insert data from a form

irish_student

hey guys.
i'm new to php and have a problem inserting data into a mysql table from a form. its connecting ok and comes up data inserted successfully and a new row gets created but the data is blank. any help would be appreciated. thanx. my code is below

HTML
<form name="registration" action="insert.php" method="post"> <div align="center">
<table width="75%" border="0"><tr><td height="47"><b><font size="4">Name:</font></b></td>
<td><input type="text" name="name"></td><tr>
<td height="47"><b><font size="4">Email:</font></b></td><td>
<input type="text" name="email">
</td></tr></table>
<input type="submit" value="Submit to insert.php">
</div></form>

PHP
<?PHP
$connection=mysql_connect("localhost","pp","mm") or die('Could not connect to the database server');
$db = mysql_select_db("test", $connection) or die ("Unable to select database.");
$sql = "INSERT INTO registration (Name,Email)
VALUES ('$name','$email')";
$sql_result = mysql_query($sql,$connection) or die ('Could not insert data');
echo('Data inserted successfully');
mysql_close($connection);
?>

trooper

Sounds like you have your register_globals set to off

change it to use $POST['name'] and $POST['email']

HTH

irish_student

Do you mean like put

$name=$POST['name'];
$email=$POST['email'];

after the <?php at the start?
I've just tried this and its still inserting blanks

trooper

In the php file put the lines that you have just posted after the <?php tag

that will then assign the values help in the $_POST array to the ones you already have so

<?php

$name = $_POST['name']
$email = $_POST['email']

Then just run use your existing sql query

$sql_result = mysql_query($sql,$connection) or die ('Could not insert data');

Incidentally change the message in the die function to dir(mysql_error());

that way you'll get a more informative error message

HTH

irish_student

I tried that but its still inserting blanks. its says data inserted successfully and is not reporting any errors

<?PHP

$name=$POST['name'];
$email=$POST['email'];

$connection=mysql_connect("localhost","pp","mm") or die('Could not connect to the database server');
$db = mysql_select_db("test", $connection) or die ("Unable to select database.");
$sql = "INSERT INTO registration (Name,Email)
VALUES ('$name','$email')";
$sql_result = mysql_query($sql, $connection) or die (mysql_error());
echo('Data inserted successfully');
mysql_close($connection);
?>

trooper

print out your $sql variable and see what that gives you - sounds like the values for $name and $email are empty.

HTH

irish_student

how do you do that. I'm new to php so haven't a clue. thanx in advance

trooper

Ooops sorry about not giving you the syntax

do the following

$sql = "INSERT INTO registration (Name,Email) 
VALUES ('$name','$email')"; 
print $sql;

#$sql_result = mysql_query($sql, $connection) or die (mysql_error());

the # infront of $sql result will prevent it from running

irish_student

yeah its coming up Query was empty

and if I don't include the comma mark it comes up
INSERT INTO registration (name, Email) VALUES ('','')

so the values are empty. Do you know anything i can do with this
thanx in adcance again

trooper

OK now you need to find out if the variables "user" and "email" actually have anything in them when the page is loaded

put the following code after the <?php

print_r($_POST);

if that doesn't give you anything then put

print_r($HTTP_POST_VARS);

You should see that you get a lot of information at the top of the insert.php page. Look for user and email in that and see if it contains anything.

HTH

irish_student

Array ( [name] => paula [email] => paulam ) INSERT INTO registration (Name, Email) VALUES ('','') Data inserted successfully

where paula and paulam are the values i inserted. this means its taking in the variables, doesn't it? how can i make it do something with them

trooper

which of the two did you use?

print_r($_POST);

or 
print_r($HTTP_POST_VARS);

Cause if you used the 2nd one then youy'd need to change

$user = $HTTP_POST_VARS['name']

and the same pronciple for the email

HTH

irish_student

Now its coming up

Array ( [name] => paula [email] => paulam ) INSERT INTO registration (Name,Email) VALUES ('paula','paulam')Data inserted successfully

but nothing at all is going into the table now, not even d blanks?

trooper

I repeat my question .. which one did you use $HTTP_POST_VARS or $_POST

Remove the # from the line $sql_result

irish_student

Sorry about that. i used $HTTP_POST_VARS
the # is gone also
the code I have is

<?PHP

print_r($HTTP_POST_VARS);

$name = $HTTP_POST_VARS['name'];
$email = $HTTP_POST_VARS['email'];

#$sql_result = mysql_query($sql, $connection) or die (mysql_error());
echo('Data inserted successfully');
mysql_close($connection);
?>

cgraz

$sql = "INSERT INTO registration (Name,Email) 
VALUES ('$name','$email')";

In the first set of Parenthesis, you have Name and Email capitalized. In the second set, you don't. This brings me to two questions:

a. In your database, are the fields Name and Email capitalized? If so, then this part is fine. If not, change the to lowercase.
b. In your form, are the fields name and email lowercase? If so, then it's fine. If not, then either change the form to lowercase or capitalize here.

Seconldly, as someone earlier suggested, use $POST (or depending on your PHP version $HTTP_POST_VARS). But first make sure the method on your form is set to POST.

$sql = "INSERT INTO registration (Name,Email) VALUES ('" . $_POST["name"] . "','" . $_POST["email"] . "')"; 

$sql = "INSERT INTO registration (Name,Email) VALUES ('" . $HTTP_POST_VARS["name"] . "','" . $HTTP_POST_VARS["email"] . "')";

You'll need to check the capitalization on these like I mentioned, but here is what your code would look like for both $_POST and $HTTP_POST_VARS

Cgraz

irish_student

i've tried that line of code
$sql = "INSERT INTO registration (Name,Email) VALUES ('" . $HTTP_POST_VARS["name"] . "','" . $HTTP_POST_VARS["email"] . "')";

and its not making any difference. nothings going into table.

The capital and small letters are all right. capital in database and small in form

does it make any difference using " or '.
see the way in above you used double quotes around name and email while in my code i used single quotes while declaring at the top as shown?

$name = $HTTP_POST_VARS['name'];
$email = $HTTP_POST_VARS['email'];

cgraz

Have you tried using $_POST? Are you also printing the query EVERYTIME (atleast until you get the problem solved)?

CAn you post the code to your form?

Cgraz

irish_student

sure heres my code.any help would be geatly appreciated

#registration.html
<form name="registration" action="insert.php" method="post"> <div align="center">
<table width="75%" border="0"><tr><td height="47"><b><font size="4">Name:</font></b></td>
<td><input type="text" name="name"></td><tr>
<td height="47"><b><font size="4">Email:</font></b></td><td>
<input type="text" name="email">
</td></tr></table>
<input type="submit" value="Submit to insert.php">
</div></form>

#include.php
<?PHP

print_r($HTTP_POST_VARS);

$name = $HTTP_POST_VARS['name'];
$email = $HTTP_POST_VARS['email'];

$connection=mysql_connect("localhost","pp","mm") or die('Could not connect to the database server');
$db = mysql_select_db("test", $connection) or die ("Unable to select database.");
$sql = "INSERT INTO registration (Name,Email) VALUES ('" . $HTTP_POST_VARS['name'] . "','" . $HTTP_POST_VARS['email'] . "')";
print $sql;

#$sql_result = mysql_query($sql, $connection) or die (mysql_error());
echo('Data inserted successfully');
mysql_close($connection);
?>

if i type in the values paula and paulam in the form and press the button, the following appears

Array ( [name] => paula [email] => paulam ) INSERT INTO registration (Name,Email) VALUES ('paula','paulam')Data inserted successfully

but nothing is going into the table

trooper

remove teh # from the $sql_result line