Email User Forgotten Password

[Ham]

Hello everyone and thanks for helping me with my first post!

I am working on a new site and am new to PHP myself. I have already created a user registration and login / logout area. I want to now have a place where users can request to have their forgotten password emailed to them.

Ideally, the HTML form would tell the PHP script to use the entered username ( $username ) to log into the MySQL table 'users' and find the corresponding Email Address ( $email ) and Password ( $password). It would then use that email address so send the user their password.

I THOUGHT that I had the code correct to do this but all that happens is that the web page refreshes... and that is it. No password is mailed :-(

This is the snippet of code that I am using. Can ANYONE take a few minutes and fix it or tell me what is wrong or something?!

<?php

if(isset($_POST['remind_me'])) { // if form has been submitted
		$sql = "SELECT password,email FROM users WHERE username='$username'";
		$query = mysql_query($sql);
		if ($result = mysql_fetch_array($query)) {
		 	$thisPassword = $result[password];
		    	$thisEmail = $result[email];
		    	$message = "Your password is $thisPassword";
    			mail("$thisEmail", "Information you requested.", "$message", "From: [email][e-mail][/email]\n");
		}
	} else {
?>

    <form action="<?=$HTTP_SERVER_VARS['PHP_SELF']?>" method="post">
                  <table width="590" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 
      <tr>
                      <td><img src="images/spacer.gif" width="250" height="15"></td>
                    </tr>
      <tr>
                      <td>Complete this form and your password will be sent to the Email address you used when you signed up.</td>
                    </tr>
      <tr>
                      <td><img src="images/spacer.gif" width="250" height="15"></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td>Username:</td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td> 
                        <input type="text" name="username" maxlength="20" size="30">
                      </td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td><img src="images/spacer.gif" width="250" height="10"></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td> 
          <input type="hidden" name="remind_me" value="1">
                        <input type="image" value="Submit" border="0" src="images/button_remind.gif" width="93" height="24">
                      </td>
                    </tr>
                  </table>
                  <br>
                  </form>

<?php
}

?>

Thanks everyone!
- Ham

[suntra]

Well... in your code, does the script connects itself to the database ??

[Ham]

Yes, I have an include in my header file.

<?php require('connect_database.php');	// database connect script. ?>

I don't know if it matters but I also have my PHP Login in form in the same header which loads on the same page as the forgot password script. I wouldn't think it matter though.

[suntra]

You should try something like this (if you didn't) :

// ...
if(isset($_POST['remind_me'])) { // if form has been submitted
		$sql = "SELECT password,email FROM users WHERE username='$username'";
		$query = mysql_query($sql);
		if ($result = mysql_fetch_array($query)) {
// This is what is new :
echo "Well, if you see this, it's cool... !<BR />";
// End of what is new...
		 	$thisPassword = $result[password];
		    	$thisEmail = $result;
		    	$message = "Your password is $thisPassword";
    			mail("$thisEmail", "Information you requested.", "$message", "From: [email][e-mail]\n");
		}
	} else {
// ...

If you run you script and you seen "Well, if you see this, it's cool... !", it means the user and his password were found, but there is a bug with mailing...

[Ham]

Nope, didn't see the "if you see this..." and this time the web page refreshed but the form box was gone.

Any other ideas? If the password is encrypted in the Database would it matter? Even if it couldn't unencrypt it it should have still read that echo message, no?

[nexgen_x]

Have you tested it to see whether it does actually send the password out to the email address of the user? If it does, then thats a start...

[Ham]

Yes, I have tried several time using my username. All the form does is refresh the page and I never recieve an email.

I have spent several days on just this one thing and am getting behind in the rest of the project ::: runs away crying ::: 🙁

[Ham]

Just adding an update in hopes that someone will help me get this working, BUT...

If don't enter any data into the username field of the form (the only one), the page does exactly what it does when I DO enter a username... nothing! (but refreshes).