Special Characters in Form Submission

[Kilo]

Hello all, sorry if this has been discussed before, feel free to point me in the right direction if it has. 🙂

I've installed a few phps on linux before, but I've hit an odd problem with one. I've got two boxes of similar spec, both running the same redhat (not sure what, but definitely 7.something), and both running apache_1.3.27 and php-4.2.3. The httpd.conf and php.ini s are to all intents and purposes identical.

If I submit a form with a text input in it, and the string entered into the text input is '41+4', the received string is '41 4' (note the '+' is replaced with a space, even in the source). If the form is sent with the get method, you can see '41%2B4' in the URL. Why is this being converted back to a space for heaven's sake?

Also, if submitting a multiple select drop list, other strange things occur. Basically, consider three options in the list, with values 'apple', 'orange', '234'. If you select them all, the returned values are 'e', 'ge' and '234'. So it cuts the first 4 characters off the STRINGS but not the NUMBERS. How the hell does it know, aren't all form submissions strings to PHP? Again, using the GET method you can see that the [] of the select name have been correctly converted to htmlentities, but they're just not coming back right.

ANY help would be much appreciated, before I lose my temper and set fire to this bloody server.

[Kilo]

No ideas at all?!😕

[lurius]

First:
"If the form is sent with the get method, you can see '41%2B4' in the URL. Why is this being converted back to a space for heaven's sake?"

What's the problem here?

Second:
Are you sure you have something like:
<select multiple name="some_name[]">

If you have, on the next page there should be $_POST['some_name']-array...

-Lurius

[Kilo]

"If the form is sent with the get method, you can see '41%2B4' in the URL. Why is this being converted back to a space for heaven's sake?"

What's the problem here?

Um, %2B is a plus sign, but it's coming out as a space. Is this normal?

Are you sure you have something like:
<select multiple name="some_name[]">

If you have, on the next page there should be $_POST['some_name']-array...

Yep, that's what happens. It comes back as an array, but the first four characters of the values stored in it are missing, but only if the value is a string. If its a number, it comes back fine. So:

pear -> <blank>
orange -> ge
3 -> 3

[lurius]

"Um, %2B is a plus sign, but it's coming out as a space. Is this normal?"

Yes, think of it as urldecoding url...
%2B in url becomes a +
+ in url becomes a space...

Check that there are no other form controls, inputs, whatever on your form using same name...

You could paste a small section of code (at least select-part of the form, and the section where you are trying to use it)...

-Lurius

[Kilo]

test script:

<font face="verdana">
<?
$iSize = sizeof($select);
echo $text. '<br><br>';

for($i=0;$i<$iSize;$i++) 
{
	echo "length = " . strlen($select[$i]) . '<br>';
	echo $i . ' = ' . $select[$i] . '<br>';
}

?>
</font>

<br><hr><br><br>
<FORM ACTION="a.php" METHOD="get">
<br><br>
<input type="text" name="text" value="<? echo $text; ?>"><br>
<select name="select[]" MULTIPLE size="7">
<option value="apple">apple
<option value="banana">banana
<option value="orange">orange
<option value="pear">pear
<option value="1">1
<option value="2">2
<option value="3">3

</SELECT>
<BR><BR>
<INPUT TYPE="submit" value="go">
</FORM>

---

selecting all of them results in:

length = 1
0 = e
length = 2
1 = na
length = 2
2 = ge
length = 0
3 =
length = 1
4 = 1
length = 1
5 = 2
length = 1
6 = 3

[lurius]

I copied the whole thing and it worked here fine...

-Lurius

[barand]

Can confirm

if (isset($select)) foreach($select as $k=>$v) {echo "$k = $v<br>";}

gives me :-

0 = apple
1 = banana
2 = orange
3 = pear
4 = 1
5 = 2
6 = 3

[Kilo]

Mmm, that's the point! I've got two boxes, works fine on one, and not on the other. I just can't see any configuartion differences. 😕

[Kilo]

Having reinstalled php-4.2.3 without any change, I ditched php 4.2.3 and put on 4.2.2 and its fixed. Incredible.

Thanks for your efforts.