[SOLVED] Session info in an included php file

kjtocool · December 19, 2007

On my index page, the header is an include statement like so:

<?php include ("http://www.*****.com/header.php"); ?>

This header is in the same location as the "php freaks Get Addicted" blue banner. Inside that header.php file, I have the following:

	<tr>
		<td colspan="5" background="http://www.*****.com/CS5/images/top.jpg" height="100">
			<table width="993" height="97" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
			  <tr>
			  	<td width="786" rowspan="3"></td>
				<td height="20" class="style97" align="right"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
                      <tr>
				  	<?php
						if (isset($_SESSION['user_name'])) {
							$user_name = $_SESSION['user_name'];
							echo '<td width="83%"><div align="right"><span class="style97">You are: ' . $user_name . ' | <a href="http://www.*****.com/logout.php">Logout</a></span></div></td>';
						}
						else {
							echo '<td width="83%"><div align="right"><span class="style97"><a href="http://www.*****.com/login.php?tid=' . $article_ID . '">Login</a> | <a href="http://www.*****.com/forum/ucp.php?mode=register">Register</a></span></div></td>';
						}
					?>
                        <td width="17%"> </td>
                      </tr>
                    </table></td>
			  </tr>
			  <tr>
				<td width="207" height="70" valign="bottom">
					<form name="form2" method="post" action="http://www.******.com/search_movies1.php">
					<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
						<tr>
						  <td><input name="textfield" type="text" style="color:#000000" class="style3" value="" /></td>
						  <td><input type="image" src="http://www.******.com/CS5/images/search.gif" name="Image68" /></td>
						</tr>
					</table>
					</form>					
				</td>
			  </tr>
			  <tr>
				<td height="10"></td>
			  </tr>
		  </table>			
		</td>
	</tr>

But even if the session is set, the code never recognizes the set session variable. I am thinking this is likely because this page has no session start(), but I can't include it because this page is called after code is sent to the browser. Is there any way to make something like this work?

phpSensei · December 19, 2007

I don't understand your problem, just put it on line:1 session_start();

kjtocool · December 19, 2007

OK. I have an index.php page which contains the following:

<?php
session_start();
?>
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>

... more code

</head>
<body>

... more code

<?php include ("http://www.****.com/header.php"); ?>

... more code

Inside the header.php file, is the php code listed above:

<?php
if (isset($_SESSION['user_name'])) {
	$user_name = $_SESSION['user_name'];
	echo '<td width="83%"><div align="right"><span class="style97">You are: ' . $user_name . ' | <a href="http://www.*****.com/logout.php">Logout</a></span></div></td>';
}
else {
	echo '<td width="83%"><div align="right"><span class="style97"><a href="http://www.*****.com/login.php?tid=' . $article_ID . '">Login</a> | <a href="http://www.*****.com/forum/ucp.php?mode=register">Register</a></span></div></td>';
}
?>

This code always returns the else value, even if the session variable is set.

My question is, how do I fix this so that this included file can work the way I want.

phpSensei · December 19, 2007

Post the script where you set the $_SESSION['user_name'];

also, try to echo $_SESSION['user_name']; see if it prints out anything.

kjtocool · December 19, 2007

The session is set properly, the exact same code listed above works in a separate location of the same file, but it isn't an include.

http://www.worldofkj.com/articleIndex.php?tid=31165

If you go there, you will see what I mean. Notice how in the header, you see the "Login | Register", then if you scroll down, you see "Login | Register" right above the comment box. If a user is logged in, it will properly display their name above the comment box, but not in the header.

phpSensei · December 19, 2007

The session is set properly, the exact same code listed above works in a separate location of the same file, but it isn't an include.

http://www.worldofkj.com/articleIndex.php?tid=31165

If you go there, you will see what I mean. Notice how in the header, you see the "Login | Register", then if you scroll down, you see "Login | Register" right above the comment box. If a user is logged in, it will properly display their name above the comment box, but not in the header.

You could just use cookies/

kjtocool · December 19, 2007

I suppose, but would really prefer not to. I tried changing the include statement to a require_once statement, no go. :-\

revraz · December 19, 2007

Did you try to put the session_start() in the included file as well?

kjtocool · December 19, 2007

I did not, I assumed it would give me an error.

I just now tried this:

<?php
session_start();
?>
	<tr>
		<td colspan="5" background="http://www.***.com/CS5/images/top.jpg" height="100">
			<table width="993" height="97" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
			  <tr>
			  	<td width="786" rowspan="3"></td>
				<td height="20" class="style97" align="right"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
                      <tr>
				  	<?php
						if (isset($_SESSION['user_name'])) {
							$user_name = $_SESSION['user_name'];
							echo '<td width="83%"><div align="right"><span class="style97">You are: ' . $user_name . ' | <a href="http://www.****.com/logout.php">Logout</a></span></div></td>';
						}
						else {
							echo '<td width="83%"><div align="right"><span class="style97"><a href="http://www.**.com/login.php?tid=' . $article_ID . '">Login</a> | <a href="http://www.*****.com/forum/ucp.php?mode=register">Register</a></span></div></td>';
						}
					?>
                        <td width="17%"> </td>
                      </tr>
                    </table></td>
			  </tr>
			  <tr>
				<td width="207" height="70" valign="bottom">
					<form name="form2" method="post" action="http://www.****.com/search_movies1.php">
					<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
						<tr>
						  <td><input name="textfield" type="text" style="color:#000000" class="style3" value="" /></td>
						  <td><input type="image" src="http://www.****.com/CS5/images/search.gif" name="Image68" /></td>
						</tr>
					</table>
					</form>					
				</td>
			  </tr>
			  <tr>
				<td height="10"></td>
			  </tr>
		  </table>			
		</td>
	</tr>

It doesn't give any errors, but doesn't work either. However, if you directly link to the included file:

http://www.worldofkj.com/header.php

The code works if you are logged in, it didn't work before when the session statement wasn't in there. So it's something about being included that's causing the error.

phpSensei · December 19, 2007

I did not, I assumed it would give me an error.

I just now tried this:

<?php
session_start();
?>
	<tr>
		<td colspan="5" background="http://www.***.com/CS5/images/top.jpg" height="100">
			<table width="993" height="97" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
			  <tr>
			  	<td width="786" rowspan="3"></td>
				<td height="20" class="style97" align="right"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
                      <tr>
				  	<?php
						if (isset($_SESSION['user_name'])) {
							$user_name = $_SESSION['user_name'];
							echo '<td width="83%"><div align="right"><span class="style97">You are: ' . $user_name . ' | <a href="http://www.****.com/logout.php">Logout</a></span></div></td>';
						}
						else {
							echo '<td width="83%"><div align="right"><span class="style97"><a href="http://www.**.com/login.php?tid=' . $article_ID . '">Login</a> | <a href="http://www.*****.com/forum/ucp.php?mode=register">Register</a></span></div></td>';
						}
					?>
                        <td width="17%"> </td>
                      </tr>
                    </table></td>
			  </tr>
			  <tr>
				<td width="207" height="70" valign="bottom">
					<form name="form2" method="post" action="http://www.****.com/search_movies1.php">
					<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
						<tr>
						  <td><input name="textfield" type="text" style="color:#000000" class="style3" value="" /></td>
						  <td><input type="image" src="http://www.****.com/CS5/images/search.gif" name="Image68" /></td>
						</tr>
					</table>
					</form>					
				</td>
			  </tr>
			  <tr>
				<td height="10"></td>
			  </tr>
		  </table>			
		</td>
	</tr>

It doesn't give any errors, but doesn't work either. However, if you directly link to the included file:

http://www.worldofkj.com/header.php

The code works if you are logged in, it didn't work before when the session statement wasn't in there. So it's something about being included that's causing the error.

You have to include the file after starting the session, make sure you done that.

kjtocool · December 19, 2007

Yeah, I know. Like I posted above, the file in question goes like so:

<?php
session_start();
?>
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>

... more code

</head>
<body>

... more code

<?php include ("http://www.****.com/header.php"); ?>

... more code

So as you can see, the include statement is after the session statement.

phpSensei · December 19, 2007

weird.

try

<?php include ("header.php"); ?>

see what happens/

kjtocool · December 19, 2007

Same result, but I need the link to be direct in any case, since the header goes across every page of my site, some of which are in sub directories.

PFMaBiSmAd · December 19, 2007

When you include a file using a http:// request, that file is requested through the web server instead of directly though the file system. This causes the file to be parsed and you only include any HTML output that is sent. A session that is started in such a file only exists in that file.

You need to use an absolute file system path in your include. See my post in this thread on how to properly include files no matter where they are relative to the current script - http://www.phpfreaks.com/forums/index.php/topic,172711.msg766014.html#msg766014

kjtocool · December 19, 2007

So something like this should work?

<?php include($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . "/header.php"); ?>

Should I still include the session statement in the file?

Edit: It works beautifully upon testing. Thanks a bunch, I never knew that about it being requested via web server.

revraz · December 19, 2007

Weird, my includes work just fine with just the filename itself. Wonder if it has something to do with a setting in the PHP.INI file.

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[SOLVED] Session info in an included php file

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