Please clear up my confusion about url query strings

[d314]

I'm a newbie with PHP and I need help with url query. I've searched and it has been some help, but I'm still confused. This is what I want to do:

for example, at www.jcrew.com , it uses url query to jump from page to page with an id=somenumber. I'd like to know how the heck I can do this. The url remains the same, like www.jcrew.com/index.jhtml?id=cat1111, the only thing that changes is the id. Are the pages dynamically created with a certain id, on the same index.jhtml page? Or are there just many pages and the id is corresponding to those pages?

For me, I have pages name:

index.php
category.php
account.php
etc...

how can I use the index.php and use url query strings to jump to the other pages? I want the url to always display the same thing, just the id would thing. Like http://index.php?id=stone

Please help me out! Thanks.

[d314]

Hey, never mind guys. I just figured it out!! Woohoo! It feels so good to get something to work and when it actually looks good.

[evo4ever]

Hi. You would normally use an ID to reference a page from a database.

The easiest way to do it... for your scenario... is do this:

if(isset($_GET["p"])){ // were p = page
$page = $_GET["p"];
include("/[optional folder]/".$page.".php");
}

I would recommend testing if the page actually exists in your directory before it is included. Ask me if you need more help concerning that.

Did the above script help?

[d314]

yes, thanks evo4ever. However, I do have a problem. Here's a sample of how I have the directories:

index.php
catalog/catalog.php
catalog/rings.php
catalog/bracelets.php

The problem I have is that whenever I enter a boggus url query string to test the php script, the page it's suppose to go to shows up all messed up. This is the script I'm using to test:

if(isset($_GET['category']))
{
    $cat=$_GET['categoru'];
    if(file_exists($cat.".php")
    {
        if($cat=="rings")
           include($cat.".php");
        elseif($cat=="bracelet")
           include($cat.".php");
        else
           include("../index.php");
    }
    else
         include("../index.php");
}
else
    include("../index.php");

a query would be from the index.php page targeting the catalog.php like this:

catalog.php?category=rings

I dont see anything wrong with the code, from index.php I can go to catalog.php, using my links. But when I enter something like:

catalog.php?category=adfaf

its suppose to go to index.php, however, there is no error, just that the page does not show up correctly. When I view the source, it is indeed the index.php, all the html is there. Its really strange.

[d314]

You know, I guess I could just use a <meta> tag and redirect it to index.php when the url query is wrong.