[Resolved] Has portability changed starting from PHP 4.1?

sherry

With version 4.3.7, are we no longer able to create scripts using Windows and Apache w/ php.exe for testing for Unix without code modification as in the past with earlier (pre-4.1) versions?

If not, it seems some of the power of PHP has lessened if the portability has changed. That would mean that programming time will be increased if we now must have 2 versions.

Is this true that you can have scripts in Unix as:

if($ac == '1') {
print "You've chosen the option #1";
}

if($ac == '2') {
print "You've chosen the option #2";
}

but, in Windows, the same result would be achieved by the need to change the code to:

if($_GET['ac'] == 1) {

print "You've chosen the option #1";

}

if($_GET['ac'] == 2) {

print "You've chosen the option #2";

}

(note: I saw this in another posting)

I am creating and testing scripts in Windows for Unix. In 4.0 and earlier, what worked in Windows worked in Unix. How can I find out what works and what doesn't work in either with the newer version of PHP? I just upgraded from 4.0 to 4.3.7 and I'm having a heck of a time. My script in 4.0 worked great. Now, I am bombarded with error messages in each form field about 'Undefined Index' and then some.

I have alot of coding to do, so if possible, I'd like to know how to make my scripts directly portable from one platform to the next. Can someone please help me with a faster transition? The help I've gotten so far the register_globals was great, but now I question portability. I've read many posts, but still perplexed.

Thank you.

Mordecai

For portability, always code with register_globals off and without short tags (<?). Those are things you should do anyway, though.

Originally posted by sherry
Is this true that you can have scripts in Unix as...but, in Windows, the same result would be achieved by the need to change the code...

Nope. The difference is register_globals.

It seems like your script was written for some of the older, now deprecated, methods. A few updates and you should be ready to go.

sherry

Thank you for your reply.

I use <?php ?> throughout the html code.

I've tried changing from...

 <center><FORM Method="Post" name=form ACTION="<?php print $form_action; ?>">

to...
<center><FORM Method="Post" name=form ACTION="<?php print $_POST['form_action']; ?>">

and form fields from...

<input type="text" size=35 Maxlength=35 name="required_company" value = "<?php  print $company; ?>">

to...
<input type="text" size=35 Maxlength=35 name="required_company" value = "<?php print $_POST['company']; ?>">

etc., and I am getting nowhere. When my page loads, all of my form fields are filled with "...Undefined Index..." messages for a script that worked fine in 4.0.x. I am so frustrated that I don't which direction to go next.

I'm sure the changes to PHP are good, but I have not experienced it, yet.

What documentation did I miss and where can I find the solution? I've tried other posts, but somehow, the fix has eluded me.

I used to code at a reasonable pace in 4.0 and prior, now I'm just plain stuck because my vars are no longer accepted.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

sherry

I believe I'm closer now. I took a step back and really tried to better understand the 'Undefined Variable' and 'Undefined Index' error messages in the context of the form. This also made me go back several years when I relaxed a programming 'MUST DO' for other languages before I began using PHP. That was, you MUST INITIALIZE a variable before using it.

When I started with PHP 3.x, it was unnecessary to initialize variables. You could create them 'on-the-fly'.

Now, it appears that PHP 4.x needs vars to be initialized in order to avoid the 'Undefined Variable' error. You can create a loop with a variable that lets the script know when it first loads vs. when it is being submitted via '...PHP_SELF...' for error-checking purposes.

sherry

(cont'd from last post)

For example, after the program loads for the first time, the end-user fills in the fields and clicks 'SUBMIT.' The '...PHP_SELF...' routine checks the fields for allowable data. If it fails the check, the form 'remembers' the data from the last submission via a routine that executes AFTER the original initialization.

In this 'after-initialization' loop, the same vars defined in the initialization step are redefined using the "$POST[' ']" e.g. $field1 = $POST['field1']. This also gets rid of the 'Undefined Index' error. Otherwise, if you do a direct substitution of this raw $POST var in the 'value' param of <input name=field1 value=$POST['field1']...> statement before the 1st time the 'submit' button is clicked, the index, 'field1' would not be defined (unless pre-defined), therefore generating that awful error message.

In doing it this way, you can use the '$field1' var in the <input value="$field1"> statement as before. Recap: the 1st time the script loads, $field1 is initialized to "" and subsequent values come from '$_POST...