How can I ensure that HEAP tables are dropped after logout?

[robelius]

My web site uses Mysql and PHP3. I'm using HEAP tables for rapid access. A HEAP table is created for each user as they log in, and then dropped when they log out. The problem is that some users will leave the site without logging out, and I need to drop those orphaned tables so they don't choke my RAM.

The ideal solution would be if there was some way to ascertain if the person has left the site and then trigger table removal, but I'm not familiar with such a "detector."

Another idea I had is to make the HEAP tables Temporary Tables, hoping that they stay alive until the user leaves the site. But I can't find any good documentation on the behavior of Temporary tables. Specifically, I need to know whether a PHP persistent connection [mysql_pconnect()] will maintain the tables alive as the user travels from page to page and script to script, and then will die when the person logs out. Or does anyone have a better idea for handling this problem?

I know I could also periodically run a script that would remove tables created for members who are no longer logged in, but I'd like another solution if I can find one. Any suggestions?

 

[vcherubini]

Well, you can use the JavaScript function window.close().

Test to see if they close their window, if so, route them off to a page quickly, using window.location(), which deletes the HEAP table, and then let the browser close.

Thats how I would do it.

Have you considered using cookies or session management for logging in and out? It takes up a lot less RAM.

Hope this helps.
-Vic vic cherubini
krs-one@cnunited.com

http://www.cnunited.com

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Knows: Perl, HTML, JavScript, C/C++, PHP, Flash
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