trying to set session variable - php

Question

if(isset($_SESSION['admin'])) {
echo "<li><b>Admin</b></li>";
}
<?php
session_name('MYSESSION');
session_set_cookie_params(0, '/~cgreenheld/');
session_start();
$conn = blah blah
$query2 = 'Select Type from User WHERE Username = "'.$_SESSION['user'].'" AND Type =\'Admin\'';
$result2 = $conn->query($query2);
if($result2->num_rows==1) {
$_SESSION['admin'] = $result2;
}
?>
Hi, I'm trying to set this session variable but it doesn't seem to be setting, and i'm wondering if anyone can help. If session['admin'] isset it should echo the admin button.
But i'm not quite sure why? (I do have session start and everything on everypage, it's not a problem with that or any of the "You don't have php tags" I have checked the mysql query, and it does return something from my table. Any ideas please?

Answer 1

Your session_start(); should be at the top of the page before anything to do with the session variables.
From the docs:
When session_start() is called or when a session auto starts, PHP will call the open and read session save handlers.
Edit from comments:
<?php
session_name('MYSESSION');
session_set_cookie_params(0, '/~cgreenheld/');
session_start();
// Moved to start after answer was accepted for better readability
// You had the <?php after this if statement? Was that by mistake?
if(isset($_SESSION['admin']))
{
echo "<li><b>Admin</b></li>";
}
// If you have already started the session in a file above, why do it again here?
$conn = blah blah;
$query2 = 'Select Type from User WHERE Username = "'.$_SESSION['user'].'" AND Type =\'Admin\'';
// Could you echo out the above statement for me, just to
// make sure there aren't any problems with your sessions at this point?
$result2 = $conn->query($query2);
if($result2->num_rows==1)
{
$_SESSION['admin'] = $result2;
// It seems you are trying to assign the database connection object to it here.
// perhaps try simply doing this:
$_SESSION['admin'] = true;
}
?>
Edit 2 from further comments:
You have to actually fetch the fetch the data like this - snipped from this tutorial which might help you out some more:
$query = "SELECT name, subject, message FROM contact";
$result = mysql_query($query);
while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result, MYSQL_ASSOC))
{
echo "Name :{$row['name']} <br>" .
"Subject : {$row['subject']} <br>" .
"Message : {$row['message']} <br><br>";
}
But having said that, while we are talking about it, you would be better off moving away from the old mysql_* functions and move to PDO which is much better.

Answer 2

Move session_start(); to the top of the page. You are trying to retrieve sessions, where it's not loaded.
EDIT: Try echoing $_SESSION['admin'], if it even contains something. Also try debugging your if($result2->num_rows==1) code by adding echo('its working'); or die('its working'); inside it, to check if $result2 contains exactly 1 row, since currently it seems $result2 contains either more than 1 row or no rows at all.