use custom string as session id

[Jim from Oakland]

This is MOSTLY a session question but I'm using ajax...

I was able to hack ajax so that I can cycle through separate survey questions individually and retrieve user responses (in the ajax request processor) using post variables.

But, I need to keep track of the responses for all questions as they are submitted. I send the form's unique id (as a post variable) each time a question is submitted and want to use that string (letters and numbers only so it should be a vaild session id) to specify/identify a session.

So, in the script that processes the ajax request for each question how do I use the string in $_POST['Ref'] to reinstate a session?

[btherl]

Is http://sg.php.net/manual/en/function.session-name.php what you are looking for?

I don't fully understand what you are trying to do, but that will let you set the session name.

[Jim from Oakland]

Thanks btherl and sorry for convolution.

Hows this: I need to use a string that I create to specify a session, rather than letting php name the session. The string will be in variable $_POST['Ref']

example, $_POST['Ref'] contains '061212aq1'

How do I use that string to a) create a session with that name (id?) then b) access that session once it is created.

I do not know the difference beteen session ID and session NAME.

I've tried various combinations of

$sessionID = $_POST['Ref'];
session_name($sessionID);
session_id($sessionID);
session_start();

[.josh]

hmm..

[code]
<?php
session_id('blah');
session_start();
echo SID;
?>
[/code]
echos out PHPSESSID=blah

[Jim from Oakland]

Darnitall! I get the same results you do.  BUT, when I fill the session array with name/value pairs the values do not seem to persist.
I use
$_SESSION[$itemToProcess][$elementIndex]['name']
= $_POST[$elementNameVarName];

$_SESSION[$itemToProcess][$elementIndex]['value']
= $_POST[$elementValueVarName];

and when using print_r on $_SESSION I see that it is filled but next time into the script (via ajax) none of the previously processed questions' name/value data is retrieved.

Ideas?

[.josh]

can you post your script?

[Jim from Oakland]

I tried sequentially named strings as keys for $_SESSION instead of the three dimension array approach and the session data was retrieved. Thanks. You did help me!

So, instead of

$itemIndex=2;
$elementIndex=3;

$_SESSION[$ItemIndex][$elementIndex]['name'] = 'red';

used
$_SESSION['item_' . $ItemIndex . 'element_' . $elementIndex . 'name'] = 'red';

Should the former approach work?