[RESOLVED] Simple counter gone wrong.

[NoteMe]

I have made a really simple counter. It stores the number of visits in a text file. But for some reason it adds 3 ever time you do a refresh in stead of 1. Can anyone explain why? This is the function I am calling:

function total_page_views(){

    $tot_user_file = $path . '/totalusers.txt';

    $totuser_handle = fopen($tot_user_file, 'r+') or die("can't open file");
    flock ($totuser_handle, LOCK_EX); 
    
    if (filesize($tot_user_file) > 0){
    $totusers = fread($totuser_handle, filesize($tot_user_file));
        $totusers ++;
    }else{
    $totusers = 1;
    }

    $totuser_handle = fopen($tot_user_file, 'w+') or die("can't open file");
    fwrite($totuser_handle, $totusers);    
    
    flock ($totuser_handle, LOCK_UN);
    fclose($totuser_handle);

    return $totusers;

} 

And I have split up the index file in 3 parts. So it is the index.php file, the top.php and the bottom.php. The index.php includes the top.php in the top, and the bottom.php on the bottom. So in the top.php file I have something like this:

<?php
require "functions/counter.php";

echo '            <div id="banner">' . total_page_views() . '</div>';

?>

A bit awkvard I know...but hmm...anyone see what I might be doing wrong???



- ØØ -

[mendhak]

What happens if you place that statement in index.php?

[NoteMe]

Same thing...just like it is called 3 times...




- ØØ -

[NoteMe]

Just made a separate file for it...and now it works...weird...


- ØØ -

[NoteMe]

To be honest, I have had the same problem before too. Then it was on a MySQL page where everytime I added a new record, it suddenly added 3 of the same records...I can't belive how bad I am at this...


- ØØ -

[mendhak]

A separate file for the function definition?

[NoteMe]

Well, I have (or at least soon) one file with all functions for founters and stuff like that, so I can just use "require" from all the other files, and then call it.



- ØØ -

[mendhak]

Where's Adam Padam when you need him?

[NoteMe]

On MSN tearing his hair off while talking to me...


- ØØ -

[john tindell]

Are you calling it in each of the file you include? (top.php bottom.php) You code that works the counter is fine, whats the rest of your code like?

[NoteMe]

I just did as Visual just told me. I extended the function to write to a log file the UA string, to check if it is the browser that calls it 3 times. And it looks like it:

output for just visiting the page once:

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.1) Gecko/20060111 Firefox/1.5.0.1
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.1) Gecko/20060111 Firefox/1.5.0.1
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.1) Gecko/20060111 Firefox/1.5.0.1
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.1) Gecko/20060111 Firefox/1.5.0.1

John T: I am just calling it in top.php, which is included in the top of index.php. So in theory it should just be called once.



- ØØ -

[NoteMe]

Hahahhaa...and the funny thing. It is only Fx it is not working.... Opera and IE 7 only make it count 1 at a time.



- ØØ -

[NoteMe]

Haha..this is the funniest bug ever...a missing favicon on the server made it Fx do 3 requests trying to find it, while other browsers only forget about it.. took away the line for the favicon, and now the counter works..



- ØØ -

[visualAd]

Why put a favicon in if it is missing?

[NoteMe]

It is just standard copy paste stuff on the top there... Same doctype, same name and stuff....just new favicon and title.....grrr..


- ØØ -

[CornedBee]

By the way, require_once is better for files you only want once per request.

[NoteMe]

Yeah, I see your point, but not sure if it would have resolved it since even index.php was loaded three times.


- ØØ -