Errors occurs in a simple form

kenle

I have a simple form as follow

<form action="process.php" method=POST>
FirstName: <input type=text name=fname><br>
LastName: <input type=text name=lname><br>
email: <input type=text name=email><br>
<input type="submit" name="submit" value=Submit>
</form>

and the file process.php

<?
if ($submit) {
$lnk=Connect_DB ($dbhost, $dbuser, $dbpass);

$lnk1=Select_DB ($dbname); 

// Insert into database
Insert_SQL="Insert into mytable (fname, lname, email) 
		values ('$fname, '$lname, '$email)";

Simple right? But after i filled out the form, click Submit, and it complains that those varibles (fname,lname and email) are undefined. This drive me crazy.
I upload the same file into my host server and it works fine.

I am running Windows XP, PHP 4.3.2, MySQL. What do u think could go wrong? Maybe some configuration somewhere?

Damien_Buttler

You could easily fix this problem by turning global_variables on in php.ini but this is a security risk. The best option is to retrieve your variables with the following example.

$fname = $_POST['fname'];

Damien.

majiclab

The problem is that (apparently) on your computer at home, register_globals is Off, and your server has it on.

Register_globals registers all GET, POST, COOKIE and SESSION variables. That's why, on your host, it works, cause they have it on. However, on your computer at home it is not on, so the variables are never defined.

For this reason, and for many other reasons (mainly security), many PHP programmers (including myself) choose to use "super-globals" to access any user input.

Instead of:

<? 
if ($submit) { 
$lnk=Connect_DB ($dbhost, $dbuser, $dbpass); 

$lnk1=Select_DB ($dbname); 

// Insert into database 
Insert_SQL="Insert into mytable (fname, lname, email) 
values ('$fname, '$lname, '$email)"; 

?>

A "super-globals" script would look like this:

<? 
if ($_GET[ 'submit' ]) { 
$lnk=Connect_DB ($dbhost, $dbuser, $dbpass); 

$lnk1=Select_DB ($dbname); 

// Insert into database 
Insert_SQL="Insert into mytable (fname, lname, email) 
values ('{$_GET['fname']}', '{$_GET['lname']}', '{$_GET['email']}')"; 

?>

As I said, there are great security improvements when something such as this is done, but also, your script will work on any server, whether register_globals is on or off.

Hope that helps,

-Percy

http://ca.php.net/register_globals

kenle

Thanks alot guys, I really appreciate all your help. I now understand more about this. It works.

Without u guys help, I couldn't figure this out ...