still losing session userdata across a redirect

Try a more "sane" folder to store the session files.

PHP Code:

$config['sess_save_path'] = APPATH.'cache'; 


I don't think your cookies are working correctly.

You give up on using my session testing class?

Yeah. I'm going to try that again. I am a little frustrated by the way xdebug is working (or not). I suspect that sometimes it is not running at all and while I am waiting for breakpoints to "hit" it just executes but never stops. I now suspect that perhaps these little changes I am making might have caused xdebug not to run. Do you know of any way to determine that xdebug is executing? 

APPATH is not defined. Where should that be defined and what to? 

proof that an old dog can learn new tricks