I am using CGI::Application in which my cgiapp_prerun() is as follows:

sub cgiapp_prerun 
{
	my $self = shift;
	my $q = $self->query();
	
	# Open existing session from cookie id, or open new session
	my $session = new CGI::Session(undef, $q, {Directory=>'/tmp'});

	# Delete session if user requested logout
	if ($q->param('rm') eq 'logout') 
	{
		$session->delete();
                # Start new session
		$session = new CGI::Session(undef, undef, {Directory=>'/tmp'});
                # Set session as logged out
		$session->param(-name=> 'logged_in', -value => 0);
                # Change run mode to default run mode
		$self->prerun_mode('default'); 
	} 
	$session->expire('+1h');	
				
	my $cookie = $q->cookie(CGISESSID => $session->id);
        # Send cookie in header
	$self->header_props(-cookie => $cookie);
	# Make session params available to other subs & modules
	$self->param(session => $session);
}

A separate validation run mode, which is used to validate both registrations and logins, sets the session parameter 'logged_in' to true if registration or logon was successful.

Pretty simple and it works. I haven't checked out Apache::Session yet so I don't konw which one would be best to use.

UPDATE:

I've just came across this node which recommends using CGIS::Application because it's CGI::Session enabled CGI::Application. Though I haven't looked at it yet so can't give any opinion on which one would be best.

HTH,

Anne

Hi Anne,

Another option is to use CGI::Application::Session. It also provides seamless integration with CGI::Session. I use Apache::AuthCookieDBI to handle user authentication, but the logic in my cgiapp_prerun handler is similar (if user is not logged in, redirect to a runmode that displays login page).

William

Hi, im using CGI::Application too, but I don't know how to use sessions. I mean, this is the functionality i would like:

1. if a user is unregistered, he just stays at the index page till he presses the register link, which directs him to a register runmode. Then when he registers, i add him to the database, his username,password and email. Then i redirect him to the login page, and show him a login form. When he logs in successfully, and checks a checkbox (make me a cookie or something) i want to create a session for him, where i store his session data in a mysql table.

2. If he arrives at the index page and he's already registered and does have a cookie stored, i want to display a welcome msg to him and so on.

So my question is, where would i put the different stuff? in what subs? would i put it in cgi_prerun? Because i don't want to automatically redirect the unregistered users to a register page when they come to the page, they'll have to click the register button first.

and also, how do i store the session stuff in the mysql table? i mean, does the Driver:mysql take care of it? what if i want more fields? how do i store stuff in them? thank you