Why do I have this bug?

[Manat]

Hello all
I have an online form doing server side validation with PHP.
However, when I select a U.S. State, it says that this state is not in the U.S.

Like, Sorry, Arkansas is not in the U.S., or Vancouver is not in Canada.

Can someone tell me why I have this code problem?
The following is the validation code:

if($HTTP_POST_VARS['Country'] == "United States"){

if(in_array($HTTP_POST_VARS['State'],$state['usa'])){

	$error['color'][5] = FIELD_LABEL;

	$error['value'][5] = $HTTP_POST_VARS['State'];		

}else{

	$error['message'] = $HTTP_POST_VARS['State']." is not in ".$HTTP_POST_VARS['Country']."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Please enter the proper State/Province and Country marked in <font color=\"".ERROR_COLOR."\">BLUE</font> below:";



	$error['color'][5] = ERROR_COLOR;

	$error['value'][5] = $HTTP_POST_VARS['State'];		

}

Someone please help me and let me know why I am having this problem

Thanks
🙂

[jeremuck]

what is $state['usa'] ?

[Manat]

Actually i'm not sure.
I am going over a previous PHP programmer's code.

Do I need that little snippet?
If I take it out, would it work correctly after?

[jeremuck]

if(in_array($HTTP_POST_VARS['State'],$state['usa'
])){
is actually the MOST important snippet.
It is checking if the first argument exists in the second argument.

Read up: [man]in_array[/man] .

You need to find out what $state['usa'] is.

looking at your code, $state['usa'] should be an array with all the statenames in it.

It looks like your code is supposed to have a huge array, where it is indexed (the key names are) by Country Name. Then you access the country name, and it is an array of states.
So, $state['usa'] should point to an array of the states in the usa.
The way I would do it is use what was posted as the Country as the index name. so I could do $states[$HTTP_POST_VARS['country']].

Anyway, it will not work if you take it out because it is the part doing the actual work. It checks the state.
You can literally read it as "if first parameter is in second parameter". In this case: if posted state is in list of states in this country.

[Manat]

Well $state is a form value.

<tr ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP">
<td>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b><FONT color="#<?php echo $error['color'][5];?>">State or Province:</FONT></b><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<select NAME="State">
<?php echo gen_state($error['value'][5]);?>
</select></td>
<td><b><FONT color="#<?php echo $error['color'][6];?>">Country:</FONT></b><br>
<select NAME="Country">
<?php echo gen_country($error['value'][6]);?>
</select></td>
</tr>

And...

function gen_state($user_state)

{
$state['usa'][0] = "Alabama";

$state['usa'][1] = "Arkansas";

$state['usa'][2] = "Arizona";
             ect......... for each state and province

}

$list_state = "";

$list_state .= "<option value=\"\">Choose a State/Province</option>";

$list_state .= "<option value=\"\">United States</option>";

$j = count($state['usa']);

for($i=0;$i<$j;$i++){

	if($user_state == $state['usa'][$i] && $sel != "selected"){

		$sel = " selected";

	}else{

		$sel = "";

	}



	$list_state .= "<option value=\"".$state['usa'][$i]."\" $sel>..".$state['usa'][$i]."</option>";

}



$list_state .= "<option value=\"\">Canada</option>";



$j = count($state['canada']);

for($i=0;$i<$j;$i++){

	if($user_state == $state['canada'][$i] && $sel != "selected"){

		$sel = " selected";

	}else{

		$sel = "";

	}



	$list_state .= "<option value=\"".$state['canada'][$i]."\" $sel>..".$state['canada'][$i]."</option>";

}



return $list_state;

}

unset($country);

function gen_country($user_country)

{

$country[0] = "United States";

$country[1] = "Canada";





$list_country = "<option value=\"\">Choose a Country</option>";



$j = count($country);

for($i=0;$i<$j;$i++){

	if($user_country == $country[$i] && $sel != " selected"){

		$sel = " selected";

	}else{

		$sel = "";

	}



	$list_country .= "<option value=\"".$country[$i]."\" $sel>".$country[$i]."</option>";



}



return $list_country;

}

Would you now be able to tell me what the problem is?
This is mindbogglin.

[jeremuck]

it's hard to tell what you are doing with the code.

for example, why are you passing gen_state() this paramter:

<?php echo gen_state($error['value'][5]);?>

I'm not sure where to start to help you... do you have a book about programming and/or PHP?
Personally, I'm fond of Core PHP, Programming Dynamic Website using PHP... something like that. It's by Leon Atkinson.
On your validation page, to check the state, you need a list of all states in the country you want to check. I don't think you have that.

What is gen_state() returning?

[Manat]

gen_state($user_state) is returning the selected state from the drop down menu.

This script was working fine, but all of a sudden it no longer works, and I have no idea why.

I would appreciate any help anyone can offer

Thank YOu

[jeremuck]

on the page processing the form, you must have a list of the states.
then you check to see if the state from the form isin the list of states in the country.
I don't think gen_state does what you think it does, (although I didn't see all the code) and I don't think you are passing it the right value.
$state on the page that is processing the form is NOT a form value.

Otherwise, I've told you what the problem is:
your in_array statement is checking to see if a the state is in an array that I don't think exists.

Did you do print_r($GLOBALS) on the page processing the form? if so, did you see a list of states in the variable $state['usa'] or anywhere for that matter?