Session variables sending specific variable from a while loop

Question

I have this simple while loop which retrieves data from a mysql query and displays several links on my homepage.

I would like to avoid using the php get function and add query strings to my urls

I am thinking of using session variables but I need help and I'm pretty sure this can't be done.

When a visitor clicks a link from the several ones displayed by the while loop, that particular variable would be set in a session.

In my code, the session will always send the last var.

Can this be done?

    <? session_start(); // Start Session Variables

    $result = mysql_query("my query");

    while($slice = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)){
        $url = $slice['url'];
        $name  = $slice['name']; ?>

        <a href="<? echo $url; ?>"><? echo $name; ?></a>

    <? } 

    $_SESSION['name'] = $name; // Store session data  ?>

Answer 1

What you wish to do can be done by using a javascript function which will make an AJAX request sending the clicked name to the server. The server side code will then store the required session variable

 <? 
     session_start(); // Start Session Variables

    $result = mysql_query("my query");
    $name = '';
    while($slice = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)){
        $url = $slice['url'];
        $name  = $slice['name']; ?>

        <a href="<? echo $url; ?>" onclick='setSession(<? echo $url;?>);'><? echo $name; ?></a>

    <? } 

Now the setSession will make an AJAX call passing the value obtained. This can be then saved as session url by a simple server side code

The javascript code to present on the same page as your page having links

<script type='text/javascript'>
    function getXMLHTTPRequest() {
    try {
    req = new XMLHttpRequest();
    } catch(err1) {
      try {
      req = new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP");
      } catch (err2) {
        try {
        req = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
        } catch (err3) {
          req = false;
        }
      }
    }
    return req;
    }



      var http = getXMLHTTPRequest();
       function setSession(value) {
    var myurl = "session.php";  // to be present in the same folder
     var myurl1 = myurl;
      myRand = parseInt(Math.random()*999999999999999);
      var modurl = myurl1+"?rand="+myRand+"url"+value ; // this will set the url to be sent

      http.open("GET", modurl, true);
      http.onreadystatechange = useHttpResponse;
      http.send(null);
    }


    function useHttpResponse() {
       if (http.readyState == 4) {
        if(http.status == 200) {
          var mytext = http.responseText;
          // I dont think u will like to do any thing with the response
          // u can redirect the user to the req page (link clicked), once the session url has been setted
            }
         }
         else {
             // don't do anything until any result is obtained
            }
        } 
</script>

PHP server side code to be present to set the required url as session value

<?php
session_start();
if($_SESSION['url']!=""){
unset($_SESSION['url']);   
$_SESSION['url'] = $_REQUEST['url'];  
}
else {
$_SESSION['url'] = $_REQUEST['url'];  
}
?>

Answer 2

I don't think you can do what you are talking about in a simple fashion... The best way to pass the data is in the url, to be retrieved with $_GET.

You could use your while loop to echo individual forms, and set a hidden variable in each form to the value of your $name. Then you'd have to output a link that called a javascript function to submit that particular form. On the next page, you'd be able to grab the value for $name from the $_POST variable that was submitted by the hidden value in the form from the previous page...

But that would require javascript to function, and would just be an odd way to go about it.

something like:

echo '<form action="'.$url.'" method="post" name="myform1" id="myform1">';
echo '<input type="hidden" name="value" id="value" value ="'.$name.'">';
echo '</form>';
echo '<a onclick="document.forms['myform1'].submit();">'.$name.'</a>;

then on the next page ($url), you would get the value of the hidden variable using php, like so:

$name = $_POST['value'];

Again though, an odd way to go about it...