Posting edited php code to a webpage for the user?

Sugaar

I am very new to PHP, but I am attempting to write a script that will allow me to have a form for my users to input some data for a countdown.

After they input the data via the form, they hit submit and it shows an example of what the "countdown" will look like AND then gives them the code they have to copy and paste to their webpage to get the countdown on their own site.

Everything seems to be working ok, except that the code it generates for them does not not include the information from the form they submitted, rather it gives the variables names.

How can I fix it so the code it gives is the code applicable to their form choices? I'd REALLY appreciate any help that I can get. Thank you in advance.

Here is the location of a working version so you can see what I mean:
http://www.mommyguide.com/countdownform.php

And here is my code so far:

<table cellpadding=5 align=center
bgcolor=LightSteelBlue>
<tr>
<td>
<div align="center"><b>Baby's Birth Countdown Form:</b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <b>Name of event counting down to? </b>(ie "until the arrival
of our son", "baby's arrival", "Melissa's birth",
"until we meet our precious baby", etc.)<b>:</b>
<INPUT NAME="keyEvent" VALUE="" SIZE=100>
<p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>Due Date?</b> Month:
<select name="keyMonth">
<option value="1" selected>January</option>
<option value="2">February</option>
<option value="3">March</option>
<option value="4">April</option>
<option value="5">May</option>
<option value="6">June</option>
<option value="7">July</option>
<option value="8">August</option>
<option value="9">September</option>
<option value="10">October</option>
<option value="11">November</option>
<option value="12">December</option>
</select>
Day:
<select name="keyDay">
<option value="1" selected>1</option>
<option value="2">2</option>
<option value="3">3</option>
<option value="4">4</option>
<option value="5">5</option>
<option value="6">6</option>
<option value="7">7</option>
<option value="8">8</option>
<option value="9">9</option>
<option value="10">10</option>
<option value="11">11</option>
<option value="12">12</option>
<option value="13">13</option>
<option value="14">14</option>
<option value="15">15</option>
<option value="16">16</option>
<option value="17">17</option>
<option value="18">18</option>
<option value="19">19</option>
<option value="20">20</option>
<option value="21">21</option>
<option value="22">22</option>
<option value="23">23</option>
<option value="24">24</option>
<option value="25">25</option>
<option value="26">26</option>
<option value="27">27</option>
<option value="28">28</option>
<option value="29">29</option>
<option value="30">30</option>
<option value="31">31</option>
</select>
Year:
<select name="keyYear">
<option selected>2003</option>
<option>2004</option>
</select>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>Color you want this text to appear (color of the text inside the
counter table) (choose #RGBvalue or white, black, blue, green, or yellow):</b>
<input name="fontColor" value="" size=15>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <b>Background color of the counter table (choose #RGBvalue or white,
black, blue, green, or yellow):</b>
<input type="text" name="tableBGColor" size="15">
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>Border width of the table's border:
<select name="tableBorder">
<option value="0" selected>0</option>
<option value="1">1</option>
<option value="2">2</option>
<option value="3">3</option>
<option value="4">4</option>
<option value="5">5</option>
</select>
</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>Which set of images to use?</b><br>
<p>
<INPUT TYPE=radio NAME=path VALUE="http://www.mommyguide.com/images/countdown/A/">
<img src="http://www.mommyguide.com/images/countdown/A/BlocksCounter.gif" width="400" height="40" alt="Large Blocks" border="0"><br>
<INPUT TYPE=radio NAME=path VALUE="http://www.mommyguide.com/images/countdown/B/">
ImageSet2<br>
<INPUT TYPE=radio NAME=path VALUE="http://www.mommyguide.com/images/countdown/C/">
ImageSet3<br>
<INPUT TYPE=radio NAME=path VALUE="http://www.mommyguide.com/images/countdown/D/">
ImageSet4<br>
<INPUT TYPE=radio NAME=path VALUE="http://www.mommyguide.com/images/countdown/E/">
ImageSet5<br>
<INPUT TYPE=radio NAME=path VALUE="http://www.mommyguide.com/images/countdown/F/">
ImageSet6<br>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<P>
<center>
<INPUT TYPE="Submit" VALUE="Send the above information">
</center>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</FORM>

<?php

// KEY date to count down to //
$keyMonth = $POST['keyMonth'];
$keyDay = $POST['keyDay'];
$keyYear = $_POST['keyYear'];

// PATH to images (be sure to put an ending '/')
$path = $_POST['path'];

// EXTENSION of image (number) files
$extension = "jpg";

// CUSTOMIZATIONS
$keyEvent = $POST['keyEvent']; // name of event counting down to.
$fontColor = $POST['fontColor']; // color of the text inside the counter table.
$tableBGColor = $POST['tableBGColor']; // background color of the counter table.
$tableBorder = $POST['tableBorder']; // border width of counter table.
$tableAlignment = "center"; // alignment of the counter table.

//CURRENT DATE.
$month = date(F); // gets month in letters
$mon = date(n); // gets month in #'s
$day = date(j);
$year = date(Y);

echo "<br><h3 align=center>Today's date is $mon/$day/$year</h3>";

$hours_left = number_format((mktime(0,0,0,$keyMonth,$keyDay,$keyYear) - time())/3600, 2);
if ($hours_left > 24) {
$daysLeft = ceil($hours_left/24);
}

$hours_left = (mktime(0,0,0,$keyMonth,$keyDay,$keyYear) - time())/3600;
if ($hours_left > 168) {
$daysLeft = ceil($hours_left/24);
}
else {
$daysLeft = ceil($hours_left/24);
}

echo"<table bgcolor=$tableBGColor border=$tableBorder align=$tableAlignment><tr><td>";

// OUTPUT COUNTDOWN.
if ($daysLeft >= 0) {
// stupid php thinks 0 is negative.
$daysLeft = abs($daysLeft);
echo "<h2 align=center><font color=$fontColor> There are <br> <br>";
$z = (string)$daysLeft;
for ($i=0; $i < strlen($z); $i++) {
echo "<img src=$path" . $z[$i] . ".$extension>";
} // end for loop.
echo "<br> <br>days until $keyEvent <br>$keyMonth/$keyDay/$keyYear.</font></h2>";
}
else {
echo "<font color=$fontColor><center>There used to be a countdown counter " .
"to $keyEvent <br> which was $keyMonth/$keyDay/$keyYear. <br></font></center></td></tr></table>";
} // end if.
// END COUNTDOWN COUNTER

<p align="center">And the code...</p>
<p align="center"><FORM action="" method=post style="MARGIN: 6px 0px 0px"><TEXTAREA cols=60 name=code readOnly rows=10 style="FONT-FAMILY: courier"><?
// KEY date to count down to //
$keyMonth = $POST['keyMonth'];
$keyDay = $POST['keyDay'];
$keyYear = $_POST['keyYear'];

// PATH to images (be sure to put an ending '/')
$path = $_POST['path'];

// EXTENSION of image (number) files
$extension = "jpg";

//CURRENT DATE.
$month = date(F); // gets month in letters
$mon = date(n); // gets month in #'s
$day = date(j);
$year = date(Y);

echo "<br><h3 align=center>Today's date is $mon/$day/$year</h3>";

$hours_left = number_format((mktime(0,0,0,$keyMonth,$keyDay,$keyYear) - time())/3600, 2);
if ($hours_left > 24) {
$daysLeft = ceil($hours_left/24);
}

$hours_left = (mktime(0,0,0,$keyMonth,$keyDay,$keyYear) - time())/3600;
if ($hours_left > 168) {
$daysLeft = ceil($hours_left/24);
}
else {
$daysLeft = ceil($hours_left/24);
}

echo"<table bgcolor=$tableBGColor border=$tableBorder align=$tableAlignment><tr><td>";

eriksmoen

starting where you have "...and the code..." you will need to put a <?= ?> around each variable that you are wanting to generate from user input. for example, you have:

and it should be:

<p align="center">And the code...</p>
<p align="center"><FORM action="" method=post style="MARGIN: 6px 0px 0px"><TEXTAREA cols=60 name=code readOnly rows=10 style="FONT-FAMILY: courier"><?
// KEY date to count down to //
$keyMonth = <?=$POST['keyMonth']?>;
$keyDay = <?=$POST['keyDay']?>;
$keyYear = <?=$_POST['keyYear']?>;

minor details drastically change results 😛

hope that helps.

Sugaar

That makes sense. I'll give it a try. Before, I was trying to just use quotes with that same idea and,obviously, that doesn't work.

Thanks so much!