Notice: Undefined index: series_name

ricod

Hi ! First, I'm a total PHP / MySQL virgin, so please be gentle ...

I'm following this tutorial on how to use PHP to insert and retrieve data from my MySQL database. I couldn't get the insert right, but after reading some posts here, I found that I needed to code $_GET['submit'] instead of $submit. Why I don't know, but I betcha it's the reason why the retrieval isn't working.

I get the following error :
Notice: Undefined index: series_name in E:\web\list_files\series.php on line 20

$result = mysql_query ("SELECT * FROM series");

if ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result)) {

do {
	print   "<tr><td>"; 
	echo       "<div align=center><a href=", $row["episodes_url"], " target=EpisodeFrame><font color=#000099>" , $row["series_name"], "</font></a></div>";
	print    "</td></tr>";
} while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result));

} else { print "No series with that letter !";}

These are lines 14 - 24. Quite messy eh ?

The table series does have the columns "episodes_url" and "series_name".

What am I forgetting ?

Mordecai

Try using mysql_fetch_array($result,MYSQL_ASSOC). You are calling things by name, and the default is MYSQL_BOTH (MYSQL_ASSOC and MYSQL_NUM). Assoc just returns an associative array by the name they are retrieved as. Num uses numbers, i.e. $result[0] = $result["field1"], if the latter portion were assoc.

Hope this helps and didn't confuse you. 🙂
If it didn't work, I can try to help further.

By the way, $_GET[] is just an HTTP method for sending data. A web page sends either GET (page.php?var=value) or POST data (var = value, but not in URL). POST is more secure, as it is "invisible" to most.

laserlight

Maybe this code would be a clearer version, since mysql_fetch_assoc() is equivalent to mysql_fetch_array() with MYSQL_ASSOC set.
Still it seems strange that mysql_query alone doesnt work to retrieve the right columns.

$result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM series");

if (mysql_num_rows($result) > 0) {
	while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {
		echo '<tr><td><div align="center">';
		echo '<a href="' . $row['episodes_url'] . '" target="EpisodeFrame"><font color="#000099">' . $row['series_name'] . '</font></a>';
		echo '</div></td></tr>';
	}
} else {
	echo "No series with that letter !";
}

Mordecai

Whenever I use mysql_fetch_array without specifying either ASSOC, NUM, or BOTH, it will only return the first. This is the same error s/he is getting.

BuzzLY

That certainly seems to be the problem. If not, ricod, then make sure you are using the same exact case in your table. is "series_name" capitalized at all in your table?

ricod

Thanks for all the replies people ! I'm gonna try them first.
It's all a bit foggy to me now but hey, just started. 🙂 I got pretty far with flash and still often don't know what I'm doing (vocabulary is the biggest issue there, as soon as people start to talk about "initializing the class i order to instantiate blah blah blah" they've lost me.)

I try not to use capitals in my database. I keep forgetting which one has a capital and which one doesn't 😉.

-edit-
Stupid me ! That did the trick ! Thanks people ! It was also the name of the column.

I just read a little something about some setting involving global variables and it being off ... does that has something to do with it ?

Also, I'm on a Win2k Pro + SP3, using php 4.3.1, mySQL 4.0.12 and Apache 2.0.45. My browser is IE6 + SP1. I've heard Apache 2.0 is not really handy with PHP4 ?

dalecosp

Originally posted by ricod

I just read a little something about some setting involving global variables and it being off ... does that has something to do with it ?

Also, I'm on a Win2k Pro + SP3, using php 4.3.1, mySQL 4.0.12 and Apache 2.0.45. My browser is IE6 + SP1. I've heard Apache 2.0 is not really handy with PHP4 ?

register_globals is now off by default. That's why you had to use $_GET['submit'] instead of $submit. It's a security thing...suppose you're using hidden POST values, and some haX0r-freak guesses their names (or reads them in the source HTML 😉 ) and decides to try sticking them in the URL as a GET string. When register_globals are on, he can do that and override the values. Careful coders used to watch out for that; the rest of us didn't, so the Lord of PHP turned that feature off.

As for Apache 2 and PHP 4, check http://bugs.php.net for issues...

ricod

Hey thanks Dalecosp !

Knowing my own sloppyness I guess it's a good thing it's been turned off by default then 😃 !

cyanblue

ricod??? ricod!!! ricod~~~

😃 😃 😉