PHP code examples not working??

Denno

Hi there people.

Just started with PHP not long ago and have been doing examples etc.. However I have some strange problems that I can't figure out. I have Apache 2 install which works fine, mySQL 4.0.12 and PHP4 installed on xp pro. For some reason when I try examples on the web they display which is fine but when interacting with the database gives me strange results. here is a small example I am trying to run.

<html>
<head>
<title>Putting Data in the Database</title>
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<?php

if(isset($submit)):
$db = mysql_connect("localhost", "root");
mysql_select_db("needATOOL", $db);
$date = date("Y-m-d");
$sql = "INSERT INTO news

VALUES(NULL,'$heading','$body',
'$date','$auth','$auth_email')";
mysql_query($sql);
print("<h2>The Data Has Been Entered</h2>\n");
print("<b>You can add another news story below</b>\n");
endif;
?>
<p><h3>Enter your news item into the database</h3>
<form action="data_in.php" method="post">
Name:<br><input type="text" name="auth"><p>
Email:<br> <input type="text" name="auth_email"><p>
Heading:<br><input type="text" name="heading"><p>
News:<br><textarea cols=40 rows=20 name="body"></textarea><p>
<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Submit News!">
</form>
</body>
</html>

The page loads up fine but when I press the submit button the form just resets and does nothing. The funny thing is when I replace if(isset($submit)): with if(!isset($submit)): it then adds data such as the date and Id which is auto incremented in mysql. I don't understand why the not (!) is allowing the data to be inserted and when it is not being using it doesn't do jack. Running other examples from the web ie web monkey examples I get similar results. I can get data out and in but not in the way I want it?

Seems like things aren't getting interpreted or PHP functions aren't working or recognised??

Anyway help would be greatly appreciated !!

cheers Dennis

laserlight

hmm... when you use the !isset(), does the query get executed even without pressing the submit button (i.e. when you enter the page the first time)?

I suspect that register_globals in php.ini is off, hence your submit button should be accessed with $_POST['submit']

Since it isnt, and you havent set $submit, $submit is not set and thus isset($submit) always returns false.

Denno

Hi webnessa.

Thanks for your reply. Just been frantically uninstalling everything and reinstalling them again. However now when I put the ! in front it doesn't add them at all now. I can get data out of the database but getting it in is another story. Same result just press submit and the form clears and does nothing. Anyway i will have a look at the php.ini file and look for the register_globals - do I need to turn it on??

anyway thanks for your reply

cheers Dennis

Denno

Hi web nessa.

I just realised I was editing my back up files and not in the htdocs directory (duh). Therefore my post is somewhat irrelevent as it still behaves in the same way. When I have the " ! " there and refresh the page it tells me the data is inserted. when I check mysql a new entry has been put in with out the appropriate info, Just the date and userid(auto incremented). Looked at my php.ini file and register_globals is set to off. Being new to PHP just followed the instructions in a book which told me to rename the php.ini-dist file and place it in c:/windows/system. Should the php.ini file be in system32?

anyway i 'll keep searching the web etc..

cheers Dennis