Using a header after MySQL process fails to redirect

Question

In our site we are implementing a free registration system so that we can allow people to access secure personal information but we need this file to redirect if they access it directly any help would be greatly appreciated

<?php
include("../../account/core/init.php");
logged_in_redirect();
?>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<?php include '../../bundles/base/inc/head.php'; ?>
</head>
<body>
    <?php include("../../bundles/base/inc/header.php"); ?>
    <div class="container page clearfix account-activation">
    <?php if(isset($_GET['email'], $_GET['email_code'])) {
        echo 'This is where the account will be activated';
    } else {
        header('Location: https://www.oursite.org/');
        exit();
    }
    ?>
</div>
<?php include("../../bundles/base/inc/footer.php"); ?>
</body>
</html>

This is our code for out https://www.oursite.org/account/private/secure/activation/ We keep getting this error:

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /route/to/site/public_html/account/private/secure/activation/index.php:9) in /route/to/site/public_html/account/private/secure/activation/index.php on line 17

#

.htaccess file

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ /?username=$1

You access the profile by account/profile/?username=user But i'm trying to rewrite it to account/profile/user/

@Fred-ii- I have tried to review the file and I can't find any problems with it no white-space etc.. — Web Developer, Jun 25 '14 at 02:30
Have you checked for a byte order mark inside one or all files? Even a cookie counts as output. Plus, using sessions? — Funk Forty Niner, Jun 25 '14 at 02:30
Ways to troubleshoot this is, try your files one at a time with no includes. Once you hit a nerve, you'll know which file's doing it. — Funk Forty Niner, Jun 25 '14 at 02:33
@Fred-ii- The second ` ` gets parsed, Apache sends a header thus any attempt to send a new header triggers the exact error shown. Practical refactoring in my answer. — Giacomo1968, Jun 25 '14 at 02:39
@JakeGould Although you stand at being correct, there are far too many things we don't know that's associated with the included files. It's up to the OP to try out the answers given, as well as what I've left in my comments. We can only do so much with what we (presently) see ;-) — Funk Forty Niner, Jun 25 '14 at 02:48
@Fred-ii- Doing my best & detaching… I’m learning how to not get too attached to each patient who walks into the emergency room, it seems! — Giacomo1968, Jun 25 '14 at 02:50
@JakeGould Thanks so simple as well think i was just a little tired :-) — Web Developer, Jun 25 '14 at 14:52

score 1 · Accepted Answer · edited Jun 25 '14 at 20:48

The issue is your header call only happens in PHP logic stuck in the middle of HTML being sent to the browser. Thus headers are technically already sent to the end user when Apache parses the HTML & sends it. Meaning header is not called by PHP, but as far as Apache is concerned, pure HTML equates to content being sent which equates to headers being sent.

The solution? Refactor your logic to happen before the HTML gets rendered like this.

The idea is that instead of echoing right away, it sets a $message variable. So your if/else logic happens before any HTML gets spit out. That way $message gets set before anything happens and then the value of $message can be passed to the inline PHP if needed. And if the header needs to redirect? Well, that just happens before the <!DOCTYPE html> happens:

<?php

include("../../account/core/init.php");
logged_in_redirect();

$message = ''
if(isset($_GET['email'], $_GET['email_code'])) {
  $message = 'This is where the account will be activated';
}
else {
  header('Location: https://www.oursite.org/');
  exit();
}

?><!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<?php include '../../bundles/base/inc/head.php'; ?>
</head>
<body>
    <?php include("../../bundles/base/inc/header.php"); ?>
    <div class="container page clearfix account-activation">
    <?php echo $message; ?>
</div>
<?php include("../../bundles/base/inc/footer.php"); ?>
</body>
</html>

score 0 · Answer 2 · edited May 23 '17 at 10:32

0

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by.......

Means that you have already written out content and the server has begun streaming the response to the client. You cannot modify the headers because they have already been sent.

Move the header-generating code to a point before the very first output is written.

Move this code to where the header to the page of the page:

<?php if(isset($_GET['email'], $_GET['email_code'])) {
        echo 'This is where the account will be activated';
    } else {
        header('Location: https://www.oursite.org/');
        exit();
    }

As mentioned here:

https://stackoverflow.com/a/8028987/3739658

Some functions modifying the HTTP header are:

edited May 23 '17 at 10:32

Community

1
1

answered Jun 25 '14 at 02:30

imbondbaby

6,351
3
21
54

I don't have any headers before this except within my functions file but all headers are contained within a functions – Web Developer Jun 25 '14 at 02:32
1

“I don't have any headers before this…” Yes, you do. The second that any pure HTML is sent to the browser that triggers header output. Look at my answer for a practical solution that shows you exactly what I mean. – Giacomo1968 Jun 25 '14 at 02:38

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Jun 25 '14 at 02:43

0

Use:-

ob_start();
ob_clean();

Make sure ob_start() is the first line in the web page.

// clean the output buffer
ob_clean();

answered Jun 25 '14 at 02:43

Dinesh Rawat

970
10
32

Using a header after MySQL process fails to redirect

3 Answers3