Very Simple Search Site Script

AShain

Hello!

I'm moving this post to this forum, it's too advanced
for the newbies forum 🙁

I have an online store in the making.

One of my pages is "seestore.php". It lists the nine main categories. When you click one of those, it lists the items
for sale under that category. When you click an item, it
directs you to "showitem.php" and the individual item,
picture, description, price and an "add to cart" button.

What I want to do, is to put a search field on the index
page, so that you can put a "word" into the search field,
like "creams", click the search button, then have it pull
up a list of all the items that contain the word "cream".

I've searched and searched for help with this, tutorials
and such. All that I have found is hefty search engines
that seem to be more complicated than what I need.
(ie, urls and software to create massive searhes)

Basically, I need a script for a form search that will
pull all the items from the store_items table (in MySQL)
by a specific keyword and display that list to the viewer.
I figure from there, they would click the specific item
they want to take them directly to the "showitem.php".

Could someone PLEASE help me. I don't mind doing all
the work myself, if I could find a basic tutorial, once again,
everything I have found to date, is MUCH MORE than I
think I need.

If you need to see anything, my current php pages or
any of my tables, just ask. I would be eternally
greatful for any help/direction.

Thanks so much!
Allie

swr

You probably want to do it in SQL...

select * from items where name like '%keyword%'

That would match all items where the name contains "keyword" within it.

If you have many thousands of items being searched very frequently then you may need something else (using "like '%keyword%'" requires a full table scan). But most of the time it's fine.

AShain

I understand what you are saying. That's about
as close as I've come thus far.

I am thinking something like the following would
be on the index page:

<?php 
//connect to database
$conn = mysql_connect("localhost", "xxxxxx", "xxxxxx") 
or die (mysql_error());
mysql_select_db("xxxxxx",$conn) or die (mysql_error());

$query = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM store_items where name like '%keyword%'
while ($row  =  mysql_fetch_array($query)) 

<form method="post"  action="result.php3"> 
<input type="text" name="search" size="25"> 
<input type="submit" value="Search"> 
</form>

But I get lost from here! 🙁

Here's my "seestore.php", if that helps guide me:

<?php
//connect to database
$conn = mysql_connect("localhost", "xxxxxx", "xxxxxx") 
or die (mysql_error());
mysql_select_db("xxxxxx",$conn) or die (mysql_error());

$display_block = "<h1><font color=#808080 face=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif>PPS Healthcare-Product Categories</h1>
<P>Select a category to see items available in that category.</p>";

//show categories first
$get_cats = "select id, cat_title, cat_desc from
     store_categories order by cat_title";
$get_cats_res = mysql_query($get_cats) or die(mysql_error());

if (mysql_num_rows($get_cats_res) < 1) {
     $display_block = "<P><em><font color=#808080 face=Arial,
	 Helvetica, sans-serif>Sorry, no categories to browse.</em></p>";
} else {

while ($cats = mysql_fetch_array($get_cats_res)) {
$cat_id = $cats[id];
$cat_title = strtoupper(stripslashes($cats[cat_title]));
$cat_desc = stripslashes($cats[cat_desc]);

$display_block .= "<p><strong><a
href=\"$_SERVER[PHP_SELF]?cat_id=$cat_id\">$cat_title</a></strong>
<br>$cat_desc</p>";

if ($_GET[cat_id] == $cat_id) {
//get items
$get_items = "select id, item_title, item_price
from store_items where cat_id = $cat_id
order by item_title";
$get_items_res = mysql_query($get_items) or die(mysql_error());

if (mysql_num_rows($get_items_res) < 1) {
$display_block = "<P><em><strong>Sorry, no items in 
 this category.</strong></em></p>";
} else {

$display_block .= "<ul>";

while ($items = mysql_fetch_array($get_items_res)) {
$item_id = $items[id];
$item_title = stripslashes($items[item_title]);
$item_price = $items[item_price];

$display_block .= "<li><a
href=\"showitem.php?item_id=$item_id\">$item_title</a>
</strong> (\$$item_price)";
}

$display_block .= "</ul>";
}
}
}
} 		  

?>

Am I going to need another php page to display the search information?

Thanks!
Allie

AShain

Here's what I got so far... blank page is a result when
tested on my server.

<?php 
        if ($c != 1) { 
?> 
<form method="post"  action="result.php3"> 
<input type="text" name="search" size="25"> 
<input type="submit" value="Search"> 
</form> 
<?php 
    } else if ($c==1) { 
        MySQL_connect("localhost", "xxxxxx", "xxxxxx"); 
        MySQL_select_db("xxxxxx"); 
        $sql = " 
            SELECT *, 
            MATCH(item_title) AGAINST('$keyword')
            $where_clause = "WHERE item_title LIKE '%".$search."%'"; 

    $res = MySQL_query($sql); 
?> 
<table> 
<tr><td>Product</td><td>Title</td><td>ID#</td></tr> 
<?php 
        while($row = MySQL_fetch_array($rest)) { 
            echo "<tr><td>{$sql2['id']}</td>"; 
            echo "<td>{$sql2['cat_title']}</td>"; 
            echo "<td>{$sql2['cat_desc']}</td></tr>"; 
        } 
        echo "</table>"; 
    } 
?>

leatherback

Hi,

You weer on track in your first code.. Don't leave it!

<?php  

//connect to database 
$conn = mysql_connect("localhost", "xxxxxx", "xxxxxx")  

or die (mysql_error()); 
mysql_select_db("xxxxxx",$conn) or die (mysql_error()); 

$keyword = $_POST['search']

$query = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM store_items where name like '%$keyword%' ") or die("I made a stupid programming mistake:". mysql_error());
while ($row  =  mysql_fetch_array($query)) 
  { 
  $displayblock .= "
  <tr><td>$row['id']</td>
  <td>$row['cat_title']</td>
  <td>$row['cat_desc']</td>
  </tr>
  ";
  }

?>


<form method="POST"  action="result.php3"> 
<input type="text" name="search" size="25"> 
<input type="submit" value="Search"> 
</form> 
<table>
<? echo $displayblock;?>
</table>

AShain

OK... call me stupid:rolleyes:

I pasted that final script you showed to a php file I named
"samplesearch.php", FTP to my server and used IE to browse,
the page is still blank! 😕

Maybe cause it's after 2 a.m. where I live? haha

HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLP MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

leatherback

What do you mean with blank?
There is not even a form?

What is the output you get?

. If there is no error message (I made a stupid programming mistake) then the query is probably correct.

Place a line:

echo "searchterm :".$_POST['search']."<br>";
echo "Keyword :".$keyword."<br>";

anywhere after the line $keyword = $_POST['search'];

The line before the while statement: Place this line:

echo $query."<br>";

Then post the output here

AShain

Here's the script in use:

<?php  

//connect to database 
$conn = mysql_connect("localhost", "xxxxxx", "xxxxxx")  

or die (mysql_error()); 

mysql_select_db("xxxxxx",$conn) or die (mysql_error());

$keyword = $_POST['search']

echo "searchterm :".$_POST['search']."<br>"; 
echo "Keyword :".$keyword."<br>"; 

$query = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM store_items where name like '%$keyword%' ") or die("I made a stupid programming mistake:". mysql_error()); 

echo $query."<br>"; 

while ($row  =  mysql_fetch_array($query))  

  {  

  $displayblock .= " 
  <tr><td>$row['id']</td> 
  <td>$row['cat_title']</td> 
  <td>$row['cat_desc']</td> 
  </tr> 
  "; 
  } 
?> 
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<title>P.P.S. Healthcare.com</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
</head>
<body>
<p align="center"><font color="#FFFFFF"> </font></p>
<p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF"><img src="http://www.ppshealthcare.com/webgraphics/logo.gif" width="250" height="110" /> <img src="http://www.ppshealthcare.com/webgraphics/ppscredit.gif" width="100" height="14"> <font color="#000000" size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">PPS
Healthcare Gladly Accepts Most Major Credit Cards Online</font></font></p>
<form method="POST"  action="result.php3"> 
<input type="text" name="search" size="25"> 
<input type="submit" value="Search"> 
</form> 
<table> 
<? echo $displayblock;?> 
</table> 
</body>
</html>

The page is completely blank when pulled up. When I view
source in the browser I got this:

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1252"></HEAD>
<BODY></BODY></HTML>

but I see nothing on the page.

Possibly, is it because it's requiring another php page to
display the info. Check the script for the form action=
"result.php3" this page doesn't exist on my server. Is this the
cause for the blank page?

Thanks!
Allie

leatherback

Hi,

Probably your browser doesn't refresh yourpage properly..

Close the window in which the page is displayed.
Empty your browsers history (in ie go to tools / internet options / history, in opera file / preferences / history&cahching in NS: edit/preferences/history)

Then, in the head of the page / script add this metatag: <META HTTP-EQUIV="Pragma" CONTENT="No-Cache">

The form action should point to the page which you are building!
So if this script is called mytest.php then the action should be mytest.php!

Now open the page again.
J.

AShain

Um... hee hee

I fixed the action... cleaned out my cookies, history, etc...
added the new meta tag (didn't replace old one... if that
matters)... and guess what, it's still a blank page.

I want a beer, ha.

I have no idea what's wrong 🙁

leatherback

Are you sure you are opening the right page?
Because.. this page cannot give an empty page.. Even if you have it stored on your HD, with not server running and you'd open id, it would give you more then the standard empty page (The whole HTML defined after the PHP code, and all php as flat text)
Besides that:
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">

does not correspond to what you have defined..

What browser are you using?
Did you place the whole script here, of is it a snippet..

AShain

Everything is up to par. I am using the right file name "samplesearch.php". The only thing I didn't
post from my script, is some additional html lines
at the botom of the page.

I think the problem is with my PHP code. I am
building all of my pages using Dreamweaver MX
2004. It has a neat feature where you can view
your script in "design" mode. When I view all my
other pages, I have a little "PHP" icon showing
where the PHP script is set on the page, however,
the script we are working on below has no PHP icon
shown. This tells me the script isn't being read
for some reason. Maybe a wrong tag somewhere?

ASP

$keyword = $_POST['search']

You forgot the semicolon.

AShain

Indeed, good catch!

However, after making that change, it now looks like this:

$keyword = $_POST['search'];

and this is ALL that's viewed on the page via the server:

searchterm :
Keyword :
I made a stupid programming mistake:Unknown column 'name' in 'where clause'

At least "SOMETHING" is viewed on the page now, haha!
That's a start! It appears, it's all my errors, minus the one
to catch the query error. NOW I've got bald spots above my
ears from all the tugging, ha! 😃 Not a good thing for a
woman!

Any other ideas?
Allie

AShain

http://www.ppshealthcare.com/samplesearch.php

AShain

If you check the link I just posted, I've got most of it
handled. When I put a Keyword into the search,
it doens't display anything.

What this search needs to do, is pull the items that
match that word. I want them to be in the form of
links, like the "seestore.php" provides (script for
seestore is within this thread), which will take them
to checkout.

My thinking is it's something with the query or
display block. Here's the script so far:
I removed most of my html, since it just clutters up
the thread

<?php  

//connect to database 
$conn = mysql_connect("localhost", "xxxxxx", "xxxxxx")  

or die (mysql_error()); 
mysql_select_db("xxxxxx",$conn) or die (mysql_error());

$keyword = $_POST['search'];

$query = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM store_items where item_title like '%$keyword%' ") 
or die("I made a stupid programming mistake:". mysql_error()); 

while ($row  =  mysql_fetch_array($query))  

  {  

  $displayblock .= " 
  <tr><td>$row['id']</td> 
  <td>$row['cat_title']</td> 
  <td>$row['cat_desc']</td> 
  </tr> 
  "; 
  } 
?> 
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<title>P.P.S. Healthcare.com</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Pragma" CONTENT="No-Cache"> 
</head>
<body>
<p align="center"><font color="#FFFFFF"> </font></p>
<form method="POST"  action="samplesearch.php">
<p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF"><img src="http://www.ppshealthcare.com/webgraphics/logo.gif" width="250" height="110" />
<font color="#000000" size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Search within our website</font></font> 
<input type="text" name="search" size="25"> 
<input type="submit" value="Search"> 
</form>
<? echo $displayblock;?>

Any other ideas?
Thanks,
Allie

ASP

I'd try echoing out the row array right away within the while loop, so you can see if it's getting anything.

It may also be fun echoing $_POST['search'], to see what PHP thinks it is.

AShain

Question:

I've done some reading. A user login puts the form on the page without PHP, but a seperate .php file is created to store then display the input. Would this be better suited for what I am doing here, or am I on the right track. I will try ASP's suggestions.
Allie