[SOLVED] modify header string your browser sends?

[ocpaul20]

I want to modify the header string my browser sends, (or my php program run from my local PC ) so that I can detect that it is me visiting my website. My IP gets changed everytime I logon to my ISP so I cannot check the IP address to detect if it is me.

 

Can anyone give me a hint or pointers how I can do this please?

I can write the php to look at the USER AGENT string that arrives at the website, but I have no idea about the modifying the headers part.

 

Thanks for any help.

Paul

[KrisNz]

Theres a modify headers add-on for firefox, I haven't tried it.

 

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/967

 

[ocpaul20]

ok, I'll have a look thanks.

 

However, it must be possible to do this using PHP because the search robot programs have a particular signature - thats how you know it is Googlebot visiting your website etc 'cos it says so in the log file.

[trq]

You can modify the headers sent by php by using the header function.

[ocpaul20]

I was hoping for a snippit of code to show me how to alter a header string - I have found the header function in the manual before, is not very forthcoming on this kind of example.

 

[trq]

It has nothing at all to do with your original question either. Maybe you need to explain better exactly what it is your trying to do.

[ocpaul20]

it does have everything to do with what I originally asked - or maybe I am assuming wrongly that I should use the header function to change the value of a header string?

 

What I am trying to do is to write a PHP program which will run on my website ONLY if the request comes from me - my php program running on my PC. So, for example, maybe I want to run a utility program, and I dont want others to be able to run it. I realise I can do this in a different way, but I have other ideas for this  as well if I can get it going.

 

I have tried to alter the user-agent string (because technically a php program running on my PC is NOT firefox browser) and I have written 2 mickey mouse programs as follows:

prog1
header("User-Agent: aaaaaaa");
header("Content-type: text/html");
header('Location: prog2.php'); exit;


prog2
echo getallheaders();
exit;

 

and I would expect to see a user-agent of 'aaaaa' rather than 'Mozilla/5.0 ' but this still does not show 'aaaaa'.

 

What I am looking for is a string I can test for in prog2, that I can know the request came from me.

 

[trq]

If you want a php program to act as a browser you will need to use either curl (easiest) or sockets. Both have a meens for sending headers.

[ocpaul20]

Ok, thanks, I'll have a look at that.

[ocpaul20]

Curl was what I needed - thanks.