site counter, finding out how the user got to site. url history?[php]

[Paul Ferrie]

Hi guys,
Is it possible to determin how a user got to your site.

At present i have links on serveral web projects that i have worked on. If a user clicks on the link it is then saved to my db upon visit to the site.
I would like to be able to find out if they came via a search engine or from a site that does not have my referel id on it. Is this possible with php?

I think it might be possible with using the I.E page history but have no idea how to implement it.

Cheers
Paul

[Xeef]

whit page history it shoudn't work
there was a couple of CRACKS on the road which was abel to determine the last side before yours but this shoud by fixed now (if not most of firewals/poupblocker block it)


$_SERVER (look it up in some PHP help)

'HTTP_REFERER'
The address of the page (if any) which referred the user agent to the current page. This is set by the user agent. Not all user agents will set this, and some provide the ability to modify HTTP_REFERER as a feature. In short, it cannot really be trusted.

[Paul Ferrie]

Pretty screwed with the idea i had then :(

What about the tracking tools that comes with some server hosting?
How do they do it?

[Xeef]

$_SERVER look it up in some PHP help !!!
it hase plenty of functions to know things abouth the user


the history thing is simply not working because i not wana let you know that i just coming from some porn side ec..