[BobMallett]

Can anyone help me with this:

I'm returning

Notice: Trying to get property of non-object in....
Notice: Trying to get property of non-object in....
Notice: Trying to get property of non-object in....

Number of rows: 1

So the result set is not NULL

$result = $connection->query("SELECT * FROM $table_name WHERE username = '$user' and password = password('$pass')");

$rows = mysqli_num_rows($result); 

if ($rows) {     
    
    while ($row = mysqli_fetch_array($result)) 
                {         

$_SESSION['first_name']        = $row -> firstname;
$_SESSION['last_name']     = $row -> lastname; 
$_SESSION['user_name']     = $row -> username; 

                } 
            } 

echo "Number of rows: $result->num_rows"; 

What does the notice mean and why am I getting it?

Tks

[gw1500se]

$row is not an object in this context, it is an associative array and numeric array.

$_SESSION['first_name']=$row['firstname']; 

or

$_SESSION['first_name']=$row[0]; 

You can also specify only one or the other with a 2nd parameter to the fetch method (MYSQLI_NUM for numeric or MYSQLI_ASSOC for associative).

[BobMallett]

Yes I just twigged it's an array - thanks very much for the reply. I like the binary thing.

[requinix]

Please don't lock your threads once you get an answer. People may have something more to add.