PHP & osCommerce not working

[bwit]

Hi,

One of my customers's sites, which worked with the old server, will not let him update his site any longer. It's written in PHP.

Also, a new osCommerce install tells me that I need to register globals. I entered 'php_value register_globals 1' into the /public_html/.htaccess, but I now get an Error 500 when I try an access the osCommerce install folder.

Can someone advise how to fix these problems please, as the new PZ Support desk will not send me a confirmation email so that I can ask Jim's guys directly and I am already losing customers. :-(

Thanks.

[paley]

Originally Posted by bwit

Hi,

One of my customers's sites, which worked with the old server, will not let him update his site any longer. It's written in PHP.

Also, a new osCommerce install tells me that I need to register globals. I entered 'php_value register_globals 1' into the /public_html/.htaccess, but I now get an Error 500 when I try an access the osCommerce install folder.

Can someone advise how to fix these problems please, as the new PZ Support desk will not send me a confirmation email so that I can ask Jim's guys directly and I am already losing customers. :-(

Thanks.

You can create a php.ini file in the directory and add:

register_globals = On

That may work

[midwest]

Register Globals Patch
osCommerce: Register Globals Patch Files

You dont give enough info on the other php problem to give an answer.

[bwit]

Midwest,

Thanks re osCommerce problem. Sorry to say that the patch didn't fix the problem.
Still getting 'FATAL ERROR: register_globals is disabled in php.ini, please enable it!' :-(

Cust has a custom update system which allows for vehicle details to be added. They can go to their add page and complete all details, but when they click COMPLETE button, additions never appear. Everything worked just fine on old server.

Thanks.

[bwit]

Just ran the Fantastico / osCommerce install to see if I get the same result. Exactly the same problem occurs: FATAL ERROR: register_globals is disabled in php.ini, please enable it!

This is so bloody frustrating when Support won't help.

[Jim]

My opinion - OScommerce is dead. Your best bet is to change carts because the developers are headed blindly to the edge of the cliff in their refusal to write it to operate in a register globals=off environment. The next version of php will not even contain the function. Its something thats been coming for the past 6 years and every other reputable developer has migrated over years ago.

We have a server it can run on which has register globals set to on, but that server and every server like it will likeley end up being hacked, and with register globals on its a gaping security risk waiting to happen. Also none of the supposed patches work reliably.

Anyone that wants to install it and deal with hours of trying to get it to work is perfectly welcome to do so but when the developer refuses to bring it into this century its probably a waste of time.

[ldesign]

I'll back Jim on this one. Distributed Php scripts should not depend on register globals. Even though a lot of my old scripts - the ones I wrote three to four years ago do* - it really is best to get away from that. Automatically assigning POSTED (from a form) and passed GET (from a hyper link) variables into the local variable scope could create havoc (like database injection, - i.e., your database gets deleted). It makes the hackers' job too easy.

(* I have actually made the needed conversions on most, if not all of my own scripts. It's not all that hard, and it is definitely something the OScommerce folks ought to have done by now.)

The earlier suggestion to use a php.ini file might work for you, and it might even solve both problems - for now. My guess is that your first problem could also be a register_globals problem (When register_globals is off, scripts that depend on it will often do nothing when a form is entered.)

Chuck

[midwest]

I had a osC demo store that I have abandoned. I dont yet know what I will use to replace it. I'm disappointed, I spent a lot of time getting my demo store setup with mods and making my own template.

As far as having to rewrite any of my own scripts. Nah. I grew up on perl doing it the long way and saw no reason when I switched to php to take the easy route. Guess it was a good decision. I have also always been a fan of full paths and urls, even when a virtual would work fine I choose a full path. Security was not the issue it is now when I adopted these practices, I got lucky and dodged a few bullets.

.