php cookies are not setting? - php

Question

<?php
if (!isset($_COOKIE['firsttime']))
{
setcookie("firsttime", "no", time()+1500);
?>
<div class="row-fluid">
<div class="span4 center">
</div>
<div class="span4 center">
<div style="">
<div class="alert alert-info">
<button type="button" href="<?php setcookie("firsttime", "no", time()+1500); ?>" class="close" data- dismiss="alert">×</button>
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</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="span4 center">
</div>
</div>
<?php
}
else
{
// do or show nada !
}
?>
Based upon code above if no cookie is set it should set cookie firsstime and show the alert box
But it doesnt....when i reload the page i still see the alert box, where am i making a mistake?

Answer 1

You cannot send output before setting cookies. You need to understand HTTP.
So do this test: var_dump(headers_sent()); before you try to set a cookie.
If headers are sent, you're doing it wrong.
href="<?php setcookie(...); ?>" is by far the most creative use of PHP ever. PHP prints stuff. It does not react to HTML/DOM/JS events. It takes input and produces output. That's all it does.
I cannot give you any code that works here as you don't have the understanding required to make heads or tail of it. So figure out HTTP (client/browser & server/php communication), cookies and only then will you be able to fix this and do it right in the future.