can visits multiplied in PHP SESSION

[turk]

hi fellas. my first ever question on phpfreaks.

 

when visitors type www.mydomain.com, session takes them to www.mydomain.com/landingpage.php

when they click "go to the site" on www.mydomain.com/landingpage.php,  it takes them to the index page www.mydomain.com

 

Unless they clean their cooking, session won't forward take visitors to the landingpage ever again.

but is there anyway to show the landing page to visitors, lets say the first 5 times when they type www.mydomain.com?

 

 

here is what i exactly use for it.

 

<?php
session_start();

if(!isset($_SESSION['views']) || !$_SESSION['views'])
{
$_SESSION['views'] = 1;
header("location: /landingpage.php");
exit;
}
?>

 

 

Much Thanks in advance. Turk.

[premiso]

<?php
session_start();

// default the variable to avoid a notice error:
$_SESSION['views'] = !empty($_SESSION['views'])?$_SESSION['views']:0;

if ($_SESSION['views'] < 5)
{
$_SESSION['views'] += 1;
header("location: /landingpage.php");
exit;
}
?>

 

Should do it.

[turk]

..nice. thanks alot premiso. it worked. but it kinda makes loop  :-\

 

it brings the .com/landingpage.php without showing /index.php 5 times.

 

 

 

[djlee]

This would be more suitable, so you dont badger the visitor too much in quick concession.

 

<?php
session_start();

//-- times before landing page is disabled
$lpcount = 5;

//-- time between landing page shows 
$halt_time = 60 * 10; //10 minutes

// default the variable to avoid a notice error:
$_SESSION['views'] = !empty($_SESSION['views'])?$_SESSION['views']:0;

$_SESSION['last_land'] = (int)$_SESSION['last_land'] > 0 ? $_SESSION['last_land'] : 0;

if ($_SESSION['views'] < $lpcount && $_SESSION['last_land'] < (time() - $halt_time))
{
$_SESSION['views'] += 1;
$_SESSION['last_land'] = time();
header("location: /landingpage.php");
exit;
}
?>

 

However if you just want to stop the loop then add a check in the IF() that says "if http_refferer is my own site, then do not redirect to landing page"

 

 

[premiso]

it brings the .com/landingpage.php without showing /index.php 5 times.

 

I am having a real problem with reading shit today:

 

<?php
session_start();

// default the variable to avoid a notice error:
$_SESSION['views'] = !empty($_SESSION['views'])?$_SESSION['views']++:0;

if ($_SESSION['views'] > 4)
{
header("location: /landingpage.php");
exit;
}
?>

 

That should do what you want...hopefully. 

[AyKay47]

are you saying that you want the first 5 views of a user to be directed to your index, then the rest to be redirected, or something else..?

[turk]

WOW. first of all very impressed by all these help.

u guys are fucking great. I love the freaks already.

 

 

@djless

 

clever. i really like the clock. i dont know why but it works as my session code. it wont do the count. :/

 

 

@premiso

 

this session did not redirect me to landingpage.php for some reason

 

 

 

are you saying that you want the first 5 views of a user to be directed to your index, then the rest to be redirected, or something else..?

 

yes. when users type the root domain, instead of index.php, i want visitors to be directed /landingpage.php at least 5 times.

 

[AyKay47]

premiso's code should do what you need it to do, with a slight adjustment.

 

<?php
session_start();

// default the variable to avoid a notice error:
$_SESSION['views'] = (!empty($_SESSION['views'])) ? $_SESSION['views']++ : 0;

if ($_SESSION['views'] > 4)
{
header("Location: landingpage.php");
exit;
}
?>

 

 

[turk]

i see the change. tried few other things but it still hits index.php without redirecting to landingpage.php

[AyKay47]

try printing the session value to see what it's actually doing

[turk]

very tough. it is printing only

Array ( [views] => 0 )  

 

i might be wrong but it seemed to me like, it gets directed to landingpage.php but before even load it get redirected to back to index.php

[AyKay47]

if prints out a value of 0 each time you revisit the page?

[turk]

it sure does.

[AyKay47]

okay we are going to do it the if else way

 

<?php
session_start();

// default the variable to avoid a notice error:
if(empty($_SESSION['views'])){
      $_SESSION['views'] = 0;
}else{
      $_SESSION['views'] = $_SESSION['views'] + 1;
} 

if ($_SESSION['views'] > 4)
{
header("Location: landingpage.php");
exit;
}
?>

 

pretty much the same thing here, not sure why the ternary would't work so i want to make sure something funky isn't happening

[turk]

sorry for the headache im causing AyKay47.

why simple looking things always has to cause the major headache.

 

no luck with the if statement either chief. getting the same print "Array ( [views] => 0"

 

 

 

[TeNDoLLA]

Should not this anyway be

if ($_SESSION['views'] > 4)

 

instead like this if you want to show landing page five times but not more

if ($_SESSION['views'] <= 4)

[DavidAM]

The empty() function will return true when the value is zero. So you need to use an isset() call there:

 

$_SESSION['views'] = (isset($_SESSION['views'])) ? $_SESSION['views']++ : 0;

[turk]

thank you david and tendola.

 

updated the session as follows, and now it only stays on the /landingpage.php

 

<?php
session_start();

$_SESSION['views'] = (isset($_SESSION['views'])) ? $_SESSION['views']++ : 0;
if ($_SESSION['views'] <= 4)
{
header("Location: landingpage.php");
exit;
}
?>

 

 

P.S. glad asked you guys, this much testing would have taken me over a week.

[xyph]

Just to make sure you know - unless you have explicitly told PHP to keep sessions going beyond a browser close or a short period of time - this won't keep the value after the use closes their browser.

 

The next time they visit your site they'll be taken to landingpage.php another 5 times automatically.

 

A cookie would be better if you wanted to hold that count beyond a single browser session.

[turk]

i want users to be taken to the landingpage.php each time when they visit the site for the next 5 times they visit the site.

 

the existing code i previously had (which is down below) works like a charm but brings the landingpage.php only once.

 

<?php
session_start();

if(!isset($_SESSION['views']) || !$_SESSION['views'])
{
$_SESSION['views'] = 1;
header("location: /landingpage.php");
exit;
}
?>

 

 

here it goes in this code.

 

 

user types www.mydomain.com and get redirected to www.mydomain.com/landingpage.php where clicks on HOME (<a href="www.mydomain.com">) button and goes to www.mydomain.com

closes to browser, and next day user types www.mydomain.com and gets directed to www.mydomain.com

 

 

what i need is that users redirected to the /landingpage.php at least the first 5 times they visit the site.

 

 

P.S. i hope, i made more sense this time. this could be very strategic and useful to capture user emails, advertise promotional, recent news, info video, etc. user gets fully familiar with the site.

[AyKay47]

xyph brings up a good point which I have overlooked. Lets say that you got the code to work with sessions, an the user visits your site 6 times without closing the browser and the 6th time they are taken to the homepage or wherever you are directing them. When the user closes the browser and reopens, the session information will be erased, thus the session value will be reset to 0, starting your count all over again. I doubt that this is your desired intentions, perhaps you should use cookies for this instead and overwrite the cookie value each time a user visits the page...

[djlee]

the best option would be to use the http referer. that way they dont get annoyed browsing your site but if they type it in the url then they get redirected. Put this in a core file thats included everytime and no matter what url they type in they will be redirected to the landing page by default. Put it only on the index page and it will only redirect to landing page if index is visted from somewhere other than your own site.

 

Which ever one is more in line with your site i guess, ive used both ways in the past.