register globals off and legacy code

[garymailer]

OK

So now php 4.1 and above has the register globals defaulted to off.

However as i am supporting legacy code then i need to switch them on just for that code?

I'm going to leave the default settings as register gobals = off in the php.ini file

i believe it is soething to do with $_server(register_globals)

can anyone shed some light on this ?

[HarryF]

You've got a couple of choices.

One is to use a .htaccess file in the application directory containing;

<IfModule mod_php4.c> 
    php_flag register_globals on 
</IfModule>

The other alternative is some code which will act like register globals is on. This comes from here

// set _GET and _POST _SESSION for old PHP variables:

if (!isset($_GET)) {

    $_GET  = &$HTTP_GET_VARS;

}

if (!isset($_POST)) {

    $_POST = &$HTTP_POST_VARS;

}

if (!isset($_SESSION)) {

    $_SESSION = &$HTTP_SESSION_VARS;

}

if (!isset($_SERVER)) {

    $_SERVER = &$HTTP_SERVER_VARS; 

}

if ( !isset($_ENV)) {

    $_ENV = &$HTTP_ENV_VARS;

}

if ( !isset($_COOKIE)) {

    $_COOKIE = &$HTTP_COOKIE_VARS;

}

if ( !isset($_FILES)) {

    $_FILES = &$HTTP_POST_FILES;

}

if ( !isset($_REQUEST)) {

    $_REQUEST = &$_GET&$_POST&$_COOKIE&$_FILES;

} 

// Now pretend the register globals is on

if (isset($_GET)) {

   while (list ($key, $value) = each ($_GET)) {

      $$key = $value;

   }

}

if (isset($_POST)) {

   while (list ($key, $value) = each ($_POST)) {

     $$key = $value;

   }

}

if (isset($_SESSION)) {

   while (list ($key, $value) = each ($_SESSION)) {

     $$key = $value;

   }

}

if (isset($_SERVER)) {

   while (list ($key, $value) = each ($_SERVER)) {

     $$key = $value;

   }

}

if (isset($_ENV)) {

   while (list ($key, $value) = each ($_ENV)) {

     $$key = $value;

   }

}

if (isset($_COOKIE)) {

   while (list ($key, $value) = each ($_COOKIE)) {

     $$key = $value;

   }

}

if (isset($_FILES)) {

   while (list ($key, $value) = each ($_FILES)) {

     $$key = $value;

   }

}

if (isset($_REQUEST)) {

   while (list ($key, $value) = each ($_REQUEST)) {

     $$key = $value;

   }

} 

You could simply include that in the required code.

[garymailer]

Thanks,

however that means that i have to go through the code and change all variables to have the $_GET / $_POST that is going to be a real pain :-).

I was hpoing there was a php option function that would allow me to switch on register globals.

Oh well never mind

thanks again

[HarryF]

No no - it doesn't.

If you include that code above, you can keep register_globals off, and you won't need to change any code.

For example, if you have a link like;

http://www.yourdomain.com/index.php?view=news

And your code was like;

if ( $view == "news" ) {

  // Display news here

} 

That works with globals on but not if globals are off.

That would correspond to the $_GET variable, i.e. $_GET['view'] = "news".

Now that code above "recreates" this variable to make it look like globals are on;

if (isset($_GET)) {

   while (list ($key, $value) = each ($_GET)) {

      $$key = $value;

   }

} 

That will assign the contents of $_GET['view'] to a variable called $view !

The first section of code above is for people using versions of PHP below 4.1, which don't regonised the new variables like $_GET - that's just for backward compatibility.

Why not try it on your code with register globals off - it should work.

[garymailer]

Harry

Yeah i get it now

Thanks for your help :-D

[garymailer]

Ok then how do you pass the $_GET values to function

i have the following code

function show_top_menu($_GET['this_section_id'],$_GET['side_section_id'],$site_url)

but it throws this error


Parse error: parse error, unexpected '[', expecting ')' in g:\web_server\htdocs\mp\scripts\mcintosh.php on line 119

and i'm calling it from the following code

<?
show_side_menu($_GET['this_section_id'],$_GET['sub_section_id'],$site_url);
?>

any ideas?

[HarryF]

Errr - are you sure you've got the right function call?

The function you've put there is "show_top_menu" but you're calling "show_side_menu".

Anyway - what's on line 119?

[Travis]

instead of that big chuck of code Harry gave for extracting the variables you could use extract($_GET) and so on for all the superglobals.

[redemption]

yeah exactly harry... i was looking through that long piece of code and thinking the exact same thing Trav said...

and yes code above line 119 would be good, together with an indication of what's line 119

[HarryF]

Don't know the extract function that well. When it creates the variables from the array, does it maintain the reference to the origional data?

Doing this;

while*(list*($key,*$value)*=*each*($_SESSION))*{

****$$key*=*$value;

} 

The variables created point to the origional data, and with sessions in particular, there may be cases where you want to update the session variable, so the "dummy" variable needs to keep up with that. Is that something you can do with extract?

[HarryF]

Actually - now I look at it, the code I posted doesn't preserve the reference.

Guess it would need to be like;

while*(list*($key,*$value)*=*each*($_SESSION))*{

***&$$key*=*$value;

} 

But not 100% - believe each makes a copy anyway.

[GeekSupport]

Originally posted by HarryF
You've got a couple of choices.

One is to use a .htaccess file in the application directory containing;

<IfModule mod_php4.c> 
    php_flag register_globals on 
</IfModule>

is there a way to apply this globally without having to copy the .htaccess file in every single directory?

[DR_LaRRY_PEpPeR]

just put it in the "highest up" directory. it will affect all subdirectories.