Query Question

Asterixx

Here's part of my code:

 $result = mysql_query("INSERT INTO AL_BVA (contact, time, phone, address, city, state, zip, email, website, notes)
                       VALUES ('$contact',NOW(),'$phone','$address','$city','$state','$zip','$email','$website','$notes')",$connect);

      echo "<b>Form updated.</b>";

I'd like to use "include", or anything that works, to replace the "(contact..." and "('$contact',..." parts so they can be updated from one file.

I've used .txt files for the other parts I needed to update from an external file but I can't seem to get the right code for these two... I desperately need this to work.

Thanks in advance! 🙂

obsidian

Asterixx wrote:
I'd like to use "include", or anything that works, to replace the "(contact..." and "('$contact',..." parts so they can be updated from one file.

so, you're running the same query in multiple locations, and you simply want to update the query itself? i'm not sure what you mean by including them from one file. i mean, you could very easily write a function that would dynamically create your query for you based on what values are provided and include that function on each page. could you give a more clear example of what you're trying to do?

Asterixx

Please don't laugh, I'm still learning the stuff...
Here's what I tried, along with other things, but I can't get it to work.

$result = mysql_query("INSERT INTO AL_BVA (include'data.txt')
                       VALUES (include'values.txt')",$connect);

      echo "<b>Form updated.</b>";

I want to be able to update a .txt file, for example, and have that change propagate to all the pages that have the code above. See? 🙂

Maybe a function is necessary, I'm not certain. Let me know if you need more clarification as I need this fixed soon.

Thanks a lot!

Houdini

That would probably be used as

LOAD DATA INFILE "datafilename" INTO TABLE tablename

See Load Data

khendar

You can do this - not quite as you want to but the effect is the same.

You can use one file (data.txt) which contains the data. In the first line of data.txt - you put the field names seperate by commas (eg contact, time, phone, address, etc). The rest of the file will be the data, also seperated by commas, each record on a new row.

Then you open the file - read in the first line and use that as the fields to insert

if($fh = fopen("data.txt","r"){
$fields = fgets($fh);
}

Then you need to read in the second line which will contain the first row of data to insert

$data = fgets($rh);

Then form your query

$query = "INSERT INTO AL_BVA ($fields) VALUES ($data)";

Put the last two steps into a loop and execute the query and it will insert all of the rows from the file into the database.

if($fh = fopen("data.txt","r")
{
$fields = fgets($fh);
while($row = fgets($fh))
{
$query = "INSERT INTO AL_BVA ($fields) VALUES ($data)";
$result = mysql_query($query, $connect);
}
}

note: this code probably wont work as it stands. It will take a little fixing to be functional but it should give you a start.

Alternately you could look into the mysql "LOAD DATA INFILE" statement (http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/load-data.html).

Asterixx

That server is not using PHP5 though... (4+)

Sorry Houdini, but I don't understand that page. Please keep in mind that I'm a beginner. 🙂

Would you mind giving me an example related to my problem above?

khendar

You dont need PHP5... The way I have done it will work in any Version of PHP - and the LOAD DATA INFILE is a MYSQL function - and doesn't care what version you have.

$result = mysql_query("LOAD DATA INFILE 'pathtodatafile/data.txt' INTO TABLE test
FIELDS TERMINATED BY ','", $connect);

As easy as that.

Houdini

If you would try the MySQL QUERY not PHP you might just get the result you wish put the file in the literal "" qoutes into the table you are wanting to insert the datafile into and it should work, it is an MySQL statement not a PHP read the link and then some back.

Asterixx

Thanks for the idea but I would like to do something similar for the text located in the () after VALUES.

Would it be too difficult to have both texts "included" from two external .txt (or other) files?

Houdini

OK I thought you were trying to insert data from a file (anyfile from any palce (that is accessable)) but I could be wrong.

So to include a file then you would want to USE the suggestions that have been given, I have the patience of Job and will be gald to help you through the difficulty, but apparently I do not understand what it is that you would like to do with a file, or how to put it into a database, the LOAD DATA INFILE is the easiest and possible the only efficient method, of course Laserlight would probably have a better method...but all it does is INSERT DATA INTO a TABLE by a given filename that is enclosed in quotes.

I know you are just starting and please don't get upset, 'cause sometimes you have to take a different approach. Where is Weedpacket, or bpat1434, someone else, Laserlight is LOAD DATA INFILE the right approach to this, now I want to know.

khendar

Why would you want to have the two fields coming from two different files ? You can have a single file which will have in its first row the field names, and the rest would be the data. Thats how the method I put will work.

Two files just means more room for errors.

Asterixx

Okay, here's the entire file to give you a better idea.

<?php
include("config.php");

  if($submit)
  {
include('post.txt');
if(!$contact){  //this means If the title is really empty.
echo "Error: Contact is a required field. Please fill it.";
exit(); //exit the script and don't do anything else.
 }

$result = mysql_query("INSERT INTO AL_BVA (contact, time, phone, address, city, state, zip, email, website, notes)
VALUES ('$contact',NOW(),'$phone','$address','$city','$state','$zip','$email','$website','$notes')",$connect);

echo "Contact added";
          echo "<meta http-equiv=Refresh content=4;url=bvaindex.php>";
  }

else
  {

  ?>
<?
include('form.txt');
?>      

      <?
  }

  mysql_close($connect);

?>

Just like the Include used twice in this code, I want to be able to use something similar to grab text from a file (possibly .txt) and have it show like it is right now when the page loads.

The reason why I'm trying to do this is because I have a ton of files like this one and it'd be helpful to be able to edit them from one external file vs editing each one of them when I edit the database.

I really hope that's all the info you need to help me. 🙂

Houdini

Take the code that you have and actually place it into the code (teh includes) and see just what is going on here, I have nary a clue as to what is in those files as does anyone else. It looks to me that the include('form.txt'); should be include('form.htm'); or include('form.html'); maybe include('form.php');

Part of your problem to me is that the organization of code make it hard to see just really what is going on, but with includes that are unseen it is hard to see why there is a problem with you acheiving whatever it is you would like to accomplish.

Try giving all code that could possibly cause a problem even if the method you are using to attempt to solve the objective is not clear to those of us that are not too sharp in wit.

Asterixx

FORM.TXT

<br>
      <h3>::Add Contact::</h3>

  <form method="post" action="<?php echo $PHP_SELF ?>">

 Contact: <input name="contact" size="40" maxlength="50">
  <br>
 Phone: <input name="phone"  size="20" maxlength="20">
  <br>
  Address: <input name="address"  size="40" maxlength="100">
  <br>
City: <input name="city"  size="40" maxlength="50">
      <br>
State: <input name="state"  size="4" maxlength="4">
      <br>
 Zip: <input name="zip"  size="20" maxlength="20">
      <br>
      Email: <input name="email"  size="40" maxlength="50">
      <br>
     Website: <input name="website"  size="40" maxlength="50">
  <br>
     Notes: <textarea name="notes" rows="7" cols="30"></textarea>
<br>
      <input type="submit" name="submit" value="Add Contact">
      </form>

POST.TXT

<?
      $contact = $_POST['contact'];
      $phone = $_POST['phone'];
      $address = $_POST['address'];
  $city = $_POST['city'];
  $state = $_POST['state'];
  $zip = $_POST['zip'];
      $email = $_POST['email'];	
      $website = $_POST['website'];
      $notes = $_POST['notes'];
?>

I'm trying to do what I did with these 2 files. When the page loads up, this 2 text files are inserted and the form works.

Does that make more sense? 😉

Blulagoon

Is your web server set up to handle files with the extension .txt as php files ?

Blu

Asterixx

I'm not sure but I've used the Include() command on many pages and it always worked. I wonder why that command won't work to replace the VALUES and the text after AL_BVA (ie 'contact, time...').

I hoped that, by seeing the whole page and the 2 txt files that Include replaces on that page, someone would be able to help me. Since I'm new to PHP, I'm looking for a simple solution, in the same line as Include, to do this.

Anyone?