n00b... using PHP to manipulate HTML templates ?

Clenard

I know there's a ton of programs out there and there's a few articles but i'm looking for a STRAIGHT FORWARD ANSWER of the EASIEST way to do this...

What i'm looking for is codes to have a Customer enter their name in an HTML form and choose a Template from a drop down menu and click go .... then the next page they go to would be THAT TEMPLATE with (variables?) inside of it to put the customers information on certain pats of the template...

i've read about PHP for a month now (hours a day) and i still can't figure out how to do this properly... probably just scared of failing lol...

i just need this in it's most SIMPLEST form (no classes if possibles cause they confuse me) using the echo function or something???

please help anybody! i really need to put this together by tomorrow!!!

thanks in advance

Clenard

also this would be something that re-wrote itself everytime a new customer form was entered...

in other words the templates are only demos...

PLEASE HELP! i don't really need the full codes... but just the basic help of how to figure this out i guess...

i just noticed there was a newbie forum but cant move it myself lol...

thanks again

Clenard

9 views and no replies?

i was told to come here and i would get replies...?

i know SOMEONE knows how to do this ?

crosbystillsnas

form_input.php:
send this form to 'getTemplate.php' for example

<form action="getTemplate.php" method="post">

<input type="text" name="username">

<select name="chosenTemplate">
<option value="template1">Template1</option>
<option value="template2">Template2</option>
<option value="template3">Template3</option>
<option value="template4">Template4</option>
</select>
</form>

in 'getTemplate.php' you can work with the posted variables $POST["username"] and $POST["chosenTemplate"] and any other variables you post to that page.

/* includes the chosen template, which is a php-file */
include ($_POST["chosenTemplate"].".php");

of course you should make sure that all offered templates exist, here: template1.php, template2.php, template3.php, template4.php

you can design each template as you like and work on with all posted variables....e.g.

template1.php:
(prints the username bold)

print ("<b>".$_POST["username"]."</b>");

template2.php:
(prints the username italic)

print ("<i>".$_POST["username"]."</i>");

template3.php:
(prints the username underlined)

print ("<u>".$_POST["username"]."</u>");

this is one way to make it.

Clenard

WOW...

thanks ALOT man... i REALLY appreciate this!!!

Clenard

man this is EXACTLY what i was looking for... i was also wondering (i've been searching for both for days now) how to show an image of what the template would look like everytime the template is called on the menu?

i know you can do it with JS...

here's what im trying to accomplish: http://www.dollarsbydesign.com/danselmi/build3.0.html

i just want to make something simple but similar for my templates i'm selling...

thanks for everything!

Clenard

okay i was using this code fine... but now i ran into a problem...

i want the information to stay on the page for anyone to see until it's overwritten...

how can i do this?

right now when i put the info in it directs me to the template and i can see it... but if someone across the country is told to check out the URL the information doesn't appear ???

again i want it to be for DEMO purposes only for now ....but can i keep this information on the template for everyone to see???

tsinka

Hi,

hope I understood fully what you want to do.

So you have a template and each time someone submits data you want to replace the info shown on that template with the submitted data and you want to show that example to anyone who wants to see it ?

You need to store the data in some way. If you don't want to store the data in a database you might want to store the data in a file.
Change the script a little bit so that it checks if a given GET parameter exists (like template=thetemplate). Just read in the contents of that file and use that data whenever someone requests that page with template=thetemplate. Store the data in that file if someone submits the form.

If you always want to use the template chosen by the one who submitted the form you might just save the serialized $_POST array in that file and unserialize it each time someone wants to view the example data (the functions are serialize and unserialize).

Alternatively, you can use a database to store the data.

Thomas

Clenard

thanks alot man... trying to figure out how i can use serialize for this right now.

i was actually thinking about using a database but i'm not sure how to do too much with it... i know the basics of building one but when it comes to hardcoding i always seem to forget everything i've read 🙁

i knew you could write to a file... i thought i would have to use fwrite() or something... serialize is new to me but i'll keep reading up and see how i could use it.

and yes each template would work like you said.... but i would have like 20+ templates. so i'm not sure if i would have to store the entire template in the database? i've HEARD of this but im far from understanding this method,.

thanks for the reply

Clenard

upping this...

any help please?

can someone give me an example i could use for serialize and unserialize for the code up above?

thanks

Clenard

:bemused:

will $$$ help? 😕

Clenard

i'll give someone cash if they can help me with this one...

PLEASE help... :bemused:

i guess is what i need for sure is something that will allow sessions for the same templates and different people ???

a buddy of mine wants to sell them through a call center and if the reps (i believe 3?) are showing the same template to different customers i need this to show the customer info for each one on the same template but only the customer EACH REP is showing should be seen by THAT customer... get it???

so i guess a database will be needed... i can probably get that going... but i'm clueless writing the codes myself 🙁

i TRIED learning about PHP and i continue... but i think what i need is way out of my hands 🙁 ...i've been trying for weeks now... and i can't do anything remotely close to what i need...

PLEASE HELP ME!!!

tsinka

Hi,

I didn't get exactly what you meant by "REP".
From what I read so far in your posts I think that using a database is better in this case so forget about seralize and fwrite.
Please give me a short description about the data that should be displayed by the templates and what the difference is between the templates. Do you need some kind of authentication to make sure that each customer can only see the data related to that customer ?

Thomas

Clenard

thanks for the reply man...

i know i sound like such a n00b and more or less an idiot... but i'm having to deal with this from 2 different sources telling me what they need/ want...

well my buddy JUST told me that what i started is all he needs...

so basically fwrite might work after all lol...

so now all i would need is for the FORM to POST information (customers info) into the specific template...

so the "rep" or representative calling on the customer would pick their type of business template, fill in the form - and bam... the info would be POSTED on that HTML template until the next time it's written to...

but with the POST variable - the DATA (customer info) won't show up for the customer when they click the URL ...

so yeah should be basic stuff again... i'll worry about the MySQL stuff at a later date and time...

thanks,

Clint

tsinka

Hi,

so it might be sufficient to save the data on a per template basis.
Each time someone chooses a template and submits the form the data of that specific template will be written.

One solution:

Change the templates so that they use e.g. $arrData instead of $_POST. Then change the script to support GET parameters (http://myhost.com/viewtemplate.php?template=1)

Name the templates files template1.php, template2.php ....,change the name of the template SELECT in the form to 'template' and change the values to 1,2,... instead of template1,template2....
Set the target of the form to viewtemplate.php to separate the form script and the viewtemplate script since the customers don't need the form.

Example:

viewtemplate.php:

<?PHP
  $arrData = array();
  $strError = "";
  $tpl = 0;
  if (isset($_GET["template"])) {
    $templ =  $_GET["template"];
    if (is_numeric($templ) && is_file("template".$templ.".php")) {
      $tpl = $templ;
      $arrData = unserialize(file_get_contents("template".$tpl.".php"));
    } 
  } else if (isset($_POST["template"])) {
    $templ =  $_POST["template"];
    if (is_numeric($templ) && is_file("template".$templ.".php")) {
      $tpl = $templ;
      $arrData = $_POST;
      if ($fp = fopen("template".$tpl.".php","w")) {
        // you might need "wb" instead of "w" depending on the data in the array.
        fwrite($fp,serialize($arrData));
        fclose($fp);
      } else {
        $strError = "Error opening file";
      }
    } 
  }

  if ($tpl == 0) {
    $strError = "invalid template selected";
  }

  include "template".$tpl.".php";
?>

Create a template called template0.php that deals with the error message.

This might be not the best approach but at least it should work. I'm a little bit short of time so this code is sort of a hack.

Hint: you can place the template files outside DOCUMENT_ROOT since they will not be requested directly (adjust the paths if you do so).

Hope it works 🙂

Thomas

tsinka

Hi,

I found some errors in my script and edited it. Hope that it works now.

Thomas

Clenard

Originally posted by tsinka
Hi,

Change the templates so that they use e.g. $arrData instead of $_POST. Then change the script to support GET parameters

http://myhost.com/viewtemplate.php?template=1

Okay so would i use:

/ includes the chosen template, which is a php-file /
The Customers first name is:

print ("<b>".$addData["firstname"]."</b>");

right???

i got the rest... and i REALLY appreciate this man!

i'm just not sure if that code up there is where i would change from $_POST ?

again,
thanks!

tsinka

Hi,

it's arrData (array, not addData 🙂

That's right, just replace e.g.

print ("<b>".$_POST["firstname"]."</b>");
by
print ("<b>".$arrData["firstname"]."</b>");

I found another error after my last post. In the $_POST part of the if/else code I accidently used

$arrData = $GET;
instead of
$arrData = $POST;

Did you see that (I corrected the code meanwhile) ?

You can use print_r($arrData); to see how the arrays look like to check if they are ok.

Thomas

Clenard

my bad... i meant ARR not add lol thanks for noticing though!

okay i did notice that just a minute ago... i'm going to test in a second

thanks man!

Clenard

hmmm... i'm getting a blank page lol

i changed the form, got rid of the GetTemplate.php part and changed it to viewtemplate.php...

changed all the $_POST arrays to $arrData in the template1.php (testing one first) and made a template0.php (with open and close tags and nothing in between?)

<?php
print ("<b>".$arrData["lastname"]."</b>");
?>

is what i'm using to post certain information into certain places... but the pages becomes white when i click "go"... ?