Login problem

[klik]

I'm currently making a login script.

i have a login form called login_form.html and an index.php page

I have included this form in my index page with the php include function, but when a username and password are entered the user is then faced with simply the login_form.html and nothing else.

I would like to bounce back the results into the index page, and if invalid input is detected then index.php reloads and outlines the errors.

If I run my login script simply through the login form, everything works fine. But I want it to integrate into my site.

Appreciate any help.

Here is my code for my login form

<!-- Begin HTML file login_form.html -->
<form action="http://localhost/Hip%20Hop%20Reaction/members/login_check.php" method="post">
  <br>
  <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
    <tr> 
      <td>Username:</td>
      <td>
        <input type="text" name="username" size="10">
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr> 
      <td>Password:</td>
      <td>
        <input type="password" name="password" size="10">
      </td>
    </tr>
  </table>
  <div align="center">
    <input type="submit" value="submit" name="submit">
  </div>
</form>
<!-- End HTML file login_form.html -->

here is my login check file

<?
session_start();
/* Check User Script */


include 'db_connect.php';

// Convert to simple variables
$username = $_POST['username'];
$password = $_POST['password'];

if((!$username) || (!$password)){
    echo "Please enter ALL of the information! <br />";
    include 'login_form.html';
    exit();
}

// check if the user info validates the db
$sql = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM cms_users WHERE username='$username' AND password='$password'");
$login_check = mysql_num_rows($sql);

if($login_check > 0){
    while($row = mysql_fetch_array($sql)){
    foreach( $row AS $key => $val ){
        $$key = stripslashes( $val );
    }
        // Register some session variables!
	session_register('username');
	$_SESSION['username'] = $username;
	session_register('LoggedIn');
	$_SESSION['LoggedIn'] = 1;

    mysql_query("UPDATE cms_users SET last_login=now() WHERE user_id='$user_id'");

    header("Location: login_success.php");
}
} else {
    echo "You could not be logged in! The username and password do not match<br />
    Please try again!<br />";
    include 'login_form.html';
}
?>

[jazz_snob]

Do i understand your situation? You have a form and want to show it/verify user entries/do processing all on the same page ( eg: index.php )? I've seen the following approach used and used it well on my own site...

<?php
/** show the form, $message would be an error message to the user */
function input_form( $message="", $name ="", $email="" )
{ 
	echo("
	<form action=\"?cmd=results\" method=\"post\">
	<center><p>
	Name:&nbsp;&nbsp;<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" value=\"$name\" size=\"30\" />
	</p>
	<p>
	Email: <input type=\"text\" name=\"email\" value=\"$email\" size=\"30\" /></p></center>
	<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"cmd\" value=\"results\">
	<center><font color=\"red\">$message</font></center>

<center>
<input type=\"submit\" name=\"join\" value=\"sign me up!\" align=\"middle\" style=\"margin: 1em 0\" />
</center>
</form>
</div>
");
}

/** Process the users input, if its not correct show an error message and show values they entered ( cause some fields were probably OK ). */
function results( )
{
	if( !$_SESSION[ 'joined' ] )
	{
		if( !eregi( '^[a-z]+', $user_name ) )
		{
			$txt = "Please enter your name";	
		}
		elseif( $email == "" ) 
		{
			$txt = "Please enter an email address";
		}
		else
		{
			//I have a class representing email address objects, it can verify an address
			if( Email_Contact::verify( $email ) )
			{
				//do stuff
			}
			else
			{
				//compose a warning message to show
				$txt = "You have entered an invalid email address";
			}
		}
	}
	else
	{
		$txt="You have already signed up.";
	}
	//show form again, with user's original entries and any warnings.
	input_form( $txt, $user_name, $email );
}

/** figure out if we need to process the form, or if we are showing it for the first time */
switch($_REQUEST['cmd'])
{
	default:
	input_form();
	break;

case "results";
results( );
break;
}
?>

[klik]

Thanks for trying to help.

Problem is, the code you supplied doesn't query the database for matching username/password etcetra.

Can I transform my login_check.php file into a function maybe in a /includes/functions.php file.

Then have the form action going to this login_check function.

Maybe I would have to adjust the login_check function to do this.

I would appreciate anyone to help me with this problem. Mostly i need to know how to create this new function and have it called by the forms 'action' field.

Keeping in mind i want the page with the login form on, to be returned to , when displaying the errors, and to only display the login form when a user is not logged in. When a user IS logged in, then i would like the form to be replaced with something else.

such as the following

<?
session_start();

echo "Welcome ". $_SESSION['username'] ."!
    You have made it to the members area!<br /><br />";

echo "<br /><a href=logout.php>Logout</a>";

?>