How to prevent DB INSERT on pageload

[eiler]

I need to know how I can prevent my form-page to insert empty data into my database everytime the page loads.
This is how I setup my simple php-script right before the html-form appears:

$db = mysql_connect("serv","db","psw");
mysql_select_db("db", $db);
mysql_query("INSERT INTO kalender(titel, sted, day, month, year, beskrivelse, 
person, kontakt, order_date) 
values '$titel', '$sted', '$day', '$month', '$year', '$beskrivelse', 
'$person', '$kontakt', '$order_date')");
mail("[e-mail]","kalender","$titel, $sted, $day, $month, 
$year, $person, $kontakt, $order_date");

The page works smooth and inserts the needed data when someone fills out the form and hits the submit-button.
But the problem is that my script also inserts an empty set of data, just when the page is viewed!! 🙁

Very simple, but not working good enough...

U can take a look at the form at www.kor72u.dk/kalender_add.php - but I have disabled the INSERT to prevent fudge...

Need help - thx

[rontgoff]

This is pretty simple. but a very good question.
Change your submit button to

<input type="submit" name="enter" value="Enter" border="0">

notice name=enter

Then at the begining of your php code place

if($enter){
(your php code)
}

This will not let people who just view the page add an entry

[cgraz]

You could also process the form with a seperate file and run error checking on your form.

<form method="post" action="seperate_file.php">

seperate_file.php's only purpose would be to check that all the required fields were filled out and insert into database.

Also, are you missing a ( after VALUES? should be

mysql_query("INSERT INTO kalender(titel, sted, day, month, year, beskrivelse, person, kontakt, order_date) VALUES 
('$titel', '$sted', '$day', '$month', '$year', '$beskrivelse', '$person', '$kontakt', '$order_date')");

Cgraz

[rontgoff]

Good point. Plus using the seperate page you could add

header("location:form.php");

This would put the user on the form page and eliminate refreash entries.

[carrot]

🙂 Try the following two suggestion:

1. Use Javascript to prevent the form element has empty input value before submitting the form.

2. Check the received values in PHP one by one before inserting into the database.

[eiler]

Thanks a lot guys!
I used the simple method (if - then) and had nice result at once.

So far I dont need to check the values entered in the form, but if I do Ill try to remember the good suggestion from Cgraz.

Thx

Maybe U can also tell me how to transform the entered date-values $day, $month, $year into the needed $order_date, which I use to output the data into a calendar in ascending order.
Right now I just ask the submitter to enter the actuale date twize - once as european date (day, month, year) and second as MySQL date yyyy-mm-dd.

[cgraz]

So you want to format the date they enter into a different format? What do the two formats look like? The one they enter and the format you want it to be in? Then, will you be inputting into the database or pulling out of the database?

You could use mysql's DATE_FORMAT() to do this. It's towards the middle of that page, just scroll down or search the page for date_format.

Cgraz