IP & Date Checking with MySql Database

Anon

Hello all.

I have the problem of not knowing the terminology of php enough to find the answer on my own so I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction.

What I have is a mysql database which is being loaded with data from a form on my website using php.

The fields are id, email, ip and date. What I need to do is insure that a person only enter their email address (and only one email address per person) once per day maximum.

The way I figure this should be done is by comparing the email address and ip address to the date when they fill in the form. So if the ip address or email has already been entered into the database on that given day, a message saying that they need to return the following day is returned.

Any help would really be appreciated.

Thanks

saltwater

<?
$today=mktime(0,0,0,date("n"),date("j"),date("Y")); //unix timestamp at 00:00:00 today
$tomorrow=$today+86400; //86400 seconds in one day
$now=mktime();
$querydone=mysql_query("SELECT <somefield> FROM <table> WHERE time>'$today' AND time<'$tomorrow' AND ip='$REMOTE_ADDR'");
if (mysql_num_rows($querydone)>0) {
$querydone=mysql_query("INSERT INTO <table> time='$now',ip='$REMOTE_ADDR',.."); //tell the database the user has posted
//the user has posted already today
}
else {
//the user hasn't posted anything today
}
$querydone=mysql_query("DELETE FROM <table> WHERE time<'$today'"); //delete all results from previous days
?>

Hope this helps..
Bruno

saltwater

$querydone=mysql_query("INSERT INTO <table> time='$now',ip='$REMOTE_ADDR',.."); //tell ..

should be

$querydone=mysql_query("INSERT INTO <table> SET time='$now',ip='$REMOTE_ADDR',.."); //te..

I was to fast :o)

saltwater

you should also keep in mind that IP's from some ISP's can change during the day..

Anon

Thanks Bruno for such a detailed answer.

The changing IP addresses is something I had thought about and maybe I should be using cookies as well. I did find some documentation on how to do that and I will try my hand at it and try to incorporate what you have provided as well.

I am still new to programming so this will take me a while to figure out.

Thanks again.

Bob