Sessions help AGAIN?

[Moron]

Sorry to be starting a thread on this every few days, but it's honestly driving me crazy.

Short and sweet:

[b]First Page:[/b] The employee enters their employee number and password.
Works great.

[b]Second Page:[/b] Brings up a menu with their name, address, department. Works great.

BUT....if they click the "Paystubs" link on this second page, the query fails on the Third Page. If I have them [b]re-enter[/b] employee number and password on the Second Page, them the paystub works fine.

So....why aren't my variables, input from the form on Page One, being passed on to Page Three when I click the Paystubs link on Page Two?

ALL pages have this at the very top:

[code]
<?php
session_start();
$_SESSION['empcode'] = $_POST['empcode'];
$_SESSION['middle'] = $_POST['middle'];
$_SESSION['firstname'] = $_POST['firstname'];
$_SESSION['lastname'] = $_POST['lastname'];
$_SESSION['leavehours'] = $_POST['leavehours'];
$_SESSION['password'] = $_POST['password'];
?>[/code]

So what gives?

[kenrbnsn]

The $_POST array is only available when a form has been submitted. If there is no form submittal, then there is no $_POST array.

You should only have the session_start() function at the start of all scripts. You should only have the lines
[code]<?php
$_SESSION['empcode'] = $_POST['empcode'];
$_SESSION['middle'] = $_POST['middle'];
$_SESSION['firstname'] = $_POST['firstname'];
$_SESSION['lastname'] = $_POST['lastname'];
$_SESSION['leavehours'] = $_POST['leavehours'];
$_SESSION['password'] = $_POST['password'];
?>[/code]
in scripts that are invoked via a form that pass those values. In scripts that don't get invoked via forms, you probably want to retrieve the values from the session variables:
[code]<?php
$empcode = $_SESSION['empcode'];
$middle = $_SESSION['middle'];
$firstname = $_SESSION['firstname'];
$lastname = $_SESSION['lastname'];
$leavehours = $_SESSION['leavehours'];
$password = $_SESSION['password'];
?>[/code]

Ken

[Moron]

Thanks, Ken. I now have this at the top of my third page, [b]paystubresults.php:[/b]

[code]<?php
session_start();
$empcode = $_SESSION['empcode'];
$middle = $_SESSION['middle'];
$firstname = $_SESSION['firstname'];
$lastname = $_SESSION['lastname'];
$leavehours = $_SESSION['leavehours'];
$password = $_SESSION['password'];
?>[/code]

In my query, I have:

[code]WHERE M2.[EMPNO] = '".$_SESSION['empcode']."' and
M2.[MSSNO] = '".$_SESSION['password']."'[/code]

It still tells me that I've entered an invalid employee number or password (from the "die" statement).

[sylesia]

try to output the variables you need to have checked before checking to make sure they were stored and retrieved correctly.  Also, make sure that somewhere along the lines something was actually stored in the $_SESSION else they are blank and will not work.

[Moron]

I've tried echoing the variables on paystubresults.php, but all I get is the results of the "die" statement.

Any other ideas?

[kenrbnsn]

At the top of the script (after the session_start() statement), put the following:
[code]<?php
echo '<pre>' . print_r($_SESSION,true) . '</pre>';
?>[/code]

This is show you what is in the $_SESSION array, if it's not what you think it should be, you will have to follow the data flow to see where the problem is occuring.

Ken

[Moron]

[quote author=kenrbnsn link=topic=117325.msg479090#msg479090 date=1165331975]
At the top of the script (after the session_start() statement), put the following:
[code]<?php
echo '<pre>' . print_r($_SESSION,true) . '</pre>';
?>[/code]

This is show you what is in the $_SESSION array, if it's not what you think it should be, you will have to follow the data flow to see where the problem is occuring.

Ken
[/quote]

Hmmm.... maybe we're getting somewhere now. What it gives me is:

[quote]
Array
(
    [employeenumber] =>
    [password] => ********* (I blanked this out because it's my SSN)
    [empcode] =>
    [middle] =>
    [firstname] =>
    [lastname] =>
    [leavehours] =>
)[/quote]

So the only entry that has a value is [password], or am I not reading this right?

EDIT: Could it be that the problem is having my session variables at the TOP of the page before? Could it be that they don't exist until further down the page?

At the top of the second page, I have:

[code]
<?php
session_start();
header('Content-Type: image/jpeg');
$_SESSION['empcode'] = $_POST['empcode'];
$_SESSION['middle'] = $_POST['middle'];
$_SESSION['firstname'] = $_POST['firstname'];
$_SESSION['lastname'] = $_POST['lastname'];
$_SESSION['leavehours'] = $_POST['leavehours'];
$_SESSION['password'] = $_POST['password'];
?>[/code]

[kenrbnsn]

If the second page isn't invoked via a form that populates those fields, that would be a problem.

Ken

[craygo]

You should actually set your session variables at the time you authenticate the user. That way your session variables come right from the table and not a post.

[code]<?php
$sql = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE empcode = '".$_POST['empcode']."' AND password = '".md5($_POST['password'])."'";
  $res = mysql_query($sql) or die (mysql_error());
$num_rows = mysql_num_rows($res);
$result = mysql_fetch_assoc($res);
if($num_rows < 1){
echo "No soup for you";
} else {
$_SESSION['empcode'] = $result['empcode'];
$_SESSION['firstname'] = $result['firstname'];
// blah blah blah

}
?>[/code]

Now everything will be available right from the time they authenticate

Ray

[Moron]

[quote author=kenrbnsn link=topic=117325.msg479217#msg479217 date=1165344560]
If the second page isn't invoked via a form that populates those fields, that would be a problem.

Ken
[/quote]

Oops. Sorry. I messed up and pasted from the wrong file.

My second page (paystubresults.php) starts with:

[code]<?php
session_start();
$empcode = $_SESSION['empcode'];
$middle = $_SESSION['middle'];
$firstname = $_SESSION['firstname'];
$lastname = $_SESSION['lastname'];
$leavehours = $_SESSION['leavehours'];
$password = $_SESSION['password'];
?>[/code]

Sorry. I was too quick on the trigger.

[Moron]

Bump. Any ideas why it's carrying ONLY the password over?