From: GOTO Kentaro <gotoken@...>
Date: 2002-02-22T03:32:43+09:00
Subject: Re: dang it, CGI::Session is broken again

In message "Re: dang it, CGI::Session is broken again"
    on Fri, 22 Feb 2002 00:18:46 +0900,
    dmcnulty@mindspring.com (Dan McNulty) writes:

> Doesn't CGI::Session use cookies to store the data on the client side?
>  I am pretty sure it does, but then why isn't this part happening?

Your script does NOT send HTTP header, where cookies shoud be put. 
Try:

  sess = CGI::Session.new(cgi,
			 "session_key" => "a_test",
			 "prefix" => "rubysess.")

  print cgi.header("text/plain")  ##### INSERT THIS LINE #####

  if sess["junk"]==nil
     print "A new session ", "junk is ", sess["junk"], "\n"
     sess["junk"]=123
     ....

If you use that with mod_ruby, this may be not good. 

A simple way is use of CGI#out that gives common interface to both of
mod_ruby and non mod_ruby.  The following lists a sample:

  #!/usr/local/bin/ruby

  require "cgi"
  require "cgi/session"

  cgi = CGI.new

  sess = CGI::Session.new(cgi,
			 "session_key" => "a_test",
			 "prefix" => "rubysess.")

  body = "" # used as output buffer

  if sess["junk"]==nil
     body << "A new session junk is #{sess["junk"]}\n"
     sess["junk"]=123
     body << "A new session junk is now #{sess["junk"]}\n"
     sess.close
  else
     body << "An existing session junk is #{sess["junk"]}\n"
     sess["junk"]=sess["junk"].to_i + 1
     body << "An existing session junk is now #{sess["junk"]}\n"
     sess.close
  end

  cgi.out("text/plain"){body}

Hope this helps,

-- Gotoken