PHP is not reading cookies until i refresh - help

[sic]

I am having the following problem. On a php script I am setting a cookie with javascript and a few lines lower I am trying to recall the value in php. The php is not getting the value unless I refresh the page. Can you please help me find a solution?
My code is as follows...

<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=JavaScript>
hash = parent.location.hash;
ar=hash.substring(1);
document.cookie = name+"video="+ar;
</SCRIPT>

<?php
$ar = $_COOKIE["video"];
echo "ar-->".$ar;
?>

the reason I am doing this is because I dont know some other way to pass a variable from javascript to php (on the same script).
I want to read a variable from the url not using GET or POST but using the hash (#) value.
I am doing this because I want to change the URL from a click on a flash object without refreshing the page.

[Alan]

Simple answer is PHP get's executed first. And no you can't change this.

You have basic 3 solutions:

• Set the cookie with PHP and read it with PHP.
• Set the cookie with JS and read it with JS.
• Set the cookie with PHP and read it with JS.

Note that if setting the cookie using PHP, you cannot output anything before it. Otherwise you will get a "header's already sent" error.

PHP.net - setcookie

Just to add another 2 cents, if you want to delete a cookie, set the cookie to an expiry time that has already occured.