PHP cookie help

[blaze82]

Hello,

I am trying to get this PHP script to work

<?
$visitcount = $HTTP_COOKIE_VARS["visits"];
if( $visitcount == "") $visitcount = 0;
else $visitcount++;
setcookie("visits",$visitcount);
print "This is visit number " . $visitcount;
?>



But I am having problems.

Notice: Undefined index: visits in /net/home-ANet/c/pc60/Web/PersonalPages/php/cookie.php on line 2

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /net/home-ANet/c/pc60/Web/PersonalPages/php/cookie.php:2) in /net/home-ANet/c/pc60/Web/PersonalPages/php/cookie.php on line 5
This is visit number 0


Thank You,

Paul

[dacool]

for the notice:

// you can use $_COOKIE array, because it's automatically global in any scope.
// $HTTP_COOKIE_VARS contains the same initial information, but is not an autoglobal.
if (!empty($_COOKIE['visits'])) {
  $visitcount = $_COOKIE['visits'];
  $visitcount++;
} else {
  $visitcount = 0;
} 

for the warning:
if you are outputing anything to the client (i.e. print, echo, etc.) then you cannot print a header because they have already been sent to the client (this happens right before you echo your content). this error is also shown where there are extra spaces outside the php tags (<? ?>). check your code if something is sent to the browser before you use setcookie() function.

[Sahajin]

this line

Notice: Undefined index: visits in /net/home-ANet/c/pc60/Web/PersonalPages/php/cookie.php on line 2

caused the header error.

you can turn notices off in the ini file or in the script.

error_reporting = E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE

an uncomment it. Comment all the others.

From within the code:

error_reporting(E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE); 

[mattjacob]

Here's a fun one-liner for ya :

// Cookie will be set for a month
setcookie('visits', ($visit_num = (empty($_COOKIE['visits'])) ? 1 : ++$_COOKIE['visits']), time()+18144000);

echo 'This is visit number '.$visit_num; 

[mattjacob]

you can turn notices off in the ini file or in the script.

Turning off error reporting is not exactly a great substitute for fixing errors.

[dacool]

Here's a fun one-liner for ya :

// Cookie will be set for a month
setcookie('visits', ($visit_num = (empty($_COOKIE['visits'])) ? 1 : ++$_COOKIE['visits']), time()+18144000);

echo 'This is visit number '.$visit_num; 

that's really nice

[Sahajin]

Turning off error reporting is not exactly a great substitute for fixing errors.

I didn't say turn it off, notices are not errors. and look at teh code it doesn't turn anything off but notices.

[dacool]

I didn't say turn it off, notices are not errors. and look at teh code it doesn't turn anything off but notices.

on servers in many cases errors are not displayed to the screen, but logged into log files and in many cases all sort of errors are logged, this include the notices.. log files sometimes became really huge of that notices..
i think mattjacob means that it's better to code the script more carefully so it doesn't produce such notices.. to use more frequently empty() and isset() for example

[blaze82]

I have revised the code, so now I have this
<?php
if (!empty($_COOKIE['visits'])) {
$visitcount = $_COOKIE['visits'];
$visitcount++;
setcookie("visits", $visitcount);
} else {
$visitcount = 0;
}
print "This is visit " . $visitcount;
?>

I get no errors but when I reload the page the counter stays at zero.

[Sahajin]

then try this

<?php
if (!empty($_COOKIE['visits'])) {
$settime = time() + (60 * 60 * 24 * 365); // 1 year form now
$visitcount = $_COOKIE['visits'];
$visitcount++;
setcookie("visits", $visitcount, $timeset, "/");
} else {
$visitcount = 0;
}
print "This is visit " . $visitcount;
?>

[0zone]

this line

Notice: Undefined index: visits in /net/home-ANet/c/pc60/Web/PersonalPages/php/cookie.php on line 2

caused the header error.

you can turn notices off in the ini file or in the script.

error_reporting = E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE

an uncomment it. Comment all the others.

From within the code:

error_reporting(E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE); 

Don't tell people how to ignore notices, tell them how to stop them. Ignoring some notices can prove to be a security risk.

if (!empty()) works fine mind

[blaze82]

I have now tried this code
<?php
if (!empty($_COOKIE['visits'])) {
$settime = time() + (60 * 60 * 24 * 365); // 1 year form now
$visitcount = $_COOKIE['visits'];
$visitcount++;
setcookie("visits", $visitcount, $timeset, "/");
} else {
$visitcount = 0;
}
print "This is visit " . $visitcount;
?>
What I get now is the display is 0 but the counter never goes up from there. Any advise.
Paul

[Sahajin]

can you make sure you have a cookie set? you should see it in your browser if you have firefox/mozilla or in your cookies folder fro IE.

if so try this

<?php
if (!empty($_COOKIE['visits'])) {
$settime = time() + (60 * 60 * 24 * 365); // 1 year form now
$visitcount = $_COOKIE['visits'];
$visitcount++;
setcookie("visits", $visitcount, $timeset, "/");
} else {
$visitcount = 0;
}
print "This is visit " . $_COOKIE['visits'];
?>

also do you know if register_globals is OFF or ON?

[blaze82]

register_globals is off.
I do not see a cookie in the folder C:\Documents and Settings\Paul\Cookies. Is this the correct area to be looking?

[blaze82]

I have tried this same code on a server with register_globals = on and I get the same results.
0 is displayed but I get nothing after that.

[Sahajin]

there or temporary internet folder.

god, how stupid am I

<?php
$settime = time() + (60 * 60 * 24 * 365); // 1 year form now
if (!empty($_COOKIE['visits'])) {
    $visitcount = $_COOKIE['visits'];
    $visitcount++;
    setcookie("visits", $visitcount, $timeset, "/");
} else {
    $visitcount = 0;
    setcookie("visits", $visitcount, $timeset, "/");
}
print "This is visit " . $_COOKIE['visits'];
?>

of course it was empty, we never set in the first place.

[blaze82]

I get the same thing with that code too. Does register_globals need to be on???

[blaze82]

The second time I visit the site there is a cookie set.
The first time I get the error saying visits is undefined.

[mattjacob]

The second time I visit the site there is a cookie set.
The first time I get the error saying visits is undefined.

And the reason for that is because cookies don't become visible until the page is reloaded. Edit: what was wrong with the code I posted earlier?

[mattjacob]

If you want more code, you could write it this way:

if (empty($_COOKIE['visits']))
{
    $count = 0;
}
else
{
    $count = ++$_COOKIE['visits'];
}

setcookie('visits', $count, time()+18144000);

echo 'This is visit #'.$count; 

And that could also be rewritten like so:

$count = (empty($_COOKIE['visits'])) ? 0 : ++$_COOKIE['visits'];
setcookie('visits', $count, time()+18144000);

echo 'This is visit #'.$count;