echo $_POST

[holstead]

I have a form on index.php which submits(POST) the variable 'id' to index.php(itself).

echo $_POST['id'];

produces

7id=7

Should it just be '7'? Why does it add the 'id=7' to it?

[LordShryku]

Couldn't say without seeing the actual code. Either the variable is set to 7id=7, or you're doing something after the echo.

[holstead]

When I remove the echo $_POST['id']

the '7id=7' is gone, so we know its coming from that statement. I've tried it with the other id values also and get 8id=8, 5id=5 etc... Anyhow here is the code:

<form action="edit_properties.php" method="POST">
        <?php
                $result = mysql_query('SELECT * FROM Properties_local');
                if(!result) {
                        die('Error: '.myssql_error());
                }
                $rows = mysql_num_rows($result);


            echo $_POST['propid'];

            //begin property selection menu
            echo('<select name="propid">');
            echo('<option value="">select a property</option>');
            while($prop = mysql_fetch_array($result, MYSQL_ASSOC)) {
                    if($_POST["id"] == $prop["PropertyID"]) {
                            echo('<option value="'.$prop["PropertyID"].'" selected>'.$prop["PropAddress"].'</option>');
                    }
                    else {
                            echo('<option value="'.$prop["PropertyID"].'">'.$prop["PropAddress"].'</option>');
                    }
            }
            echo('</select>');
            //end property selection menu
    ?>
    <input type=submit value=submit>
</form>

[holstead]

propid was just a temp variable name I was using, just pretend its 'id'. I was making sure it wasn't redundant somehow...but I get the same thing when using propid...

7propid=7

maybe something in the php.ini settings...

[holstead]

When sending variables to the same page(itself) you have to use GET. I was using POST and somehow it was creating a redundancy.

[TheDefender]

I think finding out why the redundancy existed is more important that rewriting your code to use GET... It should work with POST or GET just fine... (I use POST a lot when submitting forms to itself, and have never had what you had...)

[zzz]

I'm wi TheDefender, should not make a difference whether its POST or GET.

[BigBadKev]

Hi holstead,

Firstly your code is broken I have commented out your broken code and replaced it with working code - this is not the problem though

//if(!result) {
if(!$result) {
  //die('Error: '.myssql_error());
  die('Error: ' . mysql_error());
}

If this is not a "cut and paste" error then you need to turn your error reporting up to E_ALL as you should have received a error message like this : Notice: Use of undefined constant result - assumed 'result' in C:\apache\htdocs\carparts\shop\test.php on line 14

I always use : action="<?=$_SERVER['PHP_SELF'];?>" for my forms IF it is going to be posted to itself - this is a style choice and again not your problem unless you have another page called edit_properties.php...

So what is your problem? regardless of $POST/$GET TheDefender is right so it narrows it down to how you are outputting your vars? like somewhere in your code do you have something like this

echo $_POST['propid'];
........DO SOMETHING.......
echo 'id='.$_POST['propid'];

The gap between it is the deception as it will print your error if there is no other outputs to the screen, the only other possibility is for some reason you are storing the data like your error..have a look in your DB just to make sure.

BBK - we have all done errors like this so dont panic

[holstead]

Thanks for the input. I fixed the typo's and going to try getting POST working. Also using $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'];

however, the error persists. I wrote a small form that recreates this problem:

<form action="<? $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']; ?> method="POST" enctype="text/plain">
<input type="text" name="id" value="5">
<input type="submit">
</form>

<?
$id = $_POST['id'];
echo $id;
?>

This code outputs '5id=5' when it should output '5'. Whatever I type into the text field I get the same result. eg: if I submit cookie, then I'll get cookieid=cookie

[holstead]

Ok, I changed enctype to "multipart/form-data" and it works. Output is '5'.

Can anyone explain to a newb why this is happening?

[BigBadKev]

Hi holstead,

Firstly we must get our code working : <form action="<? $SERVER['PHP_SELF']; ?> is wrong and will break with a "404" error, it should be <form action="<?= $SERVER['PHP_SELF']; ?>" note the " and the "=" after the first "<?"

Getting your code syntacticial correct is very important as other languages are much less forgiving and getting it correct now when you are learning is such an important habit to get into.

Right lets get into your problem, we will use just the form declaration itself and assume the body is always the same (all the stuff between <form.....> and </form>

//All three of these examples has either a different enctype types or none at all, I am using windows XP, IE6


//your form header
<form action="<?= $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']; ?>" method="POST" enctype="text/plain">
.....doesn't work on my system at all

//your other form header
<form action="<?= $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']; ?>" method="POST" enctype="multipart/form-data">
.....this works on my system : output '5'

//my form header
<form action="<?=$_SERVER['PHP_SELF']; ?>" method="POST">
....this works on my system : output '5'

So where does this leave us? well lets check out the php.ini file, on my system its C:\WINDOWS\php.ini
You can open this in notepad and I need you to find this part

; As of 4.0b4, PHP always outputs a character encoding by default in
; the Content-type: header.  To disable sending of the charset, simply
; set it to be empty.
;
; PHP's built-in default is text/html
default_mimetype = "text/html"
;default_charset = "iso-8859-1"

; Always populate the $HTTP_RAW_POST_DATA variable.
;always_populate_raw_post_data = On

The above is my php.ini file, what does yours look like? if different to mine try changing it to mine and retest your form headers.

I am sure it is some collision with the default_mimetype that is set in your php.ini file versus the enctype type you are trying to use

Here is a post about a bug that got me thinking about your bug
http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=20435

I am suspecting it has to do with your php.ini settings assuming you have explored all the other suggestions in previous posts.

So try setting your php.ini to mine, change your code so it works....re-test it a few different ways and post here what happened

I hope this is helping you in some way and we will get to the bottom of this.

BBK 🙂

[holstead]

Thanks BBKev,

I checked my /etc/php.ini and indeed the default mime is set just like yours, text/html. I have checked into everyone's suggestions. I'll have to go over the php.ini file more thuroughly when time permits.

I'm still alittle boggled why it only works with multipart/form-data, but it works out since I now have to upload multiple files with the form.

[mcs]

the problem is this:
when you echo $POST, what you are doing is ouputing 7, then storing 7 to $id, the outputing that. Which give you 7id=7.
try this:
$propid = $POST['id'];
echo $propid;

I doubt there is anything wrong with your php.ini file.

[BigBadKev]

Hi holstead,

I am simply not getting your error at all and am getting lost myself as to whats caused it, can I get you to paste the entire page here to look at? make sure its exactly the same...

When I use enctype="text/plain" I get no output what so ever and for any other enctype I get just the value '5', is it possible somewhere in the code the $_POST var is been set to 'id=5' somewhere?.

If you can paste your page here holstead I am sure we can find the problem.

BBK