flashdata error not displaying

Question

I'm having this strange problem with codeigniters flashdata in my login form. When I submit the form with an error in it (unrecognised email or bad email password combo) it takes two submits for the error message to display. Here's the relevant code:

//If an email address is matched
if($rowcount === 1) {
    $row = $query->row();
    if (hash('sha1', $row->salt . $_POST['password']) === $row->password) {
        //there's a matching user...create a session here and redirect to homepage  
    } else {
        $this->session->set_flashdata('credentials_error', '1');
    // echo 'recognise email but not password';
    }
} else {
    //send message back to view here
    $this->session->set_flashdata('email_error','1'); 
 }

 print_r($this->session);
 $global_data['page_data'] = $this->load->view('login-template','',true);
 $this->load->view('global', $global_data);

and the relevant bit from the view:

if($this->session->flashdata('email_error')) {
    echo '<p class="error">We dont recognise this email address.</p>';
}

if($this->session->flashdata('credentials_error')) {
    echo '<p class="error">We dont recognise these details. Please try again.</p>';
}

So if I submit the form with a bad email address that's unrecognised then I set the email_error flash data. The problem is that in the view I can see that the flashdata is set when I print out all the session data ([flash:new:emaili_error] => 1) but my error message does not show. However when I submit the form again (re-sending the same data) the error message shows.

Any ideas why this might be?

Damien Pirsy · Accepted Answer · 2012-02-21 20:45:26Z

3

Yes; don't be fooled by the name they use, "sessions" in Codeigniter are cookies (they're not a fancy equivalent of the native php $_SESSION array, and they don't use it. Inf act, global arrays are usually destroyed in CI). As such, they're available only at the subsequent request; when you load the view the cookies has just been set: you need to make another request in order for the browser to catch it up and display it.

Usually flashdata are used, in fact, when you want to persist something between 2 http requests, not in the same request you set them and load a view.

It happens that you send a form, you make your checks, then you set the flashdata with the error and in the same process you load a view. The flashdata is "set" in codeigniter's class, only. When you re-submit the form, the cookie is now available, therefore you're shown the message. Hope it's clearer.

answered Feb 21, 2012 at 20:45

Damien Pirsy

25.5k8 gold badges72 silver badges77 bronze badges

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

2 Comments

Mike Rifgin Over a year ago

But I am seeing the relevant session data set in the the session array the first time around. Is that expected? Is it better to not use flashdata in this type of situation then? I'm wondering if it's common practice to redirect in this instance....because that does seem to be working

Damien Pirsy Over a year ago

If you want flashadata, yes, you need a redirect. Otherwise, they're useless, as you can as well print the message directly. don't you think?

Catfish · Accepted Answer · 2012-02-21 21:03:51Z

2

I always redirect instead of loading a view to get my flashdata working correctly. When you load a view, it's not submitting a new http request, but when you redirect, it is.

answered Feb 21, 2012 at 21:03

Catfish

19.4k60 gold badges217 silver badges359 bronze badges

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

flashdata error not displaying

2 Answers 2

2 Comments

Comments

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

2 Answers 2

2 Comments

Comments

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related