kgorrell
asked on
Should I use cookies or IPs or somethnig else to ID user ?
Hi,
I've written my own shopping cart system which has been integrated into our existing retail system.
Is it wise for me to rely entirely on Cookies for session ID's ?
I know some people turn off cookies, I also know that IPs are even less reliable due to mass proxy usage by AOL style customers.
Any advice on this subject would be appreciated also any statistics on the number of people who can't / won't accept cookies would be useful in helping me make my decision.
I've heard of software which uses the IP when cookies are not accepted but woundl't this just cause more problems is a proxy was used ?
Thanks
Kevin
I've written my own shopping cart system which has been integrated into our existing retail system.
Is it wise for me to rely entirely on Cookies for session ID's ?
I know some people turn off cookies, I also know that IPs are even less reliable due to mass proxy usage by AOL style customers.
Any advice on this subject would be appreciated also any statistics on the number of people who can't / won't accept cookies would be useful in helping me make my decision.
I've heard of software which uses the IP when cookies are not accepted but woundl't this just cause more problems is a proxy was used ?
Thanks
Kevin
ASKER
It's not acceptable to tell them tough luck - maybe I'll just tell them to accept the cookie - this could be enough !
I'm assigning a cart ID to each user and using this as the cookie (or session ID) - the actual cart is stored in a database on the server.
From what I understand cold fusion, etc can't store anything more on the client PC otherwise I could recreate this method myself - I'm usng a cookie as a session ID variable. If this is correct about Cold Fusion can anyone explain how it's achieved at the raw HTTP level - I don't see it being possible though without using some sort of cookie like feature which is present in all the main browsers.
Kevin
I'm assigning a cart ID to each user and using this as the cookie (or session ID) - the actual cart is stored in a database on the server.
From what I understand cold fusion, etc can't store anything more on the client PC otherwise I could recreate this method myself - I'm usng a cookie as a session ID variable. If this is correct about Cold Fusion can anyone explain how it's achieved at the raw HTTP level - I don't see it being possible though without using some sort of cookie like feature which is present in all the main browsers.
Kevin
Hmmm, "tough luck" was my wording. Of course you will have to tell them to accept the cookies.
Cold Fusion won't store anything on the client PC (except cookies of coz, something we want to avoid), but on the server machine itself. The client URL will contain a session ID which CF will use (among other variables you set) to identify the user/session/browser. You might want to ask in the Cold Fusion area on more about session management, or ask on http://forums.allaire.com.
Cold Fusion won't store anything on the client PC (except cookies of coz, something we want to avoid), but on the server machine itself. The client URL will contain a session ID which CF will use (among other variables you set) to identify the user/session/browser. You might want to ask in the Cold Fusion area on more about session management, or ask on http://forums.allaire.com.
ASKER
Thanks for the info - I understand what you mean about the cold fusion stuff and it won't work in this case.
My software allows affiliates to advertise and sell my goods on their websites by creating their own website and using 'Buy Me' style buttons which will create a new shopping cart the first time a user picks a product.
Once the user has confirmed they want to add the item to the cart they are returned to the affiliates site which is under a different domain and server and not under my control.
I don't think that I would be able to pass back the information needed to a 3rd party site so it could be accessed when and if they click on the second item for the shopping cart.
Looks like it's probably cookies for me then !
My software allows affiliates to advertise and sell my goods on their websites by creating their own website and using 'Buy Me' style buttons which will create a new shopping cart the first time a user picks a product.
Once the user has confirmed they want to add the item to the cart they are returned to the affiliates site which is under a different domain and server and not under my control.
I don't think that I would be able to pass back the information needed to a 3rd party site so it could be accessed when and if they click on the second item for the shopping cart.
Looks like it's probably cookies for me then !
You could also use <input type=hiddeh> or
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You will have to tell people who turn off cookies "tough luck"!!!
There are solutions to your problem though. Application servers like Cold Fusion allow you the developer to store session variables and other info in the you registry or database. This eliminates the problem of people who turn off cookies and (AOL) proxies.