Multipage Form Creation

[d-woo]

I'm experimenting on my server with a form that takes in the following information:

page 1: Name and address

page 2: E-Mail and Phone and Fax Number

page 3: Preferred Username and Password

What is the best method to do this?

I have attempted to do this with sessions, but don't know how to get the input information from the current page to the next page without submitting the form via the form button. That really wouldn't be using the power of sessions. Can I capture this input information and send to the next page with a link?

or

Is the best method to not use sessions but rather a form method = post using hidden values on pages 2 and 3?

or

is there something even more appropriate?

I don't want to use cookies.

[eriksmoen]

.
use hidden fields.

page 1:
<form method=post action=page2.php>
<input type=text name=name>
<input type=text name=address>
<input type=submit>
</form>

page 2:
<?
$name = $_POST['name'];
$address = $POST['address'];
?>
<form method="post" action="page3.php">
<input type="text" name="email">
<input type="text" name="phone">
<input type="text" name="fax">
<input type="hidden" name="name" value="<?echo $name;?>">
<input type="hidden" name="address" value="<?echo $address?>">
</form>

etc...

hope that helps you out.

[d-woo]

That helped me greatly.

Thanks!

If I have any issues with the back button (going from page 3 to page 2, etc) I'll post here.

[eriksmoen]

.
sessions are easiest done with cookies. the other option would be to create a temp file (eg "$username$password.dat") and store that information, appending it from each page... but that requires a lot more work and is less efficient.

the less work your server has to do, the better.

most of the fields should be stored temporarily on the users machine (except for password fields), so using a back function should work fine. If you were going to have a back button (instead of using "javascript:history.go(-1)"), you might want to consider having something like:

if(isset($POST["password"])){
$password = $POST["password"];
}
if(isset($POST["email"])){
$email = $POST["email"];
}
etc...

on ALL of the pages, having the BACK button just take the user to the previous page, carrying the values with it.

whatever you find to be the most efficient, though, is the way you should go. Just giving you extra options 😉 .

[d-woo]

Thanks eriksmoen!

Question:

According to PHP.net

HTTP POST variables: $_POST
Note: Introduced in 4.1.0. In earlier versions, use $HTTP_POST_VARS.

An associative array of variables passed to the current script via the HTTP POST method. Automatically global in any scope.

This is a 'superglobal', or automatic global, variable. This simply means that it is available in all scopes throughout a script. You don't need to do a global $_POST; to access it within functions or methods, as you do with $HTTP_POST_VARS.

so then, since we are posting the variables $name and $address to page2.php via the form post method why do we need

<?
$name = $_POST['name'];
$address = $POST['address'];
?>

?

[eriksmoen]

.
for me, it makes it less confusing... sometimes i forget that i set that variable on a previous page... this just reminds me.:rolleyes:

[d-woo]

Okay....great....makes sense!

Now, everything is working fine, except for when filling out this form, what if the user uses the browser back key?

(would you disable that and force the use of the code you gave above concerning back)?

most of the fields should be stored temporarily on the users machine (except for password fields), so using a back function should work fine. If you were going to have a back button (instead of using "java script:history.go(-1)"), you might want to consider having something like:

if(isset($POST["password"])){
$password = $POST["password"];
}
if(isset($POST["email"])){
$email = $POST["email"];
}
etc...

I'm thinking of verifying the information one page at a time so that there is no need to go back (...but you know, inevitably, there will be 🙂 )

[eriksmoen]

.
heh... i don't think that you can disable the back button (correct me if i'm wrong). i SUPPOSE that one thing you could do, but it would annoy the hell out of your viewers, would be to use javascript to popup a new window on submit, then close the one it came from... that would prevent it.

i dont think javascript offers a back feature that passes new data back.

the only thing would be to create an extra button and let the user know that they need to use this button instead of the browser back button.

thoughts from an atom-sized brain

[BDKR]

Originally posted by d-woo
...

page 1: Name and address

page 2: E-Mail and Phone and Fax Number

page 3: Preferred Username and Password

What is the best method to do this?

...

The cookies and sessions stuff aside, why do you need multiple pages? When you say 'page 1', 'page 2', and so on, do you mean page 1 submits to page 2 and it, in turn to page 3?

If that's the case, you may want to consider using just one script for this. Have form submit back to itself and use a switch to decide what action to take.

Cheers,
BDKR

[d-woo]

BDKR...

I have an ecommerce package which takes in all of the information on one page for user registration.

It is quite intimidating to people who aren't web savvy...they end up calling the 1-800 number.

I believe that if the registration process is spread over 3 pages then the newbies would be more likely to register and shop on-line.

Ideally after page 3 there would be a page which asks "Is this information correct". When it is not, they would need to go back and correct what was incorrect and that which was a required field.

Do you feel that the script approach that you alluded to is best?

Thanks!

[eriksmoen]

.
what he means is that if you have 1 page, you can use it to process different commands... for example

<a href="register.php?page=1">Register Now</a>

register.php:

<?
  if($_POST["page"] == 1){
     // "page 1" form here.
  }
  if($_POST["page"] == 2){
     // "page 2" form here.
  }
  if($_POST["page"] == 3){
     // "page 3" form here.
  }
?>

does that explain it better?

[d-woo]

Ahhhhh......the light is now on!

Yep...that's the way to go!

I can do everything in one file...then submit to the database, etc.

Yep yep

Thanks a bunch guys! 🆒

[d-woo]

I had to use $GET on the first page (as opposed to $POST) for obvious reasons...just wanted to convey this for someone reading who may be new to PHP, like myself.

<?
  if($_GET["page"] == 1){
     // "page 1" form here.
  }
  if($_POST["page"] == 2){
     // "page 2" form here.
  }
  if($_POST["page"] == 3){
     // "page 3" form here.
  }
?>