How do I retain a password in programs?

[crmamx]

How do I retain a password as a user navigates from page to page without having to ask him for it again. I do not need it to protect the page, I need it to execute whatever selection he makes.

 

enter_psw.html  // this is a form
verify_psw.php  // I have the password here
menu1.html  // I don't have the password here and need it
               display_records
               add_record.php
               change_record.php
               delete_record_php

[zenlord]

You *never* retain a password - that is a huge security flaw.

 

You can check if a user has provided you with a valid combination of username and password and then set a variable (f.e. $loggedIn) to 1. That variable can be set in a session or cookie, so you can check on every page if $_SESSION['loggedIN'] or $_COOKIE['loggedIn'] is set to 1.

 

Of course, to be secure, you need to read up a lot on this stuff...

[PFMaBiSmAd]

or cookie

 

You would never use a cookie with a simple value in it to indicate someone is logged in because anyone could set that cookie themselves and become logged into a site.

 

You can use a cookie to identify someone (using a unique and hard to guess value), but you must only use a value stored on the server to indicate if they are logged in.

[crmamx]

You *never* retain a password - that is a huge security flaw.

 

I don't understand this. I am capturing the user input (maybe password is the wrong nomenclature) from the form in the php program using Post. Then I link to my file: (and select only one record).

 

ID    Number........ect.

1      804333

2      398434

3      804333

4      354778

 

If the search=0, then either the password is invalid or that user does not have any records in the file. It prints an error message.

 

If the search=1, it will print a link to the menu program.

 

In either case, neither the form or the php program returns the "password" to the browser. So what is it I don't know?

 

Secondly:

 

If the search=1, then the user will link to the next program (html) which will present 4 options.

 

      display

      add

      change

      delete

 

When he selects the option it will link to a php program. And here is where I need the number he entered in the form when he started.

 

 

[BlueSkyIS]

retain info from page to page: sessions.

[crmamx]

Many thanks. Short and right on the money.

 

I had searched the tutorials and could not find the answer.