URL variables not auto-creating?

Anon

I must be missing something REALLY obvious, but I just can't see what it is.

My understanding of PHP, and reading the documentation, is that URL and form variables are automagically created, so that if I have http://host/page.php&Fred=12 as a URL, my "page.php" script will have access to a variable called "$Fred" which should have the value "12" ?

I've installed Apache 1.3.12 and PHP 4.0.1 out of the box and it doesn't seem to work. If I have a page with the code

<?php echo "Fred is set to $Fred"; ?>

I get nothing. I've also tried just echo $Fred on its own and am still having no joy. Doing phpinfo() shows that track_vars is enabled, and interestingly gives some info further down the page listing HTTP_GET_VARS["Fred"] as being set to "12".

Do I have to use HTTP_GET_VARS each time, like using param('Fred') under Perl or is my understanding that there should just be a variable called "$Fred" correct?

Thanks in advance
Jurgen

Anon

A quick look in php.ini has something in it about "register_globals = off" which means you have to use HTTP_GET_VARS["fieldname"] every time. This is the cause of my problem?

What is everyone's opinion on this? It would break a lot of things developed in PHP3 if you installed PHP4 like that out of the box. Is there any harm in setting it back to on?

If I am starting programming in PHP4 from scratch, should I go with the new way of doing things then?

Thanks again in advance
Jurgen

Anon

http://host/page.php&Fred=12

That's wrong anyway. It should be:

http://host/page.php?Fred=12

I reckon that's your problem.

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Anon

That's wrong anyway. It should be:
http://host/page.php?Fred=12

Sorry, typo on my part.. I AM using ?, then a few other fields separated with &.