PHP Session variables not saving between pages?

Question

Login page:

<?php

session_start();

#echo session_id ();
$_SESSION["auth"]= "yes";

echo '<a href="Portaltest.php?t='.time().'">portal page link.  Auth set to: {$_SESSION["auth"]}</a>';

?>

Portal page:

<?php session_start();

echo "auth = {$_SESSION["auth"] } <BR />";
echo session_id ();


?>

The auth session is lost between the two pages somehow!

Edit

Here is a test url:

http://proserv01.services.lyris.com/NFPInsurance/UnsegmentedMemberReport/logintest.php

First try to not put the `$_SESSION["auth"]` in the echo. The quotes will throw it off. Instead do this... `echo 'auth = '.$_SESSION["auth"].'
";` — CP510, Aug 20 '13 at 01:10
Additionally to @CP510 comment, are you sure the code is executed properly and that the $_SESSION["auth"] is actually lost? Check it using the isset function: if(isset($_SESSION["auth"] )){echo "Session Auth is set";} — Nick Louloudakis, Aug 20 '13 at 01:14
Try doing this `echo "$auth = ".$_SESSION["auth"]."
";` adding a `$` to `auth`. `auth` should be a variable. Am just not sure what it is you are trying to achieve. — Funk Forty Niner, Aug 20 '13 at 01:16
@NickL. Yes it is definitely lost. I just added your code, same result. — richard, Aug 20 '13 at 01:16
Are sessions enabled on your servers configuration? Check with a nifty `phpinfo()` call — CP510, Aug 20 '13 at 01:17
If anything you probably should be doing this: `$auth = $_SESSION["auth"]; echo $auth;` — Funk Forty Niner, Aug 20 '13 at 01:18
Wait a minute. Your login page never sets the auth variable in login.php, did you change the code? — CP510, Aug 20 '13 at 01:18
@RichardDesLonde Because you're including the `equal` sign and trying to assign something to it, unless that's your goal? To print that line? That's why I don't understand what you're trying achieve. — Funk Forty Niner, Aug 20 '13 at 01:18
@CP510 That's what I've been trying say to the OP about `auth`. — Funk Forty Niner, Aug 20 '13 at 01:19
@Fred-ii- It is not necessary to do that. You do not need to set a variable here. — CP510, Aug 20 '13 at 01:19
**OP CHECK YOUR SOURCE CODE** make sure there is something in login.php doing this... `$_SESSION['auth'] = "yes";` — CP510, Aug 20 '13 at 01:20
@CP510 Ok, I don't understand what the OP is trying to do. Looks to me it's just to echo out `auth = ".$_SESSION["auth"]."
` with a line break. *Confused and baffled* — Funk Forty Niner, Aug 20 '13 at 01:21
@CP510 I edited this question and accidentally deleted the part where it sets the variable. I just fixed it in the question. It is reflecting correctly now what I have in my code. — richard, Aug 20 '13 at 01:21
I just want to start a simple session, set a variable, and retrieve it on another page. It's not working. — richard, Aug 20 '13 at 01:22
Thank you. Check that your sessions are enabled by creating a php page and adding `phpinfo()` to that. Thats the only line needed. Navigate to it and it will display your server settings. — CP510, Aug 20 '13 at 01:22
here is the phpinfo page...http://proserv01.services.lyris.com/NFPInsurance/UnsegmentedMemberReport/phpinfotest.php — richard, Aug 20 '13 at 01:24
Check this one here: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2542427/how-do-i-continue-a-session-from-one-page-to-another-with-php — Nick Louloudakis, Aug 20 '13 at 01:35
@RichardDesLonde Sorry Richard, the only thing I can suggest and what I think what you're trying to do is to echo the session ID itself. Try `echo "portal page link. Auth set to: " .$_SESSION["auth"]. "";` (un-tested) see if that's your expected result. Other than that, I don't know what else to answer you with. — Funk Forty Niner, Aug 20 '13 at 01:42
@RichardDesLonde My suggestion above will throw an error, I know, just tested it now. I tried using double quotes. Here's a working example `echo 'portal page link. Auth set to: " .$_SESSION["auth"]. "';` however I think it's a variation of what you already have. — Funk Forty Niner, Aug 20 '13 at 01:46
@RichardDesLonde I have a question. Is `echo "auth = {$_SESSION["auth"] }
";` supposed to print/echo `auth = yes` ? Is that your expected result? Or as `href` => `portal page link. Auth set to: yes` ? — Funk Forty Niner, Aug 20 '13 at 01:55

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 20 '13 at 02:38

When trouble-shooting sessions, there are a few things I tend to do, but let's start with your code.

Here is an updated version of your page code so you actually see the value stored in $_SESSION['auth'] (your quotes were causing some trouble):

<?php

session_start();
$_SESSION["auth"] = "yes";
echo '<a href="Portaltest.php?t='.time().'">portal page link.  Auth set to: ' . $_SESSION["auth"] . '</a>';

?>

Here is the updated version of the portal page, which removes the additional space after the closing curly bracket:

<?php

session_start();
echo "auth = {$_SESSION["auth"]} <BR />";

?>

Now, if you don't see the auth with these revisions, you can try:

Changing the code in portal so it just dumps out the session so you can see what you've got: session_start(); var_dump($_SESSION);
Checking to make sure the error reporting is enabled, as PHP helps you identify many potential issues quite quickly (e.g., index doesn't exist, the headers were already sent, etc.): ini_set('display_errors','1'); error_reporting(E_ALL);
You can check your PHP config file (php.ini) to make sure that there are no settings causing session issues directly.

/var was full because of an out of control mail program. The error reporting made that come up and was easy to see. Thanks!!! — richard, Aug 20 '13 at 07:44

score 1 · Answer 2 · edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:12

1

NOTE: For testing purposes only.

I am unsure as to what the expected results are, yet I will submit this as an answer with explanations set inside PHP comments.

Give this a try:

<?php

session_start();
$_SESSION["auth"]= "yes";

// will echo: portal page link. Auth set to: yes
echo '<a href="Portaltest.php?t='.time().'">portal page link.  Auth set to: ' . $_SESSION["auth"] . '</a>';
echo "<br>";

// will echo: auth = yes
echo "auth = {$_SESSION["auth"] } <BR />";
?>

edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:12

Community

1
1

answered Aug 20 '13 at 02:03

Funk Forty Niner

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You shouldn't write `echo "auth = {$_SESSION["auth"] }
";` like that, as the double quoutes around the `auth` key will throw it off. At best, it should be: `echo "auth = {$_SESSION['auth'] }
";` or `echo 'auth = {'.$_SESSION["auth"].' }
';` – M Sost Aug 20 '13 at 02:35
@MSost, the double quotes do work (if you try it, you'll see it functions fine), as PHP enters a new parsing mode when it reaches {$...} (complex syntax), but it might not be the best for readability: http://php.net/manual/en/language.types.string.php – AdamJonR Aug 20 '13 at 02:56
1

@Adam That's for the info, agreed on readability, but if it works I retract my statement :) I've just never thought that would work/to do that! – M Sost Aug 20 '13 at 03:01
@RichardDesLonde Actually Richard, I got the exact same results (from accepted answer) with or without the space before the curly brace, using FF v23 – Funk Forty Niner Aug 20 '13 at 15:14

PHP Session variables not saving between pages?

2 Answers2

NOTE: For testing purposes only.