php sessions not being read so setting a new one when not needed.

haloexpertsexchange:

Are you remembering to include the session_start() function at the top of your pages?  It must be the first line in the script file.

please post an example of the code

From your question above, i think whats happening is the following

page 1:

$_SESSION['test'] = $_POST['test'];

then u go to a page2 then return to the page1? if this is the cases then nothing is being posted again so it will set the variable to nothing

session_start() is on the page, it reposts back to itself, and things do get set, its just that for some reason once I come back after the submit, it starts a new session.
$decrypt is a variable used later on in the code, the $_GET comes from a different page entirely with a value that I need, so I get it the first time I come to the page, then set it into a session variable, then from then on I check to see if there is any get value, if not I look for the session variable, the problem being that for some reason it does not pick up the session that was set before and I end up with no session variable by that name and my variable comes up with no value.
This is all on one server so there is no problems with that.
I don't unset anything on the entire page besides some com objects so I am not accidentally unsetting my session variables

if(!empty($_GET["userId"]))
{
$decrypt = $_GET['userId'];
$_SESSION['username']=$decrypt;
}
else
{
$decrypt=$_SESSION['username'];

}

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As an update cookie setting works so that is not the problem.

For some reason it seems like the PHPSESSID cookie is being reset every time I call session_start().
If I manage to somehow save the original session_id I can then force the session_id to whatever the first session_id was and then the sessions work and I can access my stored session data.

Any one have any idea what could be triggering the PHPSESSID cookie overwrite after every session_start() call?

haloexpertsexchange:

I had some issues awhile back with a hsosting setup where I had to explicitly register each session variable, and wrote this function for convenience.

/**********************************************************************
' Set the value of the session variable passed.
'
' function
' setSessionVariable
' (
'   $SessionVariableName
'   $SessionVariableValue
' )
'*********************************************************************/

function
setSessionVariable($SessionVariableName, $SessionVariableValue)
{

  global $HTTP_SESSION_VARS;
 
/**********************************************************************
'
' If the session variable not registered, then register it prior to
' setting its value.
'
'*********************************************************************/

  if (session_is_registered($SessionVariableName))
  {
    session_register($SessionVariableName);
  }

  $HTTP_SESSION_VARS[$SessionVariableName] = $SessionVariableValue;
}

Your host probably uses the newer $_SESSION global in place of the older $HTTP_SESSION_VARS, or maybe it doesn't.

AielloJ

AielloJ:
I have more or less complete control over the server settings and the php settings so I should be able to change any sort of settings which would control this. Any idea what exactly I should check into to see if my problem is like yours?

haloexpertsexchange:

Try the code I provided or similar in-line code to see if it resolves the issue.  I had similar issues with PHP and session variables.  That's why I wrote that function long ago and use it still today - it works for me.  Like you, I was having a very similar issue and after some digging that function resolved it.

I don't have control of the PHP settings as my sites are hosted with an Internet company.  I don't know what settings may be involved if it is related to the settings.

AielloJ

AielloJ:
I added this to my code

function
setSessionVariable($SessionVariableName, $SessionVariableValue)
{

  global $_SESSION;
 
/**********************************************************************
'
' If the session variable not registered, then register it prior to
' setting its value.
'
'*********************************************************************/

  if (session_is_registered($SessionVariableName))
  {
    session_register($SessionVariableName);
  }

  $_SESSION[$SessionVariableName] = $SessionVariableValue;
}

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After that I tried setting my session value like this,

if(!empty($_GET["userId"]))
{
$decrypt =$_GET["userId"];
setSessionVariable('username', $decrypt);
echo session_id();
}
else
{
$decrypt=$_SESSION["username"];
}

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Unfortunately this does not seem to do anything different and I still end up with lost session information after the post back to the page, same as before.

haloexpertsexchange:

Let's go back to some basics 'cause somethings not right.

1) Are you certain the PHP interpreter is running?
2) Have you run php_info() and looked at the output it produces?
3) Is your interpreter using the $_SESSION variables or the older $HTTP_SESSION_VARS syntax?
4) Is the session_start() function at the top of EVERY page?
5) What is the register_globals set to in your php.ini file?
6) Is there a $GLOBALS[] supglobal array defined.  Did you use print_r() or other function that displays the contents of associative arrays to list its contents?

Are you running this on a Windows platform?  I've seen cases where the php.ini file had to be in the php instalation directory as well as the Windows directory.

AielloJ:
1) that would be a yes, everything else is working besides the session variable issue.
2)This is what php info shows about sessions  3)it uses $_SESSION, $HTTP_SESSION_VARS is a deprecated function and I am running 5.3.5
4)My current problem only is ever on one page which posts back information to itself and then somehow loses the session, but yes session_start is a the top of the page.
5)register_globals is off as is the default value for 5.3.5
6)I have not done anything with a $GLOBALS[] array. I have used print_r on my sessions which is why I knew that my session was getting lost and that it was not just a matter of me some how setting the session to a blank value.

I am running on a windows server off of apache. It says that the loaded ini file is the one in the php directory but it wouldn't hurt for me to put an ini file in the Windows directory as well.

haloexpertsexchange:

I've had to put my php.ini file in both.  I don't remember the problem I was having, but I definitely had to put it in both folders.  Maybe you could send me a very stripped down copy of the page for me to test.

haloexpertsexchange:

That would be it.  Apache always uses Unix path conventions, even when runnng on Windows platforms.

AielloJ

I figured out my problem by comparing the ini file from a working php installation on apache with the ini file from the one that I was having problems with and figured out my problem that way.