How can PHP sessions be utilized to prevent data loss in form submissions?

When a user submits a form on a website, there is a risk of data loss if the user navigates away from the page before completing the submission. PHP sessions can be utilized to store form data temporarily and prevent data loss in such situations. By storing the form data in session variables, the data can be retrieved and repopulated in the form fields if the user returns to the page. 

<?php
session_start();

if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'POST') {
    $_SESSION['form_data'] = $_POST;
    header('Location: ' . $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']);
    exit;
}

// Check if there is form data stored in the session
if (isset($_SESSION['form_data'])) {
    $form_data = $_SESSION['form_data'];
    unset($_SESSION['form_data']);
} else {
    $form_data = [];
}
?>

<!-- HTML form -->
<form method="post" action="<?php echo $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']; ?>">
    <input type="text" name="name" value="<?php echo isset($form_data['name']) ? $form_data['name'] : ''; ?>" placeholder="Name">
    <input type="email" name="email" value="<?php echo isset($form_data['email']) ? $form_data['email'] : ''; ?>" placeholder="Email">
    <textarea name="message" placeholder="Message"><?php echo isset($form_data['message']) ? $form_data['message'] : ''; ?></textarea>
    <button type="submit">Submit</button>
</form>

Keywords

PHP sessions data loss form submissions prevent utilization

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