How to check cookie/session if user is logged in to Joomla?

rebelfighter · **Joined:** Fri Apr 06, 2007 7:13 pm **Posts:** 24

Hello all the Joomla wizards,

I was wondering if you could help me.

I am writing some PHP pages outside Joomla (version 1.0.12) and would like to password-protect them using Joomla's login system.

The idea is very simple. Just check if Joomla's login cookie or session is available and valid. If so, the PHP page is displayed. If not, user is redirected to Joomla's login page.

So it would look something like this

<?php
if (isset($_SESSION["name"]))
{ echo "Welcome " . $_SESSION["name"] . "!<br />"; }
else
{ header ("location: http://www.mydomain.com/joomla/index.php"); }
?>

I have searched the web and the Joomla 1.0.x developers manual, but could not find what I need to know, namely:
1. which cookie contains the session ID (that could be compared to the session ID value in jos_session db table)
2. how to extract the session ID from the cookie

If I can obtain the session ID, I know how to compare it to the jos_session table.

Could you please advise how to do the above 2 steps (codes please)?

Thanks very much.

RAGEDBULL · **Joined:** Wed Jun 21, 2006 2:50 am **Posts:** 147

I cannot remember off the top of my head, but if you use your friend print_r you can see what is in the session and other variables like this

Code:

<?php
print_r($_REQUEST);
?>

You could even just throw that in your template and watch the variables change as you log in and out and navigate to see what other information is available to work with for your bridge.

Although, if I recall the session is unique to the site and server serving it, I'm not sure if its maintained when you leave the site, never used session's under such a circumstance.

A better solution would be to throw those PHP pages into Joomla if possible either as a component which dosn't use any of Joomla's functions or inside some wrapper.

hotelag · **Joined:** Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:43 pm **Posts:** 4

I am also for looking for a way to verify if the user is logged in. Basically, I am building a component that will use this a lot. Is there not a function you call in Joomla to verify that the user is logged in?

RAGEDBULL · **Joined:** Wed Jun 21, 2006 2:50 am **Posts:** 147

hotelag wrote:

Is there not a function you call in Joomla to verify that the user is logged in?

You do this by testing on the $my variable with a if statement.

I have a tutorial at my website: http://www.webdesignhero.com/index.php? ... &Itemid=13

The original question was to get the information from outside of Joomla.

sudhakargen · **Joined:** Fri Jul 04, 2008 11:25 am **Posts:** 5

Hi,
I'm using joomla on localhost right now. I wanted an information.
How to check that a user is logged out at any stage in the application.I mean to refer to situations where users doesnt logout.what if he abandons the system and consequently leads to session expiring.How to know this.please tell

RAGEDBULL · **Joined:** Wed Jun 21, 2006 2:50 am **Posts:** 147

Hello, first please look at my tutorial.

The logged in status is only in the session variable $my. If $my->id is set, then the user is logged in and has an active session. There is no way to really check if the user is inactive, but still has an active session. In HTTP, it asynchronous communication, so there is no a constant heart beat being recorded by the server, unless you coded something in AJAX possibly, but I think this would be a waste.

Perhaps you are asking something different, but either the user is logged in with an active session or the user does not have an active session, I do not see a difference between an time-out session and logging out on purpose.

insupport · **Joined:** Tue Jul 24, 2007 1:33 am **Posts:** 33

Any idea if this is possible in Joomla 1.5.7?

trichnosis · **Joined:** Wed May 17, 2006 4:15 pm **Posts:** 285

Code:

include('configuration.php');
include('includes/joomla.php');

insert that to your external file.

and $my->id will give you the active user id.

function writeUser()
{
global $my;

echo $my->id;
}

VideoWhisper · **Joined:** Fri Nov 14, 2008 3:32 pm **Posts:** 9

That does not work. It returns "Restricted access.".

RAGEDBULL · **Joined:** Wed Jun 21, 2006 2:50 am **Posts:** 147

In 1.5, you have a user object now.

JUSER
(http://api.joomla.org/Joomla-Framework/User/JUser.html)

You would call a new instance of JUSER, I believe by can create an instance and then access this information, read through the API page.

I just found this tutorial at LeBlanc's website: http://www.jlleblanc.com/joomla/Tutoria ... la!_1%115/ . It's pretty good explanation for anyone who wants a basic solution to the above concepts.

KevinDavis004 · **Joined:** Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:35 pm **Posts:** 32

I'm also getting a restricted access error.

Alejo · **Joined:** Fri Aug 19, 2005 12:28 pm **Posts:** 113

To overcome the restricted access message you need to define this constant as shown:

define( '_JEXEC', 1 );

That will let the Joomla scripts run, but I am still not sure the session info will be picked up with the code others have posted here.

Alejo · **Joined:** Fri Aug 19, 2005 12:28 pm **Posts:** 113

The solution for this is on another post:

viewtopic.php?p=1284623#p1284623

To summarize, this is what I did to make it work.

In my Joomla template index.php I added this:

Code:

// Make session data available outside of Joomla
if(!isset($_COOKIE['jsid'])){
    $user = & JFactory::getUser();        
    $temp_session = $_SESSION; // backup all session data
    session_write_close();
    ini_set("session.save_handler","files"); // set session saved hadler on file
    session_start();
    $_SESSION = (array)$temp_session['__default']['user']; // data that another php file need to know
    session_write_close();
    ini_set("session.save_handler","user"); // put back session saved handler on database
    $jd = new JSessionStorageDatabase();
    $jd->register(); // set required parameters
    session_start(); // restart //
    $_SESSION = $temp_session; // restore last session data
    $e = session_id();
    setcookie("jsid", $e, time()+3600,'/');
}

Outside of Joomla, to read the user session data:

Code:

// Read Joomla session data
if(isset($_COOKIE["jsid"]) && $_COOKIE["jsid"]!=""){
    session_id($_COOKIE["jsid"]);
    session_start();
    $user = $_SESSION;
} else {
    $user = array();  
}
?>   

If the user object is not cast to an array in the template code, then it doesn't work correctly:

$_SESSION = (array)$temp_session['__default']['user'];

It is important to do this and then read the info as:

$user['name']....

KevinDavis004 · **Joined:** Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:35 pm **Posts:** 32

I see that, however, how about reading session from an external file i.e. an non joomla page?

Thanks!

argenisleon · **Joined:** Thu May 10, 2007 3:57 pm **Posts:** 2

Greeting,

The solution seems to work for me but I am getting a empty array in the external php file.

Code:

Array ( [id] => 0 [name] => [username] => [email] => [password] => [password_clear] => [usertype] => [block] => [sendEmail] => 0 [gid] => 0 [registerDate] => [lastvisitDate] => [activation] => [params] => [aid] => 0 [guest] => 1 [_params] => __PHP_Incomplete_Class Object ( [__PHP_Incomplete_Class_Name] => JParameter [_raw] => [_xml] => [_elements] => Array ( ) [_elementPath] => Array ( [0] => /home/snake/public_html/sya/libraries/joomla/html/parameter/element ) [_defaultNameSpace] => _default [_registry] => Array ( [_default] => Array ( [data] => stdClass Object ( ) ) ) [_errors] => Array ( ) ) [_errorMsg] => [_errors] => Array ( ) ) 

Any help would be great.
Thanks in advance.

argenisleon · **Joined:** Thu May 10, 2007 3:57 pm **Posts:** 2

Ok I think that I solve the problem. Maybe is something about how session and cookies work that I do not know.

In the moment in which I create the cookie the SESION array is empty. After that I login, but the when i try to get SESSION array from the external php file it is empty.

So I have to create the cookie when a user is login

Code:

$user = & JFactory::getUser();      
 
if ($user->get('id')!=0){
if(!isset($_COOKIE['jsid'])){
    $temp_session = $_SESSION; // backup all session data
    session_write_close();
    ini_set("session.save_handler","files"); // set session saved hadler on file
    session_start();
    $_SESSION = (array)$temp_session['__default']['user']; // data that another php file need to know
    session_write_close();
    ini_set("session.save_handler","user"); // put back session saved handler on database
    $jd = new JSessionStorageDatabase();
    $jd->register(); // set required parameters
    session_start(); // restart //
    $_SESSION = $temp_session; // restore last session data
    $e = session_id();
    setcookie("jsid", $e, time()+3600,'/');
   
}
}

In this way I get what I want. But if I logout from Joomla and I get the SESSION array from the external php file I get the the user data as I was login.

It is a bit confusing, If some one could explain a bit about this would be great. Thanks

myles-e-boy · **Joined:** Wed Jan 21, 2009 8:32 am **Posts:** 8

This last code by argenisleon doesn't work for me - any further ideas...

All session data seems to have disappeared. this cookie's there but nothing comes out of the session when I call it like this:
// Read Joomla session data
if(isset($_COOKIE["jsid"]) && $_COOKIE["jsid"]!=""){
session_id($_COOKIE["jsid"]);
session_start();
$user = $_SESSION;
} else {
$user = array();
}
?>

brunoazevedo · **Joined:** Sun Dec 17, 2006 11:13 am **Posts:** 55

Hi,

Please check if this SOLVE:

---------------------------------------------
$user =& JFactory::getUser();

if($user->id)
{
//do user logged in stuff
}
else
{
//do user not logged in stuff
}

------------------------------------------

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