update script -- behaviour of textarea

lajkonik86

At the moment i have an update script which gathers information, puts it in textboxes and waits for me to submit it.
The update script is working without problems for a while so i would like to make it fully automated.

Thing is it won't be using a textarea anymore. When submitting in a textarea some changes are made to what is submitted. How do i mimick these changes without actually using a textarea?

Thanks a lot 🙂

leatherback

It might help if you actually describe what you want to achieve (We have no clue what happens to your checkboxes in an textarea)

LoganK

If what you're doing manually is replacing strings, then utilize str_replace, or preg_replace, or ereg_replace, or eregi_replace. Doesn't it seem silly that we have four functions for the same thing?

lajkonik86

sorry for my appertly horrible explanation 🙂

The script gathers links and names and throws them in textareas for me to review
The database is updated by clicking submit beneath the textbox

The names and links in the textarea change because of php. Stuff like ' or " don't triger errors while they are in a textarea. While if i let the script get the names and links and immidiatly feed them to the database there are problems.

Now i could remove the " and ' but i would like the 2 scripts to stay as similar as possible so i can easily debug any problems which could come along with the automated script

A'm i making any sense?
Cheers,

Thierry

leatherback

Ah!! You would need a function like: addslashes I think that would solve your problem?

Basically: You need to check the links etc before the data is submitted, so you do not get any SQL insert hickups, right?

THen also look at html_special_chars

lajkonik86

thanks 🙂
That was indeed what i meant

I'm having a little problem
echo $names[1][0]; //works ok
VALUES (
'$type', '$temp', '$red', '$names[$red][$blue]', '$links[$red][$blue]'
) // Gives me array[$blue]

What is wrong with the mysql code?

LoganK

I think I read something about single quotes not interpreting variables...but since it's in a SQL query, I don't think that's what's wrong here. You can try doing what I do - when I reference an array in a string, I enclose it with brackets, like this: "echo '{$names[$red][$blue]}';".

lajkonik86

well the problem is only in the sql query
i temporarily fixed it by
$tempname = $names[$red][$blue]

and then in the sql simply use $tempname

Still wondering what the correct sql syntax is for a multidimensional array

LoganK

It's nothing to do with SQL, since PHP parses and replaces all variables before it goes to the SQL database. I know PHP trips up on arrays in quotes unless you out brackets around them; have you tried my suggestion?

Other than that, it looks like your temp method also works just fine. Since you're not utilizing it other than to reference a value, pass by reference and save some memory! "$tempname = &$names[$red][$blue];"

lajkonik86

pass by reference and save some memory

that sounds interesting, but i'm unaware of that technique
what does the & do??

laserlight

Read up on references.

lajkonik86

sweet thx for the advice