Help me plz

Richardtagger

i have a php form that when executed, is supposed to enter info into mysql database. i dont get any errors but it doesnt enter the information. heres the code.

include 'db.php';

// Define post fields into simple variables
$Title = $POST['title'];
$Artist = $POST['artist'];
$Album = $POST['album'];
$Category = $POST['category'];
$Pages = $POST['pages'];
$Instrument = $POST['instrument'];
$Keyword1 = $POST['key#1'];
$Keyword2 = $POST['key#2'];
$Keyword3 = $POST['key#3'];
$Location = $POST['location'];
$comments = $_POST['comments'];

/ Let's strip some slashes in case the user entered
any escaped characters. /

$Location = stripslashes($Location);

if((!$Title) || (!$Artist) || (!$Album) || (!$Category) || (!$Instrument) || (!$Keyword1) || (!$Keyword2) || (!$Keyword3) || (!$Location) || (!$Pages)){
if(!$Title){
echo "Title is a required field. Please enter it. ";
}
if(!$Artist){
echo "Artist is a required field. Please enter it. ";
}
if(!$Album){
echo "Album is a required field. Please enter it. ";
}
if(!$Category){
echo "Category is a required field. Please enter it. ";
}
if(!$Keyword1){
echo "You must enter 3 keywords that summarise the music. Please enter them. ";
}
if(!$Keyword2){
echo "You must enter 3 keywords that summarise the music. Please enter them. ";
}
if(!$Keyword3){
echo "You must enter 3 keywords that summarise the music. Please enter them. ";
}
if(!$Location){
echo "You must submit the location of your file. Please enter it. ";
}
include 'submit_file.htm'; // Show the form again!
exit(); // exit the script so that we do not create this account!
}
/ Everything has passed both error checks that we have done.
It's time to create the account! /

// Enter info into the Database.
$info2 = htmlspecialchars($info);
$sql = mysql_query("INSERT INTO Archive (title, artist, album, category, pages, instrument, key#1, key#2, key#3, location, comments)
VALUES('$title', '$artist', '$album', '$category', '$Pages' '$instrument', '$Keyword1', '$Keyword2', '$Keyword3', '$location', '$comments', now())") or die (mysql_error());

if(!$sql){
echo 'There has been an error submitting the file. Please contact the webmaster.';
} else {
$Refcode = mysql_insert_id();
// FInal comment

echo 'Thankyou for sharing, your file has been submitted to our archive! ';

Thanx

BuzzLY

Richard,

First off... this is your first post. You told me you have posted this problem before. Shame on you... 😉

Ok... I'm not sure if "Key#1", et. al., is a valid fieldname in MySQL. I'll test that in a minute.

edit: Ok, I tested this on my server. Apparently, MySQL does allow the use of "#" in naming a field. However, when I tried to do a simple query on the data, I got an error. delimiting the field name with backticks ( ` ) worked, but that's a silly workaround. I would simply recommend using a field name like Key1 or Key_1. Incidentally, in this case, it's just a collection of keywords for searching purposes, right? You only need one keyword field.

You have 11 fields, but 12 data in your VALUES list. "now()" seems to be the extra -- why is it in there?

I'm not sure why you aren't receiving an error. If either of the above is a factor, I would think it would return some sort of error. For now, look at fixing those, or verifying that they are legitimate.

A couple of pointers for the newbie: Please be more descriptive in your subject, especially since you want people to read it. Many will skip it, because you haven't actually stated the problem. Try this:

"SQL query string doesn't insert data into the database"

Much more descriptive, eh?

There is nothing wrong with using the variable $sql as you did. Heck, you could have called it $slkdfovwwexo if you wanted. however, that variable holds the result of a query to the database. Give it a more appropriate name, like $qry_result. That way, when you come back in 3 months to look at the code, it will make more sense.

Richardtagger

I have 11 items and 11 values...?

TheDefender

What he means is this:

$sql = mysql_query("INSERT INTO Archive (title, artist, album, category, pages, instrument, key#1, key#2, key#3, location, comments) 
VALUES('$title', '$artist', '$album', '$category', '$Pages' '$instrument', '$Keyword1', '$Keyword2', '$Keyword3', '$location', '$comments', now())") or die (mysql_error());

In the first part, you have 11 items listed:
(title, artist, album, category, pages, instrument, key#1, key#2, key#3, location, comments)

But when you define the values in your query later, there are 12:
VALUES('$title', '$artist', '$album', '$category', '$Pages' '$instrument', '$Keyword1', '$Keyword2', '$Keyword3', '$location', '$comments', now())")

The discrepency comes from the now() value at the end of the VALUES listing. Post your Table structure, and that will help.

ALSO, the variable names are case sensitive. When you define the variables when setting them post variables, you capitalized them all, but in your query, you have some capped and some lower. They need to match.

Richardtagger

i have this code:

$sql = mysql_query ("INSERT INTO Archive (Title, Artist, Album, Category, Pages, Instrument, Keyword1, Keyword2, Keyword3, Location, Comments")
VALUES('$Title', '$Artist', '$Album', '$Category', '$Pages', '$Instrument', '$Keyword1', '$Keyword2', '$Keyword3', '$Location', '$Comments'") or die (mysql_error());

Now getting Parse error on the "values" part.

My table structure goes:

Refcode int(25) No auto_increment Change Drop Primary Index Unique Fulltext

Title varchar(25) No Change Drop Primary Index Unique Fulltext

Artist varchar(25) No Change Drop Primary Index Unique Fulltext

Album varchar(25) No Change Drop Primary Index Unique Fulltext

Category varchar(25) No Change Drop Primary Index Unique Fulltext

Pages char(3) No Change Drop Primary Index Unique Fulltext

Instrument varchar(25) No Change Drop Primary Index Unique Fulltext

Keyword1 varchar(25) No Change Drop Primary Index Unique Fulltext

Keyword2 varchar(25) No Change Drop Primary Index Unique Fulltext

Keyword3 varchar(25) No Change Drop Primary Index Unique Fulltext

Location varchar(25) No Change Drop Primary Index Unique Fulltext

Comments varchar(255) No Change Drop Primary Index Unique Fulltext

😕

btw notice i got rid of the now() part, still havin trouble.

TheDefender

If you haven't change it yet, you are defining the $comments with a lowercase C, but all of your other defines are capped...

$comments = $_POST['comments'];

As far as the error goes, post the error in its entirety...

Also, change to:

$sql = mysql_query ("INSERT INTO Archive (Refcode, Title, Artist, Album, Category, Pages, Instrument, Keyword1, Keyword2, Keyword3, Location, Comments) 
VALUES('', '$Title', '$Artist', '$Album', '$Category', '$Pages', '$Instrument', '$Keyword1', '$Keyword2', '$Keyword3', '$Location', '$Comments')") or die (mysql_error());

rachel2004

There shouldn't be a double quote at this part:

Comments")

Remove that double quote after the before the closing parentheses.

TheDefender

Oops, I missed that originally Rachel. Thanks for pointing it out. I edited my post above.

Richardtagger

its ok guys i fixed myself a little while after i just started over and it worked. 😃. now i have the prob of i have an html form i changed the file format to php and inserted the code

<? include 'broken.php' echo"$success" ?>

i get parse error...

TheDefender

Change it to:

<?
include('broken.php');
echo $success;
?>

Richardtagger

yeh i figured it out about the ; as for the () i didnt need them ...

TheDefender

Yeah, you don't need the (). I just like to do that with me includes and requires personally, to keep my code consistent. I have been doing it that way as long as I can remember.

You'll also notice I put the include and echo on separate lines. Also not required, but good coding practice. If you get an error that refers to a specific line, it makes it easier to go back and find it later...