Reading from database

[mike]

I hope this is a basic question with a simple answer.

I intend to allow a user to register my site. They then will be e-mailled their username and password. However I do not want them to be able to access the member's area until a later date.

In phpadmin, I have named one of the tables 'access' with one of the rows called 'entry' with the default value 'N' Later I will manually change the value to 'Y'

I need help and advice on how set up the php code and MySQL query to perform the following tasks.

1. After the user logs on with their username/password. A check is made to see if the default value is 'N' - if it is, 'N', the user is directed to another page telling them they are not allowed access at the present moment.

2. The second case is after the user logs on with their username/password. A check is made to see if the default value is 'Y' - if it is, 'Y', the user is allowed full access to the site.

[sarahk]

roughly, and quickly

$sql = "select entry from access where ....";

//run the query & get $entry from the results

if ($entry == "N")
header("Location ...");
//or
include "reject.htm";
else
header("Location ...");
//or
include "members.php";

[mike]

I have set up a table – ‘access’ with two rows, accessID and ‘entry’. The row –‘entry’ I have defined the type as SET with values of ‘N’,’Y’ and default as N.

MySQL is

SELECT entry
FROM access
WHERE entry LIKE '%N%'

Then the code on my page is

if($access == "N")
	{
require_once("check_results2.php"); // sends to no entry yet page
}
	else {
require_once("check_results.php"); // sends to members page
	}

I have several problems with this code.

1. www.mysql.com gives the syntax for using the SET type as:
   mysql> SELECT * FROM tbl_name WHERE set_col LIKE '%value%';

2. I think I have set the MySQL up correctly. But reading the value ‘N’ or ‘Y’ is not working. I have used $access to read the values but after experimenting with a different names such as $blob, I realise that the values – ‘N’ or ‘Y’ are not being read.

3. Changing the default value in phpmyadmin from ‘N’ to ‘Y’ also has no effect. The way the code is set up I will always be taken to the ‘members page’ (check_results.php page) in the above example.

4. I realise that I am doing something wrong with the code as opposed to the MySQL syntax. Since I have only been using PHP/ MySQL for a month I am at a loss where I am going wrong.