Setting a cookie when a user leaves the site

[RakeAway]

Hi, I want to set a cookie when a user leaves my site. Why? Well:
-My site makes use incentivized marketing, so clearing cookies is recommended
-Clearing cookies also clears my cookie, which I use to track my visitors to my affiliates
-If I could set the cookie again when the user leaves, all is well.

Note: My other topic got turned into a 'discussion' about the ethics of clearing cookies. If you have any comment about that, please post it in the other thread, and I will address it there (don't be discouraged by the way I have responded to another poster in that thread - he simply didn't listen to what people posted and stuck stubbornly by his logically flawed opinion that I was cheating affiliates and cardrooms - I can't stand that)

[bahh]

You can set cookies with PHP..

Here is the syntax:
setcookie(name, value, expire, path, domain);

[GregK]

I'm creating an onClick solution, so it would trump yours in any scenario.

onExit is flawed from the getgo IMO & ripe for abuse.

[RakeAway]

Originally Posted by GregK

I'm creating an onClick solution, so it would trump yours in any scenario.

onExit is flawed from the getgo IMO & ripe for abuse.

Please explain

Also @bahh, thanks for the help, but I was looking for a way to set on exit (or click, but only if cookies are also cleared by that click). i know how to set cookies regularly

[bahh]

Thinks it's hard to find a way to clear a cookie that has been set by another site. Or it's hard to do it without him knowing it.

[RakeAway]

Clearing cookies is done manually by the visitor. But that clears my own affiliate's cookie (for my domain, I don't mean my cookie for the poker site). So I want to set the cookie again when the user exits to make sure he is tracked properly to my affiliate, purely for the purpose of being able to pay him/her what he/she deserves.

[xpertadvice4u]

Originally Posted by RakeAway

Clearing cookies is done manually by the visitor. But that clears my own affiliate's cookie (for my domain, I don't mean my cookie for the poker site). So I want to set the cookie again when the user exits to make sure he is tracked properly to my affiliate, purely for the purpose of being able to pay him/her what he/she deserves.

If you:

A) ask the visitor to clear cookies
B) ask the visitor to visit poker site or sign up using your link
C) the visitor follows your links to the poker room

then the visitor will get new cookies tracked to you automatically.

So, why do you need to do anything at all when the user exits?
You are the new "cookie man" and they will be tracked to you.

What am I missing here?

[RakeAway]

Ok, 3rd time, rephrase:
I have my own affiliates, and I use cookies to track my visitors to them. I don't have a sign-up process in place, as that is unnecessary. The cookies that my site sets for my affiliates work by showing different tracking links if the cookie is set and shows their affiliate id for my site.
Example: I have an affiliate 'someguy'
He gives the link: http://www.rakeaway.com/?ref=someguy to his players. This sets a cookie with the contents: someguy. Every page that a player visits, if the cookie is set, then $ref is set to the value of the cookie (someguy). If the cookie is not set, then the cookie is set to $ref (someguy). This means:
-If a player then visits rakeaway.com directly, someguy's links are shown
-If a player visits rakeaway.com via a different affiliate, someguy's links are shown (I may change this)
-If a player visits rakeaway.com and doesn't have a cookie set, no cookie is set and the player sees my own links.

The problem is, players are instructed/asked to clear cookies in order to sign up. They will use the correct affiliate's link this time, but if they leave the page, then return to rakeaway without ref=someguy, they will see my links, even though they should (imo) see someguy's links. He deserves to get paid.
If I can set the cookie to $ref when a player leaves, then the cookie is set to someguy again, and will still be set to someguy when he returns. Therefore, tracking is always done correctly.

Note: Players clear cookies while on my site, not before, not after. In this case, my idea should work perfectly.


So, just for clarification, this cookie is used for me to pay my affiliates, not for affiliates or cardrooms to pay me.

EDIT: An alternative system that is easier for the user would be have a link to a script that clears cookies. Since it's my script, I can add at the end that a cookie should be set, with value $ref (someguy). Therefore, all cookies are cleared, but my own tracking system stays intact. I believe that this is not possible without having to request permission (like an activex control). I don't want to have to do that.