Session data doesn't persist - php configuration issue? - php

Question

I have the following code snippet in my file:-
session_start();
$_SESSION['fromPanel'] = "abcd";
<form method="post" action="/m/xyz.php">
<div class="text inputcaption"><b><?= _("Email")?></b></div>
<input type="email" name="username" value="<?=$objMobile->GetEmail()?>">
</div>
</form>
When the file xyz.php is called on post request, the $_SESSION array is coming empty. Please note session_start(); was given in xyz.php before printing the session array. Why is the session array getting empty by itself.
Code for xyz.php:
<?php
session_start();
print "<pre>";
print_r($_SESSION);
print "<post>";
?>
Please find the session settings obtained through phpinfo();
|---------------------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
| Session Support | enabled | |
| Registered | save handlers | files user |
| Registered | serializer handlers | php php_binary wddx |
| | | |
|---------------------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
| Directive | Local Value | Master Value |
|---------------------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
| session.auto_start | Off | Off |
| session.bug_compat_42 | On | On |
| session.bug_compat_warn | On | On |
| session.cache_expire | 180 | 180 |
| session.cache_limiter | nocache | nocache |
| session.cookie_domain | no value | no value |
| session.cookie_httponly | Off | Off |
| session.cookie_lifetime | 0 | 0 |
| session.cookie_path | / | / |
| session.cookie_secure | Off | Off |
| session.entropy_file | no value | no value |
| session.entropy_length | 0 | 0 |
| session.gc_divisor | 100 | 100 |
| session.gc_maxlifetime | 1440 | 1440 |
| session.gc_probability | 1 | 1 |
| session.hash_bits_per_character | 4 | 4 |
| session.hash_function | 0 | 0 |
| session.name | PHPSESSID | PHPSESSID |
| session.referer_check | no value | no value |
| session.save_handler | files | files |
| session.save_path | C:\Windows\Temp | C:\Windows\Temp |
| session.serialize_handler | php | php |
| session.use_cookies | On | On |
| session.use_only_cookies | Off | Off |
| session.use_trans_sid | 0 | 0 |
|---------------------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
On enabling error_reporting, following warnings were seen:
Warning: Unknown: open(C:\Windows\Temp\sess_1037ca26d3ebb62017eddc9cbfb107e2, O_RDWR) failed: Invalid argument (22) in Unknown on line 0
Warning: Unknown: Failed to write session data (files). Please verify that the current setting of session.save_path is correct (C:\Windows\Temp) in Unknown on line 0

Answer 1

I converted your snippet to working code and it runs like a charm.
Please provide a complete non-working example so we can help you.
a.php:
<?php
session_start();
$_SESSION['fromPanel'] = "abcd";
?>
<form method="post" action="./b.php">
<input type="email" name="username" value="john#example.com">
</form>
b.php:
<?php
session_start();
var_dump( $_SESSION['fromPanel'] );
var_dump( $_POST['username'] );
echo 'back to form';
result output after sending the form (with enter in input):
string 'abcd' (length=4)
string 'john#example.com' (length=16)
back to form
N.B: Use <label for="id-of-form">caption</label> instead of <div class="text inputcaption"></div>

Answer 2

More things to check:
Does the browser you are using accept cookies?
Clear cache and cookies, call session_regenerate_id() after session_start() to make sure it's not some old testing stuff that gives you trouble.
Is the session.save_path set and writeable? Check your phpinfo(); output.
Is xyz.php on the same domain? Cookies not allowed crosss domain.
Post your session.xyz settings.
Is this your own server? Try it on a hosted webspace or vice versa.
make sure there is no whitespace before the session_start() call.
call error_reporting(E_ALL) first thing.
make your example publicly available so others can check, too.
Go and have a beer. It will work next week. ;)

Answer 3

If you are including a common file in all the views like header.php or common.php just write session_start() at the top.