Is this form as good as it could be?

djwinder

the form aims to check for exsiting info in the welcome field of the settings table. if there is some i want to to display in the text box (this doesnt work) then what is in the text box gets posted to the settings table (this does work).

The areas in red are where i am trying to check for old data and post it in the text area if it exists. If anyone can see the fault please let me know. adtitionaly I am aware that the methods i have used may not be best practice and would apreshiate any input on how it could be improved.

 Change the Welcome message : 
 <br>
 <br>
 <textarea name="welcome" cols="60" rows="10[COLOR=Red]"><?php $olddata ?>[/COLOR]</textarea>
 <br>
 <br> 
 <p>
 <input type= "submit" name="welcomebtn" value= "Add your welcome message" >
 <input type="reset" name="Clear" value="Clear Form">
 </p>

</form>

<?php

 include ("constants.inc");


   	   $welcome = $_POST['welcome'];

   $connection = mysql_connect($GLOBALS['host'],$GLOBALS['user'],$GLOBALS['pass']) or die ("couldn't connect to server");

   $db = mysql_select_db ($GLOBALS['db_name'], $connection) or die ("Unable to select the database");

	   [COLOR=Red]$olddata = "SELECT welcome FROM settings WHERE clubid = 1";[/COLOR]

   $query = "UPDATE settings SET welcome = ('$welcome') WHERE clubid = 1 ";

   $result = mysql_query($query) or print(mysql_error()."<br />");

   if ($result) {echo ("Your welcome message has been updated" );} 
   else { echo ("Sorry, read the error above to find out what is wrong.");}

   mysql_close();

echo ('got here');

</body>
</html>

frost110

Change: <?php $olddata ?>
TO: <?= $olddata; ?>

<html>
<body>


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

Change the Welcome message :
<br>
<br>
<textarea name="welcome" cols="60" rows="10"><?= $olddata; ?></textarea>
<br>
<br>
<p>
<input type= "submit" name="welcomebtn" value= "Add your welcome message" >
<input type="reset" name="Clear" value="Clear Form">
</p>

</form>

<?php

include ("constants.inc");


$welcome = $_POST['welcome'];

$connection = mysql_connect($GLOBALS['host'],$GLOBALS['user'],$GLOBALS['pass']) or die ("couldn't connect to server");

$db = mysql_select_db ($GLOBALS['db_name'], $connection) or die ("Unable to select the database");

$olddata = "SELECT welcome FROM settings WHERE clubid = 1";

$query = "UPDATE settings SET welcome = ('$welcome') WHERE clubid = 1 ";

$result = mysql_query($query) or print(mysql_error()."<br />");

if ($result) {echo ("Your welcome message has been updated" );}
else { echo ("Sorry, read the error above to find out what is wrong.");}

mysql_close();


echo ('got here');

?>

</body>
</html>

djwinder

cheers for the help, i have done as you said and now the textarea displays <?= $olddata; ?> and not the content of the $olddata variable. any more help would be aprishiated

frost110

Alright, I must have myself confused.

<?php print $olddata;?>

try that.

--FrosT

djwinder

nope it doesnt seem to be working here is the full code again, i can not see any reason why it shouldnt be working, wuite an odd one:

 Change the Welcome message : 
 <br>
 <br>
 <textarea name="welcome" cols="60" rows="10"><?php print $olddata; ?></textarea>
 <br>
 <br> 
 <p>
 <input type= "submit" name="welcomebtn" value= "Add your welcome message" >
 </p>

</form>

<?php

 include ("constants.inc");


   	   $welcome = $_POST['welcome'];

   $connection = mysql_connect($GLOBALS['host'],$GLOBALS['user'],$GLOBALS['pass']) or die ("couldn't connect to server");

   $db = mysql_select_db ($GLOBALS['db_name'], $connection) or die ("Unable to select the database");

	   $olddata = "SELECT welcome FROM settings WHERE clubid = 1";

   $query = "UPDATE settings SET welcome = ('$welcome') WHERE clubid = 1 ";

   $result = mysql_query($query) or print(mysql_error()."<br />");

   if ($result) {echo ("Your welcome message has been updated" );} 
   else { echo ("Sorry, read the error above to find out what is wrong.");}

   mysql_close();

echo ('got here');

</body>
</html>

djwinder

should have said that it updates the field its ment to but doesnt display the contents of the field (if any) when the form is viewed

frost110

You have your PHP code in the wrong place. In order to get data from a variable the variable has to be set. I thought the $olddata was before but now looking at it I was wrong.

Try placing your code like this, I bet you will get better results.

REMEMBER: Before you can display a string, you have to assign it data. As with any programming language. If your variable has not been assigned data, it is empty until you assign it.

<?php

include ("constants.inc");


$welcome = $_POST['welcome'];

$connection = mysql_connect($GLOBALS['host'],$GLOBALS['user'],$GLOBALS['pass']) or die ("couldn't connect to server");

$db = mysql_select_db ($GLOBALS['db_name'], $connection) or die ("Unable to select the database");

$olddata = "SELECT welcome FROM settings WHERE clubid = 1";

$query = "UPDATE settings SET welcome = ('$welcome') WHERE clubid = 1 ";

$result = mysql_query($query) or print(mysql_error()."<br />");

if ($result) {echo ("Your welcome message has been updated" );}
else { echo ("Sorry, read the error above to find out what is wrong.");}

mysql_close();


echo ('got here');

?>
<html>
<body>

<!-- look at welcome old it contains error checking that may have been a problem
I also need to add some form of checking for any data that is currently their and
only exercuting the code if clubid=1 else if clubid 1 doesnt exist add data to create it
but dont create clubid2-->

<!--wont work if there is not a row in the database so need a function to shove all data in their to create first row-->


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

Change the Welcome message :
<br>
<br>
<textarea name="welcome" cols="60" rows="10"><?php print $olddata; ?></textarea>
<br>
<br>
<p>
<input type= "submit" name="welcomebtn" value= "Add your welcome message" >
</p>

</form>



</body>
</html>

djwinder

how such a simple function can be so confusing i will never know. You where right the organisation of the code has made a differance but the $olddata variable is set to 'SELECT welcome FROM settings WHERE clubid = 1' not the value within the database at that location. I have tried diffrent quotation and brackets but non seemed to work.

frost110

lol Sorry, I think you are confused. I really should of looked at your code close. Try this:

<?php

include ("constants.inc");


$welcome = $_POST['welcome'];

$connection = mysql_connect($GLOBALS['host'],$GLOBALS['user'],$GLOBALS['pass']) or die ("couldn't connect to server");

$db = mysql_select_db ($GLOBALS['db_name'], $connection) or die ("Unable to select the database");

$olddata = "SELECT welcome FROM settings WHERE clubid = 1";
$res = mysql_query($olddata);
$olddata = mysql_fetch_assoc($res);
$olddata = $olddata['welcome'];

$query = "UPDATE settings SET welcome = ('$welcome') WHERE clubid = 1 ";

$result = mysql_query($query) or print(mysql_error()."<br />");

if ($result) {echo ("Your welcome message has been updated" );}
else { echo ("Sorry, read the error above to find out what is wrong.");}

mysql_close();


echo ('got here');

?>
<html>
<body>

<!-- look at welcome old it contains error checking that may have been a problem
I also need to add some form of checking for any data that is currently their and
only exercuting the code if clubid=1 else if clubid 1 doesnt exist add data to create it
but dont create clubid2-->

<!--wont work if there is not a row in the database so need a function to shove all data in their to create first row-->


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

Change the Welcome message :
<br>
<br>
<textarea name="welcome" cols="60" rows="10"><?php print $olddata; ?></textarea>
<br>
<br>
<p>
<input type= "submit" name="welcomebtn" value= "Add your welcome message" >
</p>

</form>



</body>
</html>

When you do a sql statement you have to query it against the database then retrieve the data in order to display it. All you were doing was assigning the olddata the sql string, you never executed it.

--FrosT

djwinder

FrosT you are right about the code and right that i am confused 🙂 I have only been using SQL/PHP for about 10 days and have a large project ahead of me, your help is very much aprishiated as i am having real problems spotting the errors in my code. I would ask that you keep an eye out for other posts from me and if you can help please do. Thanks very much

djwinder

unsurprisingly there are still issues with the code (i belive what you are tring to do with the code i provided is to 'polish a turd'). I found that

the success message displays all the time,

initialy their is no content in the textarea the content only appears after the function has been used to add data regardless of the content of the database

and finaly when you add a new message it updates the db but the previouse message is displaied in the text area not the message just added.

im going to see if i can sort it but i doubt that greatly. once again bring on the knowlage 🙂

djwinder

guess if i want help with the code i should post the most resent version of it, if anyone can see why the above errors are occuring please let me know:

<?php

 include ("constants.inc");

   	   $welcome = $_POST['welcome'];

   $connection = mysql_connect($GLOBALS['host'],$GLOBALS['user'],$GLOBALS['pass']) or die ("couldn't connect to server");

   $db = mysql_select_db ($GLOBALS['db_name'], $connection) or die ("Unable to select the database");

	   $olddata = "SELECT welcome FROM settings WHERE clubid = 1";
       $res = mysql_query($olddata); 
   $olddata = mysql_fetch_assoc($res); 
   $olddata = $olddata['welcome']; 



   $query = "UPDATE settings SET welcome = ('$welcome') WHERE clubid = 1 ";

   $result = mysql_query($query) or print(mysql_error()."<br />");

   if ($result) {echo ("Your welcome message has been updated" );} 
   else { echo ("Sorry, read the error above to find out what is wrong.");}

   mysql_close();

 Change the Welcome message : 
 <br>
 <br>
 <textarea name="welcome" cols="60" rows="10"><?php print $olddata; ?></textarea>
 <br>
 <br> 
 <p>
 <input type= "submit" name="welcomebtn" value= "Add your welcome message" >
 </p>

</form>

</body>
</html>

djwinder

Anyone? i could really do with some help here

frost110

I don't have apache/php installed on this CPU. Maybe this is what you are looking for?


<?php

include ("constants.inc");

$welcome = $_POST['welcome'];

$connection = mysql_connect($GLOBALS['host'],$GLOBALS['user'],$GLOBALS['pass']) or die ("couldn't connect to server");

$db = mysql_select_db ($GLOBALS['db_name'], $connection) or die ("Unable to select the database");

$olddata = "SELECT welcome FROM settings WHERE clubid = 1";
$res = mysql_query($olddata);
$olddata = mysql_fetch_assoc($res);
$olddata = $olddata['welcome'];


if (isset($_POST['welcomebtn'])) {
	$query = "UPDATE settings SET welcome = '" . $_POST['welcome'] ."' WHERE clubid = 1 ";

$result = mysql_query($query) or print(mysql_error()."<br />");
$olddata = $_POST['welcome'];

if ($result) {echo ("Your welcome message has been updated" );}
else { echo ("Sorry, read the error above to find out what is wrong.");}
}

mysql_close();

?>

<html>
<body>

<!-- look at welcome old it contains error checking that may have been a problem
I also need to add some form of checking for any data that is currently their and
only exercuting the code if clubid=1 else if clubid 1 doesnt exist add data to create it
but dont create clubid2-->

<!--wont work if there is not a row in the database so need a function to shove all data in their to create first row-->


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

Change the Welcome message :
<br>
<br>
<textarea name="welcome" cols="60" rows="10"><?php print $olddata; ?></textarea>
<br>
<br>
<p>
<input type= "submit" name="welcomebtn" value= "Add your welcome message" >
</p>

</form>

</body>
</html>

krotkruton

First off, you need to arrange things differently again. Try to step through it logically. When someone updates his or message and clicks submit, the database is updated but the previous message is dispalyed, right? So you are getting the old data instead of the new. This is because your code queries for the welcome message and THEN updates. You need to query for the welcome message AFTER you update to get the latest version.
Frost also worked around the problem by changing the $olddata variable to $_POST['welcome'], but this could also be done by changing these lines (from Frost):

$olddata = "SELECT welcome FROM settings WHERE clubid = 1"; 
$res = mysql_query($olddata); 
$olddata = mysql_fetch_assoc($res); 
$olddata = $olddata['welcome']; 


if (isset($_POST['welcomebtn'])) { 
    $query = "UPDATE settings SET welcome = '" . $_POST['welcome'] ."' WHERE clubid = 1 "; 

$result = mysql_query($query) or print(mysql_error()."<br />"); 
$olddata = $_POST['welcome']; 

if ($result) {echo ("Your welcome message has been updated" );} 
else { echo ("Sorry, read the error above to find out what is wrong.");} 
}

to this:

if (isset($_POST['welcomebtn'])) { 
    $query = "UPDATE settings SET welcome = '" . $_POST['welcome'] ."' WHERE clubid = 1 "; 

$result = mysql_query($query) or print(mysql_error()."<br />"); 

if ($result) {echo ("Your welcome message has been updated" );} 
else { echo ("Sorry, read the error above to find out what is wrong.");} 
}

$olddata = "SELECT welcome FROM settings WHERE clubid = 1"; 
$res = mysql_query($olddata); 
$olddata = mysql_fetch_assoc($res); 
$olddata = $olddata['welcome'];

Which does exactly the same thing, but IMO, it seems more logical. There is really no significant difference between these variations of the code (I don't think).

Other than that, let me give you a couple tips. When posting code in this forum, surround it with "[ php ]" and "[ / php ]" (without the spaces or quotes). This will place it in a window like most people here do. It really makes it easier to read and will help more people respond to your post as I'm sure some will just skip it once they see you not posting properly.

Also, posting 4 times in a row is generally frowned upon (actually, posting more than once in a row is frowned upon). There are "edit" and "delete" buttons for a reason. If you have more to say about something, then edit your preivous post. If you decide that you need to post your code and forgot to in the last message, then just delete that last message and rewrite the whole thing with the code in it. I think you get the idea.

You might want to read some of the rest of the general guidelines in this thread http://phpbuilder.com/board/showthread.php?t=10218925 or read the FAQs here http://www.phpbuilder.com/board/faq.php?
I hope I don't seem like I'm attacking you but that is not my intention. I'm sure I don't follow all of the guidelines either, but I try to do my best. You should read that information and try to do the same.

djwinder

thanks for the advice i will try to follow the guide lines of the php builder forum, i need the help and advice of the people on here so i dont want to upset folks. secondly i am working under a very tight time constraint and have never used this language before,both of these mean quick responces are much aprishaited and as such i found posting more than one was a good way to keep my question in the view of those who could help but this wont be done again.

krotkruton

So, is this problem solved now?

Another minor note, you can set a thread as resolved (meaning that your problem has been solved and you don't need anymore advice) by clicking on "thread tools" which is above the first post, and then "mark thread as resolved" from the drop down menu.

Otherwise, what other problems are you having?