How to automatically detects active user? php

[jhoiemarie]

I have been dying to ask this. How to keep user's session active that when he opens the same website in a new tab, it detects the current user and logs him automatically? Or when the the same user accidentally closed the browser tab, when he opened the same web site he still the active user, and he does not need to pass through the login page again? please help. thanks.

[seandisanti]

use cookies, here's some code from a recent project i was working on.

Code: Select all

//this function is called on my login page once credentials have been verified.
private function login_success($record)//$record holds user record from database
   {
      $_SESSION['uid']=$record['id'];
      $_SESSION['firstName']=$record['first_name'];
      $_SESSION['lastName']=$record['last_name'];
      $_SESSION['email']=$record['email'];
      $_SESSION['user_type_id']=$record['user_type_id'];
      if (isset($_POST['mem']))//this is a 'remember me' checkbox.
      { //wants to be remembered
         setcookie('pw',$record['password'],time()+3600*24*30);//this is a salted hashed password
         setcookie('id',$_SESSION['uid'], time()+3600*24*30);//and a unique id that the person never sees
      }   
      redirect_to('dashboard.php');//and then go to dashboard
   }


I've added comments to help explain it a little better hopefully. Then you also have to have code on your login page to look for the cookie to bypass the login. I actually have a user object for the user, and when you go to a page, if you don't have session variables set from a successful login, it checks for cookies and processes login accordingly

Code: Select all

 class User {
   function __construct()
   {
      if (! empty($_SESSION['email'])){redirect_to('dashboard.php');}
      if (isset($_COOKIE['id']) && isset($_COOKIE['pw'])) // has login cookie
      {
         $salt = substr($_COOKIE['pw'],32);
         $arecord = self::find_by_id($_COOKIE['id']);
         if ($_COOKIE['pw']===$arecord['password']) //successful
         {
         self::login_success($arecord);
         } else {
         setcookie('id',$_COOKIE['id'],1);
         redirect_to('login.php?cookiefail=1');
         }
      }
      $record=self::login($_POST['un'],$_POST['pw']);
      if (! isset($record['email'])){
         redirect_to("login.php?fail=1");
      } else {
      self::login_success($record);
      }
   }