How can PHP sessions or cookies be effectively utilized to manage user login status and access control in a PHP-based Active Desktop application?

To manage user login status and access control in a PHP-based Active Desktop application, PHP sessions or cookies can be effectively utilized. Sessions can store user authentication data securely on the server side, while cookies can store user authentication data on the client side. By checking session or cookie data on each page load, you can verify the user's login status and control their access to different parts of the application.

// Start a session to store user authentication data
session_start();

// Check if user is logged in
if(isset($_SESSION['user_id'])){
    // User is logged in, allow access to application
} else {
    // User is not logged in, redirect to login page
    header("Location: login.php");
    exit;
}