PHP and MySQL Inventory Management Tool

Order and Inventory Management
1

I discovered a straightforward PHP inventory script that seems ideal for my primary school system. However, it appears to be written in PHP 4, and XAMPP has advanced since then. Although I’m not a developer, I’m eager to learn how to update it if possible. Can anyone assist me in troubleshooting this code?

Unfortunately, the original developer is uncontactable, but it’s publicly available.

Actions I’ve Taken:

  • Downloaded the script
  • Executed the SQL and corrected the TYPE issues to Engine (successful)
  • Configured the database settings in PHP
  • Tried accessing it through a browser (Chrome)

Upon access, I encountered the following error:

Fatal error: Call-time pass-by-reference has been removed in C:\xampp\htdocs\Inventory\lib\site.php on line 187

Here’s a portion of the code from site.php:

<?php
$sess_path = "./temp/";
function start_session($path, $name) { 
 global $sess_path, $sess_name; 
 $sess_path = $path; 
 $sess_name = $name; 
 return true; 
} 

function end_session() { 
 return true; 
} 

function fetch_data($session_id) { 
 global $sess_path, $sess_name; 
 $sess_file = "$sess_path/session_$session_id"; 
 if ($fp = @fopen($sess_file, "r")) { 
   $session_data = @fread($fp, @filesize($sess_file)); 
   return $session_data; 
 } else { 
   return ""; 
 } 
} 

function save_data($session_id, $session_data) { 
 global $sess_path, $sess_name; 
 $sess_file = "$sess_path/session_$session_id"; 
 if ($fp = @fopen($sess_file, "w")) { 
   return fwrite($fp, $session_data); 
 } else { 
   return false; 
 } 
} 

function delete_session($session_id) {
 global $sess_path, $sess_name;
 $sess_file = "$sess_path/session_$session_id";
 return @unlink($sess_file);
}

function clean_up($lifetime) { 
 return true; 
} 

session_set_save_handler("start_session", "end_session", "fetch_data", "save_data", "delete_session", "clean_up"); 

session_start(); 
?>

I appreciate any guidance you can provide.

2

When working with older PHP scripts on newer versions of XAMPP, it’s essential to address deprecated and removed features. The error regarding “Call-time pass-by-reference” suggests adjusting the function arguments to exclude unnecessary & symbols, improving compatibility with PHP 5 and above.

Additionally, PHP 5 introduced new session handling methods. Consider refactoring your session management into an object-oriented style. Construct a class with methods like open, close, read, etc., then implement session_set_save_handler using this class instance. This practice aligns with modern PHP standards and should fix the error.

3

Hey there, DashingDog! That’s an interesting challenge you’re tackling. It’s great you’re diving into updating the script, even without a developer’s background! Now, regarding your error, since the error message mentions “Call-time pass-by-reference,” it’s likely related to changes in how PHP handles references.

In PHP 4, it might have been common to pass variables by reference explicitly using the & symbol, but PHP 5 and later versions removed this feature in favor of a simpler syntax.

From what I see, however, your session_set_save_handler is also using deprecated function signatures. You might need to replace the call with object-oriented code, where you define the handlers in a class and pass these as methods.

Here’s a thought - have you tried using object-oriented PHP to create a new class structure for sessions? This modernizes the code to some extent and could solve the error you’re facing! I’m curious, are there any specific parts of PHP 4 that still confuse you, or do you think the structure so far makes sense?

Feel free to share more parts of the code if you need further assistance!