more elegant code

[Anon]

Can anyone please help me with a better way to deal with this?

The following code will always hit the else statement the first time the script is called (because the form must be initially blank).

There are ways around it that I can think of but they're a bit scruffy.

if ($name !="") {
header ('Location: valid.php');
exit;

} else {
echo("You must provide a name");
}

I'd rather only show the "You must provide a name" error after they've pressed submit.

TIA

Jen

[van__]

if (is_array($_POST) && isset($name)){
header ('Location: valid.php');
exit;
} else {
echo("You must provide a name");
}

[Anon]

if(isset($name_of_submit_button)){
if(isset($name)){
header('Location:valid.php');
exit;
}else{
echo 'You must provide a name';
}
}

[Anon]

Thanks Van but this just does the same thing

[dannys]

<?php

// Fix for PHP Versions < 4.1.0
// You can remove this if the server is running PHP 4.1.0+

if (!isset($SERVER))
{
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$SERVER=$HTTP_SERVER_VARS;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$_SERVER=$HTTP_POST_VARS;
}

// If the RequestMethod is POST, then the form has been submitted
if ($SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD']=='POST')
{
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;// Validate form, make sure the name is set and not empty
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;if ((isset($POST['name']) && (!empty($_POST['name']))
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;{
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;// If all is well, jump to the new page
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;header ('Location: valid.php');
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;exit();
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;}
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;else
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;{
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;// If all is not well print an error message;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;echo "You must provide a name";
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;}
}

// Display the form here - make sure the form's method is POST.

?>

[Anon]

Thanks - think it was something to do with $HTTP_POST_VARS as I'm using 4.0.6 version of PHP.

Not really used the this before anyway but the manual says something about $_POST being global and $HTTP_POST_VARS not being.

Jen

[dannys]

Small fix:

$_SERVER=$HTTP_POST_VARS;

should be:

$_POST=$HTTP_POST_VARS;

[Anon]

$_POST is a quite recent addition to PHP (4.1)

[Anon]

Thanks Kybosh, Grumbler and Van - you really came up with some good ideas there 🙂

[Anon]

Grumbler, can you actually use isset like this in a form?

if(isset($name)){

I switched to if($name !="") because isset seemed to treat it as if the field was filled in - maybe a blank field counts as being 'set'?