Problem with saving session variables in PHP - php

Question

I have an app that requires users to log in in order to use it and I use sessions in PHP in order to accomplish that. The first file index.ui.php includes this piece of code:
if ( isset( $_POST ) ) {
if ( $_POST['sent'] == 'sent' ) {
$msg = fx_login_user( $cn, $_POST['email'], $_POST['password'] );
if ( $msg == $_POST['email'] ) {
session_start();
$_SESSION['ss_user'] = $_POST['email'];
$job = fx_take_job( $cn, $_POST['email'] );
if ( $job == 'Tech' ) {
header("Location: index_tech.php");
exit;
} elseif ( $job == 'Admin' ) {
header("Location: index_admin.php");
exit;
} elseif ( $job == 'Root' ) {
header("Location: index_root.php");
exit;
}
}
}
}
And now, in ìndex_root.php (but also all the remaining index pages) I put a require("session.php") at the beginning in which I manage the access like this:
<?php
session_start();
if ( !isset( $_SESSION['ss_user'] ) ) {
header("Location: index.php");
die();
}
?>
In that same index_root.php I have a form that apart from the data saved in the session variable, gets the value of an entity and tries to save it into $_SESSION
Part of index_root.php
<?php
echo '<form class="form" id="form_info_user_root" method="POST" action="">';
echo '<input type="hidden" name="sent_user" value="user">';
echo '<input type="hidden" name="session" value="'.$_SESSION['ss_user'].'">';
echo '<input type="submit">';
?>
And form_root.php (which I include in index_root.php with another require() just before the one for session.php)
if ( isset( $_POST ) ) {
if ( $_POST['sent_user'] == 'user' ) {
session_start();
$_SESSION['ss_user'] = $_POST['session'];
$_SESSION['entity_info'] = substr( $_SERVER["REQUEST_URI"],
strrpos($_SERVER["REQUEST_URI"], "=" ) + 1 );
header("Location: info_user.php");
}
}
And now, in info_user.php, I also have at the beginning require("session.php") for the session management, but the two variables saved previously (which I both need for some logic in that page) get lost somehow and therefore, I get kicked out to index.php.
I did some logging to know when do I lose the variables (or maybe the session itself), and the ID of the session is the same in every page (as it should be, I guess) so it doesn't get finished, the variables are (as it looks like) properly saved in form_root.php, but they disappear once I enter to 'info_user.php'.
What can I do to maintain those variables or manage the session and its variables in a better way so that I can jump between pages without problems like this one?
Edit 1:
I've change the code a bit. I've now just put session_start() at the beginning of index_root.php and info_user.php and I have deleted that part in session.php and in form_root.php. The code becomes:
form_root.php
<?php
if ( isset( $_POST ) ) {
if ( $_POST['sent_user'] == 'user' ) {
$_SESSION['entidad_info'] = substr( $_SERVER["REQUEST_URI"],
strrpos($_SERVER["REQUEST_URI"], "=" ) + 1 );
header("Location: info_usuarios.php");
}
}
?>
Now I don't send the ss_user session variable via form and save it again, I just include another variable. However, by doing these changes, now in form_root.php I lose the ss_user, so I can't reach info_user.php because I am redirected to index.php. The variables still remain lost when I change between pages.

Answer 1

In the end I've been able to save the variables between form_root.php and info_user.php just by adding exit; after the header() function in the form file.
The code would stay like this:
if ( $_POST['sent_user'] == 'user' ) {
session_start();
$_SESSION['ss_user'] = $_POST['session'];
$_SESSION['entity_info'] = substr( $_SERVER["REQUEST_URI"],
strrpos($_SERVER["REQUEST_URI"], "=" ) + 1 );
header("Location: info_user.php");
exit;
}
This approach solves the specific problem, but I am forced to send the session data via form because I cannot access it from form_root.php's $_SESSION variable, so I've re-written that part of the code I previously had. However, this is just a partial solution, therefore, I am looking for a complete one yet.