log out function not working

cspgsl · #1 (**permalink**) 05-13-06, 08:08 AM

Any help here appreciated

I insert the menu file via SSI statement. Works fine

I add a logout behavior to the menu and I get warning

Warning: session_start(): Cannot send session cache limiter - headers already sent (output started at /home/pencils/public_html/interview/client/firm_info.php:8) in /home/pencils/public_html/interview/includes/left_menu.php on line 3

I remove session_start() at the top of the menu file and add it to the top of all pages that employ the includes statement and the above warning disappears.

However, when I click on the logout link I get another warning

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/pencils/public_html/interview/client/firm_info.php:8) in /home/pencils/public_html/interview/includes/left_menu.php on line 15

Line 15 = header("Location: $logoutGoTo");

And it does not open the logout page.

menu page (that is included)

PHP Code:


			
<?php

//initialize the session

//session_start();

// ** Logout the current user. **

$logoutAction = $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']."?doLogout=true";

if ((isset($_SERVER['QUERY_STRING'])) && ($_SERVER['QUERY_STRING'] != "")){

  $logoutAction .="&". htmlentities($_SERVER['QUERY_STRING']);

}

if ((isset($_GET['doLogout'])) &&($_GET['doLogout']=="true")){

  //to fully log out a visitor we need to clear the session varialbles

  session_unregister('MM_Username');

  session_unregister('MM_UserGroup');

  $logoutGoTo = "../interview/logout.php";

  if ($logoutGoTo) {

    header("Location: $logoutGoTo");

    exit;

  }

}

?>

... menu links ... etc

page that menu file is included on

PHP Code:


			
<?php 

    session_start()

?>



<?php require('../../Connections/connBSD.php'); ?>



<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">

<html>

<head>

<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">

<title>Untitled Document</title>

<style type="text/css">

<!--

.style1 {color: #0000FF}

-->

</style>



<link href="/css/template_style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">



</head>



<body>

<!-- begin div wrapper = entire page -->

<div id="wrapper">

        <div id="header">

          </div>

        <div id="navbar">

        </div>

            <!-- begin div content = right and left columns -->

            <div id="content">

                    <!-- begin div right = right column -->

              <div id="right">

                <h1>webSite Design Interview</h1>



                      <h2> <img src="/images/websites.jpg" width="80" height="95" hspace="10" align="left">Contacts</h2>



                    </div>



                    <!-- begin div left = left column -->

                    <div id="left">

                        <?php require('../includes/left_menu.php'); ?>

            <!-- end div content = right and left columns -->

                    </div>



            </div>

</div>

</body>

</html>

ben.periton · #2 (**permalink**) 05-13-06, 08:17 AM

Because you cannot modify any headers once any output has been sent to the browser. If you are trying to include a file that changes the headers, header("Location") etc, after you have already sent HTML to the browser, then it will not work. Try making a seperate logout page that redirects back to ../interview/logout.php

cspgsl · #3 (**permalink**) 05-13-06, 08:23 AM

You mean link to a page without the includes statement that logs out the user?

Nico · #4 (**permalink**) 05-13-06, 08:34 AM

Yeh, make a separate page like this:

PHP Code:


			
<?php



session_start();



session_unregister('MM_Username');

session_unregister('MM_UserGroup'); 



session_destroy();



header("Location: ../interview/logout.php");



?>

cspgsl · #5 (**permalink**) 05-13-06, 08:43 AM

I see why it wouldn't work now... the solution is so simple it escaped me.
Thanks very much.