If you are already setting the username in a cookie
e.g.
[PHP]setcookie("your_cookie", $username, time()+99999999, "/", ".domain.name.com", 0);[/PHP]

Then you can just check it's set:
[PHP]$_COOKIE['your_cookie'][/PHP]

on top of that you can check the username variable, along with passwords, and compare them to the contents of a database for example.

Wouldnt you be able to simply use a include function or some sort, or can you not. I know phpBB does it.

A little example: (try it in http://fpepito.dyndns.org/test.php )

I hope that help you,

pepito

-----------------

<?

$myname = $PHP_SELF;
session_register ("session");

if (isset ($session[lang])) {
// if user choice another language, update the session[lang]
if (isset ($lg)) { $session[lang] = $lg;}

echo "Session existe, you have enter: $session[count] times
";
echo "Your actual language is: $session[lang]
";

setlocale ("LC_TIME", $session[lang]);
echo strftime ("%c")."
";

// You need locale file corresponding with the next language
echo "Utiliser le français
";
echo "Use english langage
";
echo "Utilizar o portugues
";
// update counter
$session[count] = $session[count] + 1;
} else {
echo "It's the first time that you coming. We will create session:
";
$session[lang] = $HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE;
$session[count] = 1;
echo "reload";
}

?>