# How can I load a session from the cookie store manually?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-can-i-load-a-session-from-the-cookie-store-manually/161768>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [March 2, 2009, 9:13am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-can-i-load-a-session-from-the-cookie-store-manually/161768 "2009-03-02T09:13:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ehudros](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/3ec8ea/32.png) [@ehudros](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ehudros)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2009, 9:13am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-can-i-load-a-session-from-the-cookie-store-manually/161768/1 "2009-03-02T09:13:12Z")

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Hi all,  
I’m trying to achieve something a bit unusual - I want to use a  
session\_id I have to retrieve the session object from the CookieStore.  
Obviously, Rails does it somehow but I couldn’t figure out how. Can  
anyone shed some light?

Thanks 😉

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**Author:** ![ehudros](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/3ec8ea/32.png) [@ehudros](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ehudros)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2009, 9:47am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-can-i-load-a-session-from-the-cookie-store-manually/161768/2 "2009-03-02T09:47:24Z")

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Ehud R. wrote:

> Hi all,  
> I’m trying to achieve something a bit unusual - I want to use a  
> session\_id I have to retrieve the session object from the CookieStore.  
> Obviously, Rails does it somehow but I couldn’t figure out how. Can  
> anyone shed some light?
> 
> Thanks 😉

Just mention

session[:column\_name]

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ehudros](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/3ec8ea/32.png) [@ehudros](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ehudros)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2009, 9:48am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-can-i-load-a-session-from-the-cookie-store-manually/161768/3 "2009-03-02T09:48:50Z")

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Priya B. wrote:

> Ehud R. wrote:
> 
> > Hi all,  
> > I’m trying to achieve something a bit unusual - I want to use a  
> > session\_id I have to retrieve the session object from the CookieStore.  
> > Obviously, Rails does it somehow but I couldn’t figure out how. Can  
> > anyone shed some light?
> > 
> > Thanks 😉
> 
> Just mention
> 
> session[:column\_name]

Thanks, but that’s not what I mean… I want to use a session key i have  
to retrieve the session object (the one you mentioned) manually from the  
CookieStore.

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**Author:** ![ehudros](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/3ec8ea/32.png) [@ehudros](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ehudros)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-can-i-load-a-session-from-the-cookie-store-manually/161768/4 "2009-03-02T14:59:07Z")

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This should help you do that  
[http://dev.rubyonrails.org/browser/trunk/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/session/cookie\_store.rb](http://dev.rubyonrails.org/browser/trunk/actionpack/lib/action_controller/session/cookie_store.rb)

Basically cookie consists of two parts. First is session data base 64  
encoded and then url encoded, second is SHA1 hash of session data and  
secret server side password.

On Mar 2, 10:48 am, Ehud R. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)