form -&gt; mysql db problems.

form -> mysql db problems.

Iahmel

Hello all. I have recently been studying PHP and MySQL. For quite some time I have been working on the code I am about to post below. I am essentialy creating a simple little form for my MUD staff members to submit a few details on what areas they are creating ect. What happens is that the form is shown, yet when you submit the details, it doesnt actualy seem to post them. Perhaps I have messed up the logic somewhat. I am more than a little confused and the more time I seem to spend with this the more I seem to get nowhere 🙁

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

<?php

if ($_POST[op] != "done") {
        $display_block = "
<form method=\"post\" action=\"$_SERVER[PHP_SELF]\">

<table>

<tr>
        <td>Area Name</td>
        <td><input type=text name=aname size=20></td>
<tr>
        <td>Author</td>
        <td><input type=text name=auth size=20></td>
<tr>
        <td>Area Filename</td>
        <td><input type=text name=fname size=20></td>
<tr>
        <td>Area Class</td>
        <td><input type=text name=aclass size=20></td>
<tr>
        <td>Area Alignment</td>
        <td><input type=radio name=align value=evil>Evil
            <input type=radio name=align value=neut>Neutral
            <input type=radio name=align value=good>Good</td>
<tr>
        <td>Area Description <br>Make sure you put all relevant area specific details in!</td>
        <td><input type=text name=adesc size=20></td>

</table>

<BR>
<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"op\" value\"done\">
<p><input type=\"submit\" name=\"submit\" value=\"Submit Area\"></p>
</form>";
} else if ($_POST[op] == "done") {
echo "<br> Test 1<br>";
// a check for blank fields

if (($_POST[aname] == "") || ($_POST[auth] == "") || ($_POST[fname] == "") || ($_POST[aclass] == "") || ($_POST[align] == "") || ($_POST[adesc] == "")) {
        $display_block = "<p> You need to fill all the details in.</p>";
        echo "<br> Test 2<br>";
       }

mysql_connect("host", "user", "pass") or die(mysql_error());
mysql_select_db("builders") or die(mysql_error());
echo "<br> Test 3 <br>";
$sql = "SELECT Area_Name FROM areas where Area_Name = '$_POST[aname]'";
$result = mysql_query($sql) or die(mysql_error());

$numrows = mysql_num_rows($result);
if ($numrows >= 1) {
        $display_block = "<p>That area exists already. Use the modify form to alter its details or select a new area name</p>";
        }
else if ($numrows < 1) {
        $sql = "insert into areas values('$_POST[aname]', '$_POST[auth]', '$_POST[fname]', '$_POST[aclass]', '$_POST[align]', '$_POST[adesc]')";
        mysql_query($sql) or die(mysql_error());
        $display_block = "<p>Thankyou for your area submission.</p>";
        }
}
?>
<html>
<head><title>IahMUD Area submission form.</title></head>
<body>
<h1> Area subission form.</h1><br>
<p> Please check all details to ensure they are correct.</p>
<hr>
<?php echo "$display_block"; ?>
</body>
</html>

Perhaps I tried to do something too complex for my 1st try. I took the liberty of altering the mysql_connect("host", "user", "pass") statment for obvious reasons. The MySQL side of this seems fine as I manualy set the post options in the code once and they went thru. I do think its something to do with my logic here but I just can't put my finger on it. What that code does right now is loops the form back and its blank after you "submit" the form. Nothing even hits the DB. Those echo lines are where I attempted to get some feedback on where its going wrong. But to no avail. It no longer makes any sence to me. sigh :queasy:

hitman6003

$sql = "INSERT INTO areas VALUES ($POST['aname'], $POST['auth'], $POST['fname'], $POST['aclass'], $POST['align'], $POST['adesc'])";

hitman6003

Ok I reread your code and fixed some other syntax errors, so hopefully it will work.

<?php

if ($_POST['op'] != "done") {
	$display_block = "
		<form method=\"post\" action=\"$_SERVER[PHP_SELF]\">
			<table>
				<tr>
        	<td>Area Name</td>
        	<td><input type=text name=aname size=20></td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
        	<td>Author</td>
        	<td><input type=text name=auth size=20></td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
        	<td>Area Filename</td>
        	<td><input type=text name=fname size=20></td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
        	<td>Area Class</td>
        	<td><input type=text name=aclass size=20></td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
        	<td>Area Alignment</td>
        	<td><input type=radio name=align value=evil>Evil
            	<input type=radio name=align value=neut>Neutral
            	<input type=radio name=align value=good>Good</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
        	<td>Area Description <br>Make sure you put all relevant area specific details in!</td>
        	<td><input type=text name=adesc size=20></td>
				</tr>
			</table>
			<BR>
			<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"op\" value=\"done\">
			<p><input type=\"submit\" name=\"submit\" value=\"Submit Area\"></p>
			</form>";
} else if ($_POST[op] == "done") {
	echo "<br> Test 1<br>";
	if (($_POST[aname] == "") || ($_POST[auth] == "") || ($_POST[fname] == "") || ($_POST[aclass] == "") || ($_POST[align] == "") || ($_POST[adesc] == "")) {
  	$display_block = "<p> You need to fill all the details in.</p>";
    echo "<br> Test 2<br>";
  }

mysql_connect("host", "user", "pass") or die(mysql_error());
mysql_select_db("builders") or die(mysql_error());
echo "<br> Test 3 <br>";
$sql = "SELECT Area_Name FROM areas where Area_Name = '$_POST[aname]'";
$result = mysql_query($sql) or die(mysql_error());

$numrows = mysql_num_rows($result);
if ($numrows >= 1) {
$display_block = "<p>That area exists already. Use the modify form to alter its details or select a new area name</p>";
  } else if ($numrows < 1) {
    $sql = "INSERT INTO areas VALUES ($_POST['aname'], $_POST['auth'], $_POST['fname'], $_POST['aclass'], $_POST['align'], $_POST['adesc'])";
    mysql_query($sql) or die(mysql_error());
    $display_block = "<p>Thankyou for your area submission.</p>";
  }
}
?>
<html>
<head><title>IahMUD Area submission form.</title></head>
<body>
<h1> Area subission form.</h1><br>
<p> Please check all details to ensure they are correct.</p>
<hr>
<?php echo "$display_block"; ?>
</body>
</html>

Iahmel

Thanks for the fast reply! I wish i could say it came with postive results. 🙁

Parse error: parse error, unexpected T_ENCAPSED_AND_WHITESPACE, expecting T_STRING or T_VARIABLE or T_NUM_STRING in /var/www/html/newarea2.php on line 55

Not sure whats happened here.

drew010

$sql = "INSERT INTO areas VALUES ($POST['aname'], $POST['auth'], $POST['fname'], $POST['aclass'], $POST['align'], $POST['adesc'])";

should be

$sql = "INSERT INTO areas VALUES ('{$POST['aname']}', '{$POST['auth']}', '{$POST['fname']}', '{$POST['aclass']}', '{$POST['align']}', '{$POST['adesc']}')";

Iahmel

ok thats now changed to: $sql = "INSERT INTO areas VALUES ('{$POST['aname']}', '{$POST['auth']}', '{$POST['fname']}', '{$POST['aclass']}', '{$POST['align']}', '{$POST['adesc']}')";

as drew said.
Im still getting that parse message when i use the code hitman suggested. Hmmm :/

hitman6003

what are the values that you are posting? It may be picking up an error when it puts the data into the query. But I think that drew's solution would have solved that.

Iahmel

The values match what the database is supposed to have inserted. As i created the DB manualy i was able to stipulate input to match. What my problem is isnt a db problem so much from what i can see but the fact it loops back on the form. If you would like to see the form its on iahmel.com/newarea.php have a play and see what happens. Its like it just ignores the submit button and the $_POST[op] value.

Another thing i might add is that none of the echos "Test #" come back so its not even really getting past the form.

hitman6003

Ok, I moved some stuff around and changed the syntax a little...maybe it'll work;

<?php

if (isset($_POST['submit'])) {
    echo "<br> Test 1<br>";
    if (($_POST[aname] == "") || ($_POST[auth] == "") || ($_POST[fname] == "") || ($_POST[aclass] == "") || ($_POST[align] == "") || ($_POST[adesc] == "")) {
      $display_block = "<p> You need to fill all the details in.</p>";
    echo "<br> Test 2<br>";
    }

mysql_connect("host", "user", "pass") or die(mysql_error());
mysql_select_db("builders") or die(mysql_error());
echo "<br> Test 3 <br>";
$sql = "SELECT Area_Name FROM areas where Area_Name = '$_POST[aname]'";
$result = mysql_query($sql) or die(mysql_error());

$numrows = mysql_num_rows($result);
if ($numrows >= 1) {
  $display_block = "<p>That area exists already. Use the modify form to alter its details or select a new area name</p>";
} else if ($numrows < 1) {
$sql = "INSERT INTO areas VALUES ($_POST['aname'], $_POST['auth'], $_POST['fname'], $_POST['aclass'], $_POST['align'], $_POST['adesc'])";
mysql_query($sql) or die(mysql_error());
$display_block = "<p>Thankyou for your area submission.</p>";
}
} else {
  $display_block = "
  	<form method=\"post\" action=\"$_SERVER[PHP_SELF]\">
    	<table>
      	<tr>
        	<td>Area Name</td>
          <td><input type=text name=aname size=20></td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td>Author</td>
          <td><input type=text name=auth size=20></td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td>Area Filename</td>
          <td><input type=text name=fname size=20></td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td>Area Class</td>
          <td><input type=text name=aclass size=20></td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
        	<td>Area Alignment</td>
          <td><input type=radio name=align value=evil>Evil
              <input type=radio name=align value=neut>Neutral
              <input type=radio name=align value=good>Good</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td>Area Description <br>Make sure you put all relevant area specific details in!</td>
          <td><input type=text name=adesc size=20></td>
        </tr>
      </table>
      <BR>
      <p><input type=\"submit\" name=\"submit\" value=\"Submit Area\"></p>
      </form>";
}      

?>
<html>
<head><title>IahMUD Area submission form.</title></head>
<body>
<h1> Area subission form.</h1><br>
<p> Please check all details to ensure they are correct.</p>
<hr>
<?php echo "$display_block"; ?>
</body>
</html>

Iahmel

Nope, that last bit of code generated this:

Parse error: parse error, unexpected T_ENCAPSED_AND_WHITESPACE, expecting T_STRING or T_VARIABLE or T_NUM_STRING in /var/www/html/newarea2.php on line 20

iahmel.com/newarea2.php

Iahmel

There is still something wrong here. I have taken more time to look into this and I just can not seem to get past the form. If you view the page in question, you can see that no matter what you do (leave fields blank, fill them all in, leave em all blank) you just get put straight back to the form, it just does not go any further into the logic statements under it. I put an echo statement underneath the display_block statment while still under the != "done" condition before it closes. This works, but it seems once that statment closes it does not continue on. This is really stumping me and I seem to be getting no where no matter how hard I look at this.

To take a look at my form its is hosted here iahmel.com/newarea.php /newarea2.php is using the last snippet of code from hitman which gave me some confusing parse error (error is above, or see the site for the error message).