not if the user have it turned on or off).

[bobleny]

Yeah, but that is over kill and unnecessary. All I require is the browser type (Firefox) and the browser version (1.5.0.4).
I now know how to get it ($_SERVER[HTTP_USER_AGENT]). This is what I get in my FF, “Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.4) Gecko/20060508 Firefox/1.5.0.4.” How do I only pull out parts of this code?

Insight:
I need this to determine the level of accesses the user is given based upon the browsers capability to display semi-transparent ping images.

More insight:
I am in the process of re-scripting my site with the feature of themes. This way the user has the ability to choose a theme and with that theme there will be new colors, new background, and new photos. Unfortunately, not all browsers have the ability to support the semi-transparency of ping images. This is not my concern, my concern is how to nitpick the response from the $_SERVER[] code.

[Daniel0]

[code]$browser = get_browser(null, true);
$browser = $browser['parent'];[/code]

This would get the browser name and version (i.e. Firefox 1.5).

[bobleny]

In my php.ini file (located at C:\wamp\Apache2\bin),  this is the only thing about the browscap.ini
[browscap]
;browscap = extra/browscap.ini

I put my browscap.ini file in C:\wamp\Apache2\bin\extra
and used this script:
<?php $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT']; $browser = get_browser(null, true); $browser = $browser['parent']; echo $browser; ?>

this is the error message I always get:
Warning: get_browser() [function.get-browser]: browscap ini directive not set. in C:\wamp\www\Tests\alignment.php on line 1

What am I doing wrong? Why isnt it working?

[kenrbnsn]

Did you restart the Apache webserver after you modified the php.ini file?

Ken

[bobleny]

Actually I didnt modify the php.ini file. It already had:
[browscap]
;browscap = extra/browscap.ini

I just created the folder "extra" and placed my browscap.ini file in it.

[kenrbnsn]

You need to remove the initial semi-colon from the beginning of that line, since that makes it into a comment. Save the file and restart Apache.

Ken

[Daniel0]

And after doing that you can delete the browscap.ini file in your directory (it's not being used).

[bobleny]

Thanks, I no longer have the error message. However, I don't have any message.

This is the browscap file that I am useing (it was to big to post it):
http://browsers.garykeith.com/stream.asp?PHP_BrowsCapINI

It says it is a special browscap file and maybe thats why it doesnt show anything when I use:
<?php $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT']; $browser = get_browser(null, true); $browser = $browser['parent']; echo $browser; ?>

So how do I make this work? Maybe I just need a normal browscap.ini file but I cant find one...

[bobleny]

Bumpady Upady

[Daniel0]

1. Did you rename it from php_browscap.ini to browscap.ini?
2. Where did you put it?

[bobleny]

[quote author=Daniel0 link=topic=99583.msg394449#msg394449 date=1152542617]
1. Did you rename it from php_browscap.ini to browscap.ini?
2. Where did you put it?
[/quote]
1.)Yes, I have renamed the file to browscap.ini
2.) I placed it in, "C:\wamp\Apache2\bin\extra". I have placed it in this file because the php.ini file points to, "[browscap] browscap = extra/browscap.ini"

[bobleny]

I found another browscap.ini file. In the process of changing the files, I decided to try the code with out the browscap file and my results where the same, no errors or words. So something’s wrong here, and it’s probably my fault. Can’t any one help?