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setcookie() Expiration [message #171067] Tue, 21 December 2010 23:45 Go to next message
Tyrone Slothrop is currently offline  Tyrone Slothrop
Messages: 3
Registered: December 2010
Karma: 0
Junior Member
I am having problems setting a cookie to expire in the future rather
than at end of session on a particular server. I can upload the code
to another server and the cookie expiration is correct. I checked the
server time and it is correct.

I have even tried simplifying the code to essentials and it will not
work.
setcookie ('cookie_name', 'cookie_value', time()+(60*60*24*7));

What is even more frustrating is that code I wrote years ago which
used to work, now does not. I have tried in multiple browsers and all
have the same problem. This pretty much narrows it down to the
server.

This is a leased server running CentOS and cPanel and all updates to
PHP, etc. are current within a month or two. I have root access.

Anyone else run into this problem?

TIA!
Re: setcookie() Expiration [message #171068 is a reply to message #171067] Wed, 22 December 2010 01:07 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Adrienne Boswell is currently offline  Adrienne Boswell
Messages: 25
Registered: October 2010
Karma: 0
Junior Member
Gazing into my crystal ball I observed Tyrone Slothrop <ts(at)paranoids(dot)org>
writing in news:ede2h6to2eke1jp2jf3jjha4qbh7upk4pt(at)4ax(dot)com:

> I am having problems setting a cookie to expire in the future rather
> than at end of session on a particular server. I can upload the code
> to another server and the cookie expiration is correct. I checked the
> server time and it is correct.
>
> I have even tried simplifying the code to essentials and it will not
> work.
> setcookie ('cookie_name', 'cookie_value', time()+(60*60*24*7));
>
> What is even more frustrating is that code I wrote years ago which
> used to work, now does not. I have tried in multiple browsers and all
> have the same problem. This pretty much narrows it down to the
> server.
>
> This is a leased server running CentOS and cPanel and all updates to
> PHP, etc. are current within a month or two. I have root access.
>
> Anyone else run into this problem?
>
> TIA!
>

Which browsers? Do any of the browsers have privacy settings that might
be conflicting with it? Can you see anything when using a cookie manager
or similar?

--
Adrienne Boswell at Home
Arbpen Web Site Design Services
http://www.cavalcade-of-coding.info
Please respond to the group so others can share
Re: setcookie() Expiration [message #171069 is a reply to message #171067] Wed, 22 December 2010 08:30 Go to previous messageGo to next message
alvaro.NOSPAMTHANX is currently offline  alvaro.NOSPAMTHANX
Messages: 277
Registered: September 2010
Karma: 0
Senior Member
El 22/12/2010 0:45, Tyrone Slothrop escribió/wrote:
> I am having problems setting a cookie to expire in the future rather
> than at end of session on a particular server. I can upload the code
> to another server and the cookie expiration is correct. I checked the
> server time and it is correct.
>
> I have even tried simplifying the code to essentials and it will not
> work.
> setcookie ('cookie_name', 'cookie_value', time()+(60*60*24*7));
>
> What is even more frustrating is that code I wrote years ago which
> used to work, now does not. I have tried in multiple browsers and all
> have the same problem. This pretty much narrows it down to the
> server.
>
> This is a leased server running CentOS and cPanel and all updates to
> PHP, etc. are current within a month or two. I have root access.
>
> Anyone else run into this problem?

The first step is to inspect the output of setcookie(). You can see the
raw HTTP header with many tools, such as the Firebug extension for
Firefox, but most browsers have a builtin cookie manager as well.

Also, make sure you are using a valid domain name for your tests.



--
-- http://alvaro.es - Álvaro G. Vicario - Burgos, Spain
-- Mi sitio sobre programación web: http://borrame.com
-- Mi web de humor satinado: http://www.demogracia.com
--
Re: setcookie() Expiration [message #171070 is a reply to message #171069] Wed, 22 December 2010 16:02 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Tyrone Slothrop is currently offline  Tyrone Slothrop
Messages: 3
Registered: December 2010
Karma: 0
Junior Member
On Wed, 22 Dec 2010 09:30:46 +0100, "Álvaro G. Vicario"
<alvaro(dot)NOSPAMTHANX(at)demogracia(dot)com(dot)invalid> wrote:

> El 22/12/2010 0:45, Tyrone Slothrop escribió/wrote:
>> I am having problems setting a cookie to expire in the future rather
>> than at end of session on a particular server. I can upload the code
>> to another server and the cookie expiration is correct. I checked the
>> server time and it is correct.
>>
>> I have even tried simplifying the code to essentials and it will not
>> work.
>> setcookie ('cookie_name', 'cookie_value', time()+(60*60*24*7));
>>
>> What is even more frustrating is that code I wrote years ago which
>> used to work, now does not. I have tried in multiple browsers and all
>> have the same problem. This pretty much narrows it down to the
>> server.
>>
>> This is a leased server running CentOS and cPanel and all updates to
>> PHP, etc. are current within a month or two. I have root access.
>>
>> Anyone else run into this problem?
>
> The first step is to inspect the output of setcookie(). You can see the
> raw HTTP header with many tools, such as the Firebug extension for
> Firefox, but most browsers have a builtin cookie manager as well.
>
> Also, make sure you are using a valid domain name for your tests.

Let's assume that I pretty much know what I am doing. I have been
coding PHP for at least 12 years, developing backends for complex web
sites. Not to say I don't make mistakes - and I make some incredibly
silly ones at times - but I have verified the code on a different
server and I know it works.

The test methodology I created is a standalone script which creates
three cookies, passing various parameters from the simple:
setcookie(name, value, expiration)
to the more complex:
setcookie(name, value, expiration, path, domain)

I primarily use Firefox because of Firebug and developer's extension.
Developer's extension installed for IE, as well as HTTP Analyzer.

In all cases the cookies are set properly but the expiration on the
server which will host the scripts refuses to set a cookie which
expires beyond the life of the session. On the second server and
using the same browser, the same script works properly with the cookie
expiration set a few days in the future.

It appears the next test is to set these cookies using JS to make
absolutely sure it is not the browser but, in the context of the
application I am developing, using JS is not the preferred option. The
script accepts post data from a remote server, processes the data,
sets cookies to prevent duplicate submissions, then redirects to
another form for further processing. The cookies set are encrypted
(64 alphanumeric characters). Upon a second submission the cookies
are decrypted, the the data is compared against existing records in
data table, and, should there be a match, immediately redirects to
the next form. The header function will not allow me to write
anything to output prior to redirection so JS cookies cannot be
written, at least prior to the header() call. Anyway, I know the test
script in using even the simplest cookies behaves on another server.

This thing has me totally baffled.
Re: setcookie() Expiration [message #171071 is a reply to message #171070] Wed, 22 December 2010 16:10 Go to previous messageGo to next message
The Natural Philosoph is currently offline  The Natural Philosoph
Messages: 993
Registered: September 2010
Karma: 0
Senior Member
Tyrone Slothrop wrote:
> On Wed, 22 Dec 2010 09:30:46 +0100, "Álvaro G. Vicario"
> <alvaro(dot)NOSPAMTHANX(at)demogracia(dot)com(dot)invalid> wrote:
>
>> El 22/12/2010 0:45, Tyrone Slothrop escribió/wrote:
>>> I am having problems setting a cookie to expire in the future rather
>>> than at end of session on a particular server. I can upload the code
>>> to another server and the cookie expiration is correct. I checked the
>>> server time and it is correct.
>>>
>>> I have even tried simplifying the code to essentials and it will not
>>> work.
>>> setcookie ('cookie_name', 'cookie_value', time()+(60*60*24*7));
>>>
>>> What is even more frustrating is that code I wrote years ago which
>>> used to work, now does not. I have tried in multiple browsers and all
>>> have the same problem. This pretty much narrows it down to the
>>> server.
>>>
>>> This is a leased server running CentOS and cPanel and all updates to
>>> PHP, etc. are current within a month or two. I have root access.
>>>
>>> Anyone else run into this problem?
>> The first step is to inspect the output of setcookie(). You can see the
>> raw HTTP header with many tools, such as the Firebug extension for
>> Firefox, but most browsers have a builtin cookie manager as well.
>>
>> Also, make sure you are using a valid domain name for your tests.
>
> Let's assume that I pretty much know what I am doing. I have been
> coding PHP for at least 12 years, developing backends for complex web
> sites. Not to say I don't make mistakes - and I make some incredibly
> silly ones at times - but I have verified the code on a different
> server and I know it works.
>
> The test methodology I created is a standalone script which creates
> three cookies, passing various parameters from the simple:
> setcookie(name, value, expiration)
> to the more complex:
> setcookie(name, value, expiration, path, domain)
>
> I primarily use Firefox because of Firebug and developer's extension.
> Developer's extension installed for IE, as well as HTTP Analyzer.
>
> In all cases the cookies are set properly but the expiration on the
> server which will host the scripts refuses to set a cookie which
> expires beyond the life of the session. On the second server and
> using the same browser, the same script works properly with the cookie
> expiration set a few days in the future.
>
> It appears the next test is to set these cookies using JS to make
> absolutely sure it is not the browser but, in the context of the
> application I am developing, using JS is not the preferred option. The
> script accepts post data from a remote server, processes the data,
> sets cookies to prevent duplicate submissions, then redirects to
> another form for further processing. The cookies set are encrypted
> (64 alphanumeric characters). Upon a second submission the cookies
> are decrypted, the the data is compared against existing records in
> data table, and, should there be a match, immediately redirects to
> the next form. The header function will not allow me to write
> anything to output prior to redirection so JS cookies cannot be
> written, at least prior to the header() call. Anyway, I know the test
> script in using even the simplest cookies behaves on another server.
>
> This thing has me totally baffled.

Are you sure the server is running the code you think it is?

I had intense incrustations on several occasions that turned out to be a
simple problem that either the browser had cached an old copy and
wouldn't refresh it, or the code had ended up somewhere else on the
server. Deep embarrassment, but shit happens.

Incidentally, the problem of embedded images served by php pages was
solved for development by adding a dummy argument with a random value
that fools IE into thinking its a different image. Which it may, or may
not, be.
Re: setcookie() Expiration [message #171072 is a reply to message #171070] Wed, 22 December 2010 17:05 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Thomas 'PointedEars'  is currently offline  Thomas 'PointedEars'
Messages: 701
Registered: October 2010
Karma: 0
Senior Member
Tyrone Slothrop wrote:

> […]
> The test methodology I created is a standalone script which creates
> three cookies, passing various parameters from the simple:
> setcookie(name, value, expiration)
> to the more complex:
> setcookie(name, value, expiration, path, domain)
>
> […]
> In all cases the cookies are set properly but the expiration on the
> server which will host the scripts refuses to set a cookie which
> expires beyond the life of the session. On the second server and
> using the same browser, the same script works properly with the cookie
> expiration set a few days in the future.

Are session cookies set on the first server?


PointedEars
--
realism: HTML 4.01 Strict
evangelism: XHTML 1.0 Strict
madness: XHTML 1.1 as application/xhtml+xml
-- Bjoern Hoehrmann
Re: setcookie() Expiration [message #171073 is a reply to message #171070] Wed, 22 December 2010 17:09 Go to previous messageGo to next message
alvaro.NOSPAMTHANX is currently offline  alvaro.NOSPAMTHANX
Messages: 277
Registered: September 2010
Karma: 0
Senior Member
El 22/12/2010 17:02, Tyrone Slothrop escribió/wrote:
>> The first step is to inspect the output of setcookie(). You can see the
>> raw HTTP header with many tools, such as the Firebug extension for
>> Firefox, but most browsers have a builtin cookie manager as well.
>>
>> Also, make sure you are using a valid domain name for your tests.
>
> Let's assume that I pretty much know what I am doing. I have been
> coding PHP for at least 12 years, developing backends for complex web
> sites. Not to say I don't make mistakes - and I make some incredibly
> silly ones at times - but I have verified the code on a different
> server and I know it works.

I apologize if my suggestions have hurt your feelings. I understand that
a PHP coder with 12 years of experience does not need to see the
Set-Cookie header or the information provided by the browser's cookie
manager but I didn't know it was the case.

Come on, take a deep breath and relax. Obvious issues are sometimes the
most difficult to find. You wouldn't be the first one to have HTTP
headers mangled by a server module, firewall, antivirus or browser
extension.

--
-- http://alvaro.es - Álvaro G. Vicario - Burgos, Spain
-- Mi sitio sobre programación web: http://borrame.com
-- Mi web de humor satinado: http://www.demogracia.com
--
Re: setcookie() Expiration [message #171074 is a reply to message #171073] Wed, 22 December 2010 22:31 Go to previous message
Tyrone Slothrop is currently offline  Tyrone Slothrop
Messages: 3
Registered: December 2010
Karma: 0
Junior Member
On Wed, 22 Dec 2010 18:09:03 +0100, "Álvaro G. Vicario"
<alvaro(dot)NOSPAMTHANX(at)demogracia(dot)com(dot)invalid> wrote:

> El 22/12/2010 17:02, Tyrone Slothrop escribió/wrote:
>>> The first step is to inspect the output of setcookie(). You can see the
>>> raw HTTP header with many tools, such as the Firebug extension for
>>> Firefox, but most browsers have a builtin cookie manager as well.
>>>
>>> Also, make sure you are using a valid domain name for your tests.
>>
>> Let's assume that I pretty much know what I am doing. I have been
>> coding PHP for at least 12 years, developing backends for complex web
>> sites. Not to say I don't make mistakes - and I make some incredibly
>> silly ones at times - but I have verified the code on a different
>> server and I know it works.
>
> I apologize if my suggestions have hurt your feelings. I understand that
> a PHP coder with 12 years of experience does not need to see the
> Set-Cookie header or the information provided by the browser's cookie
> manager but I didn't know it was the case.
>
> Come on, take a deep breath and relax. Obvious issues are sometimes the
> most difficult to find. You wouldn't be the first one to have HTTP
> headers mangled by a server module, firewall, antivirus or browser
> extension.

No offense taken. The discussions in this group are far more gentle
compared to the flames I have received in the CSS group. ;-)

Ironically, I tried on another computer and my laptop with the same
version of FF with the same extensions (all on Win7-64) and the
cookies were set with proper expiration. Then I had the client try it
but the cookies were not set with expiration in FF on Vista-64, but
did work in IE.

I cannot isolate the common thread which would cause the problem so
decided to go with another method of validation to work in parallel
so, should the cookies fail, there is a backup system. I much prefer
server side solutions rather than having to rely upon the whims of
browsers anyway. However, clients demand the features they see on
other sites so JS and AJAX are necessary tools. The form that this
processing script leads into has close to 4000 lines of hybrid HTML,
DHTML, PHP, JS, AJAX and SOAP that took weeks to develop and debug.

They asked why I bang my head against the wall? I replied, it feels
so good when I stop.
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