Cookies messing up code

Anonymous Monk has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

.. sections of my code

  print header( -cookie => cookie(-name => 'Matrix',
              -value => param('username'),
              -expires => '+7d',
              -domain => 'webewebin.com'
                                        )
             );

  &header;
  &member_sec;
  &footer;
[download]

header..

sub header {
 print qq~
<html>
<head>
<title>Matrix System</title>
<body link="0000FF" vlink="0000FF" alink="0000FF" text="00000">
<font face="arial">
<p> <b>
 <a href="index.cgi">Home</a> &nbsp; 
 <a href="index.cgi?act=signup">Signup</a> &nbsp; 
 <a href="index.cgi?act=member">Members</a>
</b> </p>
 ~;
}
[download]

Having this code prints header twice but in the middle of both of them theres a 1, and the cookie isnt working. But if I just remove the cookie part it all looks fine so its something with the cookie

Comment on Cookies messing up code Select or Download Code

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: Cookies messing up code by Aristotle (Chancellor) on Oct 30, 2002 at 00:49 UTC
Simple - the `print header(...)` calls your own `header()` function. This function only executes a print, whose return value, 1, is passed back to the calling code, which happens to be a `print` itself and so outputs that 1. Two suggestions: use the object oriented interface to CGI as it's much cleaner, and really do use a templating system to pull all the HTML out of your script. I propose the excellent Template Toolkit 2 module. See also perrin's templating system roundup at Perl.com Makeshifts last the longest.	[reply]
Re: Cookies messing up code by chromatic (Archbishop) on Oct 30, 2002 at 03:23 UTC
I assume you're using the CGI module, importing its `header()` function. Unfortunately, you're defining your own function with the same name. Perl has no way to distinguish the two, and the most-recently-defined function wins, as Aristotle points out. If you had warnings enabled, Perl would have told you that `header()` was redefined.	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re: Cookies messing up code by dws (Chancellor) on Oct 30, 2002 at 06:16 UTC
In addition to the problem identified above, you have two more waiting in queue. The cookie needs a -path The -domain is malformed. Try '.webewebin.com'	[reply]