NYCPHP Meetup

[Tim Gales]

sry writes:

"Can't PHP create a an instance of a "session" that contains the user's 
 state? (what page they are on, what forms they have / haven't 
 completed, what default StyleSheet they prefer, etc.)"

I am not sure, but you may be confusing communication protocol state 
with application state. 

For example http is a stateless protocol. Cookies can be 
used to  create communication protocol state. Php's session 
support can make use of the client's protocol state to 
preserve application data over a series of http request/response 
interactions. That is to say, yes 'an instance of a "session" contains 
the user's (communication) state'-- but not "what default StyleSheet 
they prefer" (that is application data or application state).

After thinking about the above, re-read what Mitch 
writes:
"What I was trying to point out was that 
once someone submitted 'form1', you could set it as a $_SESSION 
variable.  You could even just set $_SESSION['form_1']=TRUE and be done 
with it - PHP4 tracks that for you (no muss, no fuss, no messy 
applicator brush!)...  Please see 
http://us3.php.net/manual/en/ref.session.php for more details."

In other words, $_SESSION['form_1']=TRUE is equivalent to 
saying task_1 is done, now the user is ready to move to 
task_2 the next (applcation) state.

Hope this sheds some light on the situation.


T. Gales & Associates
'Helping People Connect with Technology'

http://www.tgaconnect.com