I've tried numerous ways to get the timestamp in the database updated when a user accesses the website by using UPDATE. No matter where I place the code, the timestamp field remains as the initial registration date & time, which at creation was set to timestamp default NULL.

Here's the code that checks to see if the visitor has previously registered and if so, the timestamp should change to the present time.

<?php require_once('Connections/phototest.php'); ?>
<?php
// *** Validate request to login to this site. *****BEGINNING TO TRANSPOSE EARLY DEDDY SITE TO LATEST*******
session_start();

$loginFormAction = $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'];
if (isset($accesscheck))
{
      $GLOBALS['PrevUrl'] = $accesscheck;
      session_register('PrevUrl');
}

if (isset($_POST['username']))
{
        $loginUsername=$_POST['username'];
        $password=$_POST['pwd'];
        $MM_fldUserAuthorization = "userGroup";
        $MM_redirectLoginSuccess = "index.php";
        $MM_redirectLoginFailed = "login_failed.php";
        $MM_redirecttoReferrer = true;
        mysql_select_db($database_phototest, $phototest);
        $LoginRS__query=sprintf("SELECT username, pwd, userGroup FROM tbl_users2 WHERE username='%s' AND pwd='%s'",
            get_magic_quotes_gpc() ? $loginUsername : addslashes($loginUsername), get_magic_quotes_gpc() ? $password : addslashes($password));
        $LoginRS = mysql_query($LoginRS__query, $phototest) or die(mysql_error());
        $loginFoundUser = mysql_num_rows($LoginRS);

            if ($loginFoundUser)
            {
                $loginStrGroup = mysql_result($LoginRS,0,'userGroup');

                //declare two session variables and assign them
                $GLOBALS['MM_Username'] = $loginUsername;
                $GLOBALS['MM_UserGroup'] = $loginStrGroup;

                   //register the session variables
                session_register("MM_Username");
                session_register("MM_UserGroup");

                    if (isset($_SESSION['PrevUrl']) && true)
                    {
                        $MM_redirectLoginSuccess = $_SESSION['PrevUrl'];
                    }
                header("Location: " . $MM_redirectLoginSuccess );
            }
        else
        {
            header("Location: ". $MM_redirectLoginFailed );
        }
}

$query="UPDATE $tbl_users2 SET lastaccesstime = NULL
            WHERE username = '$username'";
?>

Let me guess that the lastaccesstime field is hardwired to default to NOW()...

If thta's the case, then the value for $username must be wrong... In fact, from my reading of it $username is never actually set, so your UPDATE statement reads:

UPDATE $tbl_users2 SET lastaccesstime = NULL
WHERE username = '';

In fact, just try

 echo $query

and see what it says...

Take it easy,
Dan

  It appears that you're right. Here's the echo return:

UPDATE SET lastaccesstime = NULL WHERE username = ''

  As far as hardwired, I'm not sure. I created the database using phpMyAdmin wherein I set the column field "timestamp" at NULL and Default at NULL.

  It's strange in as much as this login code works fine when used with correct username and password that allows the visitor to access the site. It may be that the holding of username is only long enough, time-wise, to return the visitor to the index page instead of continuing on to UPDATE his/hers particular database user row? That was my thought and why I'd moved the $query line to various places, all without success. I know that if anything UPDATEs the row, then the timestamp will be newly set, thus the NULL being added to the timestamp field.

  On the other hand, perhaps the username and password are checked only for validity -- dropped and the program moves on to the index.

  The username is a unique field and the primary field is the visitor's ID (userID), which is merely an auto-increment head count. Maybe a row number is required in which is located the username? I tried changing username to userID -- nada!

  I chose to go this timestamp update route per code lifted from p 481, WROX Beginning PHP 4.

  It might be that I need a $_GET somewhere???

I'm baffled :(

Don