urgent help - form value checking

adityakonda

Hi all,

I am need for some desperate help.

I have created an html form - userrequest_insert_form, where the users enter data, but how do I check for blank fields and generate error messages?

This is the code for userrequest_insert_form

<html><head><title>Request Form</title></head>
<body>
Form</h3>
<form method="POST" action="userrequest_insert_record.php">
<table border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="5"width="50%">
<tr>
<td>Username</td>
<td class="dr"><input type="text" name="username" ></td>
<td>Department</td>
<td class="dr"><input type="text" name="department" ></td>
<td>Phone Ext</td>
<td class="dr"><input type="text" name="phoneext" ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Location</td>
<td class="dr"><input type="text" name="location" ></td>
<td>Equipment</td>
<td class="dr"><input type="text" name="equipment" ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Subject</td>
<td class="dr" colspan=5><input size=105 type="text" name="subject" ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> Fault Description</td>
<td class="dr" colspan=5><textarea name="fdescription" cols="80" rows="6" wrap="PHYSICAL"></textarea></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Urgency Value</strong></td>
<td class="dr"><select name="uvalue"><option value="Normal">Normal</option><option value="Critical">Critical</option>
<option value="High">High</option><option value="Low">Low</option><option value="Query">Query</option></select></td>
</tr>
</table>
<input type=submit value=Submit><input type=reset>
</form>
<form method="POST" action="userrequest_dbase_interface.php">
<input type="submit" value="Return to Main Menu" align="left">
</form>
</td></tr></table>

</body>
</html>

And, this is the code for inserting the data into the database - userrequest_insert_record.php

<html><head><title>Submit a Request</title></head>
<body>
<?
$username=$POST['username'];
$department=$POST['department'];
$phoneext=$POST['phoneext'];
$location=$POST['location'];
$subject=$POST['subject'];
$equipment=$POST['equipment'];
$fdescription=$POST['fdescription'];
$uvalue=$POST['uvalue'];
$db="support";
$link = mysql_connect("localhost","user","password");
//$link = mysql_connect("localhost",$POST['username'],$POST['password']);
if (! $link)
die("Couldn't connect to MySQL");
mysql_select_db($db , $link) or die("Select Error: ".mysql_error());
$result=mysql_query("INSERT INTO userrequest (Username, Department, PhoneExt, Location, Subject, Equipment, FaultDescription,Urgencyvalue, DateAndTime ) VALUES ('$username','$department','$phoneext','$location','$subject','$equipment','$fdescription','$uvalue'
, now() )")or die("Insert Error: ".mysql_error());
mysql_close($link);
print "Request added\n";
?>
<form method="POST" action="userrequest_dbase_interface.php">
<input type="submit" value="Return to Main Menu">
</form>
</body>
</html>

I am also not sure which module to put the validating code in?

Your help would be much appreciated.

Thank you.
Adi

bpat1434

You could either look for a javascript that helps you validate your code and gives an error pop-up box; or, you can use empty() and isset().

Basically, your form "validation" would be a series of:

if(empty($_POST['field']) || !isset($_POST['field']))
{
    // Error!!
}
else
{
    $field = $_POST['field'];
}

Now, what you can do is set a variable like $error to an empty string, and then add to it if there is an error. Then before you do anything with the data the user input, check the $error variable for a value other than ''.

<?php
$error = ''; // Set $error to empty string

// Check for empty or non-set POST vars
if( (empty($_POST['field'])) || (!isset($_POST['field'])) )
{
    // Error!!
    $error .= 'You did not fill in a required field.';
} // Repeat if() for as many fields as you have.
else
{
    // POST is set, check to see if we have errors
    if($error != '' && isset($error))
    {
        echo $error;
        exit();
    }
    // No errors, continue
    else
    {
        // Do whatever you want here
    }
}
?>

~Brett

adityakonda

Thank you very much for your help.

Upon catching the error, how can i direct the user back to form with the firld values that were already fiiled in.

And, which is the best place to check fo errors, is it in the html form file or the php file were the iser record takes places?

Thank you.

adityakonda

Hi Brett,

This is what i have coded, see what you think.

But still have problem with directing the user back to the form with fiiled in values.

Am i checking for errors in the right file?

if ($username==''| $location=='' | $subject=='' | $location=='')
{
echo'<p align = Left class="error">Error</p>';
echo '<br />Please enter all the required information<br />';
}
?>
<form action="userrequest_insert_form.php" method="POST" target="_self">
<input type="submit" value="Fill in th required fields">
</form>
<?
if($username!='' && $location!='' && $subject!='' && $location!='' )
{
$result=mysql_query("INSERT INTO userrequest (Username, Department, PhoneExt, Location, Subject, Equipment, FaultDescription,Urgencyvalue, DateAndTime ) VALUES ('$username','$department','$phoneext','$location','$subject','$equipment','$fdescription','$uvalue', now() )")or die("Insert Error: ".mysql_error());
mysql_close($link);
print "Request added\n";
}
?>

Thank you

bpat1434

Easiest thing I would tell you to do, is to put it all in one page and have the form post back to itself. Then, you can check to see if there is a value to the variable. If not, display nothing, else, display the value.

<html><head><title>Submit a Request</title></head>
<body>
<?
$username=$_POST['username'];
$department=$_POST['department'];
$phoneext=$_POST['phoneext'];
$location=$_POST['location'];
$subject=$_POST['subject'];
$equipment=$_POST['equipment'];
$fdescription=$_POST['fdescription'];
$uvalue=$_POST['uvalue'];
$db="support";
$link = mysql_connect("localhost","user","password");
//$link = mysql_connect("localhost",$_POST['username'],$_POST['password']);
if (! $link)
die("Couldn't connect to MySQL");
mysql_select_db($db , $link) or die("Select Error: ".mysql_error());

// if ($username==''| $location=='' | $subject=='' | $location=='')
if($username == '' || $location == '' || $subject == '' || $location == '')
{
    echo'<p align = Left class="error">Error</p>';
    echo '<br />Please enter all the required information<br />';
}

?>
<form action="<?= $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']; ?>" method="post" target="_self">
  <input type="submit" value="Fill in th required fields">
</form>

<?php
<?
if($username!='' && $location!='' && $subject!='' && $location!='' )
{
$result=mysql_query("INSERT INTO userrequest (Username, Department, PhoneExt, Location, Subject, Equipment, FaultDescription,Urgencyvalue, DateAndTime ) VALUES ('$username','$department','$phoneext','$location'
,'$subject','$equipment','$fdescription','$uvalue'
, now() )")or die("Insert Error: ".mysql_error());
mysql_close($link);
print "Request added\n";
} 
?>

Now, each <input> field would take on this type of form:

<input type="text" name="NAME" value="<?= (!empty($NAME)) ? $NAME : ''; ?>">

~Brett

adityakonda

Thank again.

If i put all the code in one page i get lot of errors like:

Notice: Undefined index: department in D:\wwwRoot\userrequest_insert_form.php on line 73

Notice: Undefined index: phoneext in D:\wwwRoot\userrequest_insert_form.php on line 74

Notice: Undefined index: location in D:\wwwRoot\userrequest_insert_form.php on line 75
etc..,

if i put all the code in one page, do i put the php code first or the html form code?

Thank you.

Adi

bpat1434

What are lines 73, 74, and 75?

And mixing PHP and HTML doesn't matter. Either can go first, but normally, I make it practice to always open it in PHP, even if it's just a comment about the page.

~Brett

adityakonda

These are lines 73, 74 and 75

$username=$POST['username'];
$department=$POST['department'];
$phoneext=$_POST['phoneext'];

The rest of the errors are from similar lines.

Brett, is there a funtion in php or html which can direct the user back to the last page - just like pressing BACK on internet explorer?

And, is there a function in php or html which auto - directs the user to a page? For eg.. the user login script, which has a username to fill in.

If the username is not filled in, i have a button in place - to direct the user back to the login script, but if he does fill it in i am having to ask the user to press a button which says 'Enter to proceed' to move on to the userview page. This is the process i want to automate.

Thank you.

adi

bpat1434

I would use [man]curl[/man] to actually forward the user and posted information to the userview.php script.

To go "backwards" I would think the browser back button would work, or just a simple <meta> refresh would work.

As for the errors, not sure what's causing it. Perhaps you are using an older version of PHP and need to change all $POST[], $GET[], and $_SESSION[] vars to $HTTP_POST_VARS[], $HTTP_GET_VARS[], and $HTTP_SESSION_VARS[].

~Brett

adityakonda

Thanks again brett,

I have never user curl funtions before

this is the code am i am trying to automtically direct the user to userview it username is not empty.

<html>
<br>
<form method="POST" action="userrequest_login.php">
<?
$filter = @$HTTP_POST_VARS["filter"];

if(empty( $filter))
{
echo'<p align = Left class="error">Error</p>';
echo '<br />Please enter your username<br />';
}
?>
<p><input type="submit" value="Return to Login"></p>
</form>

Instead of user pressing submit, i want to auto direct him.

How can i do this?

Is it possible for you alter my code?

Thank you.

Adi

bpat1434

Read. I'm not going to give you code. I'll help when you get stuck, but not write it for you. It's your project not mine. Help yourself first, then I'll help you. Read up on [man]curl[/man] in the PHP manual. It's fairly straightforward to use and understand.

I will suggest this: You always change something in between posts. You never keep it constant. So as your code changes, so does what you want to have done. Just take a good long thought on what you want done. Then do a basic outline of what you want done. Follow that outline. You've got most of it down, but you keep changing small things, and I can't follow what you change, and for what reasons.

~Brett

adityakonda

cheers for your help buddy