PHP session variables in AJAX requets

Question

I am having immense difficulty using a session variable through an AJAX request. The hierarchy is:

i. index.php
   require_once('config.php');
   <script class="include" type="text/javascript" src="js/jquery.manage.js"></script>  

ii. config.php
    session_start();
    $loggedInUser = $_SESSION["user"];

iii. manage.js
     $.post('functions.php', 'checkPermissions', function(data){});

iv. functions.php
    checkPermissions(){
       if ($loggedInUser->permission == "1"){
       //stuff
       }
     }

I thought that $loggedInUser would be globalized in config.php thus accessible to functions.php. But is the problem that I am running that via an ajax request? Sometimes I feel like that means my requested PHP file is on a planet of its own and is not interacting with global PHP variables or Session variables. I get errors every variation. I've tried calling the $_SESSION variable directly in functions.php (with session_start()) but I get an error like

The script tried to execute a method or access a property of an incomplete object. Please ensure that the class definition "loggedInUser" of the object you are trying to operate on was loaded _before_ unserialize() gets called or provide a __autoload() function to load the class definition

Have you got the session_start() is all relevant files or as Machavity has pointed out - do you include the config.php in subsequent files. — user2417483
– user2417483, Commented Aug 29, 2014 at 22:31
No it does not. config.php has its own dependencies. If I include config.php to functions.php I get 500 Internal Server Error. I think it cannot resolve the paths in config.php. What's the best way to do absolute paths? — user3822370
– user3822370, Commented Aug 29, 2014 at 22:34
Why aren't you just calling the session variable $_SESSION["user"] instead of the ` $loggedInUser`? — Rasclatt
– Rasclatt, Commented Aug 29, 2014 at 22:34
@Rasclatt I get: The script tried to execute a method or access a property of an incomplete object. Please ensure that the class definition "loggedInUser" of the object you are trying to operate on was loaded before unserialize() gets called or provide a __autoload() function to load the class definition — user3822370
– user3822370, Commented Aug 29, 2014 at 22:38

Rasclatt · Accepted Answer · 2014-08-29 23:34:39Z

1

I'm not saying to necessarily do it this way because I don't know how your loggedInUser works, but can you not assign the $_SESSION['user'] in that class at the time of login? See my example. Then it would be in a session and you would always just access it by it's session variable. I'm not sure what your AJAX call is doing, but the called page may not need to check any function other than checking the $_SESSION.

i. index.php
   require_once('config.php');
   <script class="include" type="text/javascript" src="js/jquery.manage.js"></script>  

ii. config.php
    session_start();

// Your login class
class loggedInUser
    {
        // Default actions
        public  function __construct()
            {
                if(isset($_POST['login'])) {
                        // Assign the user info to array (or false/0 if user/pass wrong)
                        $_userinfo  =   $this->ProcessLogin();

                        // If user is good, then assign all the returned db info
                        if($_userinfo !== 0) {                          
                                // Here is where you would assign the usergroup/permissions
                                $_SESSION['user']       =   $_userinfo['user'];

                                // assign more session vars from returned info 
                                $_SESSION['username']   =   $_userinfo['username'];
                                $_SESSION['first_name'] =   $_userinfo['first_name'];
                                //...etc.
                            }
                        else
                            $_error['login']    =   'Incorrect User/Password';
                    }
            }

        protected   function ProcessLogin()
            {
                // Include db connection if not in assigned as a global
                include_once($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'].'/my/dbconnection.php');
                // -->Check user/pass against db code here<--
                // Presume $_userinfo is the checked against credentials and user is valid,
                // This is just a representation of what your DB returns for demonstration
                $_userinfo = array('id'=>123,'username'=>'dougfrank','user'=>1);                    

                // If row count for user is 1 (whatever the logic is here)
                return (!empty($_userinfo))? $_userinfo: 0; 
            }
    }

$_setUser   =   new loggedInUser();

iii. manage.js
     $.post('functions.php', 'checkPermissions', function(data){});


// This is how you would check whenever you are checking
// who has user 1 credentials
if($_SESSION['user'] == 1) {
        // do stuff.
    }

edited Aug 29, 2014 at 23:34

answered Aug 29, 2014 at 22:44

Rasclatt

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3 Comments

user3822370 Over a year ago

I am getting this error: The script tried to execute a method or access a property of an incomplete object. Please ensure that the class definition "loggedInUser" of the object you are trying to operate on was loaded before unserialize() gets called or provide a __autoload() function to load the class definition

Rasclatt Over a year ago

Do you have a class with a method called permission?

user3822370 Over a year ago

loggedInUser is a class with public function "permission". During Login processing, $loggedInUser = new loggedInUser(); and finally $_SESSION["user"] = $loggedInUser; I think if I can resolve the server path issue with including config.php in my functions.php, I would be OK. As said config.php has dependencies which seem to be giving me a 500 error when I include them in a file requested via AJAX.

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