remember user with cookies

[jwk811]

i dont really know much about how to use cookies or how to make something like this on my site so i was wondering if someone could help me out on this.. an example would be terrific.. thanks!

[printf]

Is this a login system or do you just want to allow users the ability to remember page display aspects without the need to login?

[wildteen88]

You can create a cookie with php using the [url=http://php.net/setcookie]setcookie[/url] function

Here is the basics of the function:
setcookie(name, value, expirey_time);

The name is the the name of your cookie, the value is what your cookie holds and the expire_time is when your cookie expires in seconds.

So if you want to create a remember me cookie then you'd set it using this:
[code]setcookie('remeberMe', $user_var, time()+3600*24*365[/code]

What that will do is create a cookie called rememberMe which holds the value of the $user_var variable and it will expire a year from now. To access the cookie you'll use the $_COOKIE superglobal variable. Example:

$_COOKIE['cookie_name_here']

So to access your remeberMe cookie you'd use $_COOKIE['remeberMe']

Note when you use the setcookie function make sure there is no output before you use this function, otherwise you may get a header already sent error message/blank screen.

[jwk811]

so its actually pretty basic stuff? i was reading this tutorial and it seemed really complicated.  [url=http://www.evolt.org/article/comment/17/60265/index.html]http://www.evolt.org/article/comment/17/60265/index.html[/url]

[wildteen88]

There is more too it. However I have just shown you the basics. However you should follow that tutorial through though.

[jwk811]

k thanks.. i already have a login system all set up i just need to add the remember me feature to it.. i have a good idea of how to do this now..