Assigning array reference to session variable

Question

I am trying to assign an array reference to the php $_SESSION variable, but cannot get it to work.

Consider a simple form:

<html>
   <body>
      <FORM action="post.php" method="post">
      User name: <INPUT type="text" name="user"><br>
         <INPUT type="submit" value="Submit">
      </FORM>
   </body>
</html>

where post.php is:

<?php
session_start();
if( !empty( $_POST ) ) {
   $data=array();
   $data['user']=$_POST['user'];
   $data['pass']='xxxx';
   $uid="1234";
  $_SESSION[$uid] = &$data;
   header( 'HTTP/1.1 303 See Other' );
   header( 'Location: post.php?id='.$uid );
   exit();
}
if( isset( $_GET[ 'id' ] )) {
   $uid=$_GET[ 'id' ];
   $user=$_SESSION[$uid]['user'];
} else {
   exit();
}
?>
<html>
   <body>
    <?php
       echo "<p>Username: ".$user."</p>";
    ?>
   </body>
</html>

I get an empty username in the resulting post.php?id=1234 file.. What am I missing here?

Don't assign anything to session by reference: on the next request when you access session, the variable won't exist anymore so the reference is pointing to nothing — Mark Baker
– Mark Baker, Commented Jun 8, 2014 at 22:04

Dávid Szabó · Accepted Answer · 2014-06-08 22:20:37Z

2

Of course you get empty username.

The variable is 'deleted' after the script, so the references points to 'junk'.

Simply assign the array to the variable.

$_SESSION[$uid] = $data;

You can't use 'numeric values' for session variables. Session mechanism uses variable registering. A variable named '1234' is invalid because it can't start with numeric value. So the session can't create the variable because it is 'invalid'.

You have to prefix the numeric value or use another array like:

$_SESSION["users"][$uid] = $data;

edited Jun 8, 2014 at 22:20

answered Jun 8, 2014 at 22:04

Dávid Szabó

2,2672 gold badges17 silver badges26 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

1 Comment

Håkon Hægland Over a year ago

Thanks! Of course.. But the field is still empty.. If I take var_dump of $_SESSION I get: array(2) { ["error"]=> string(0) "" ["count"]=> int(0) }.. (The count field is probably from some earlier debugging using the same session, I do not know where the error field comes from).. Maybe I have to write a loop to assign each field of $data to the $_SESSION variable separately?

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

Assigning array reference to session variable

1 Answer 1

1 Comment

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

1 Answer 1

1 Comment

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related