Extracting $_post into Class var fails

[Will_Poulson]

I have been using the following code to extract POST variables during the developement of a large project.

I am new to classes, and would like to do have the post variable available to the class, but having no luck getting code to receive var statements... is there another approach used when dealing with classes? (aside from listing all vars, which I am not ready to do? -- Thanks

foreach($_POST as $key => $value){
$value = preg_replace('!\\+|/+!', '', $value);
if(!isset($$key)){

	if(!is_array($value)){
		$$key =htmlspecialchars($value, ENT_QUOTES);
	}else{

		// this needs a version of html entities apllied to it
		$$key=$value;
	};

};

}

[kkobashi]

$_POST is superglobal.

Look at this code and run it. Type something into the box and watch it echo the same text you typed in.

Notice that $_POST['bar'] is still "alive" and available to the class as a superglobal. You shouldn't have to extract into another array to make a copy. Just reference the array in your code (and always check with isset).

<?php
class Foo {
   function DoIt() {
       echo "You entered:<br />";
       echo $_POST['bar'];  // best to check with isset
   }
}

if (isset($_POST['submit'])) {
   $foo = new Foo();
   $foo->DoIt();
}
else {
   $scriptname = $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'];
   $strForm = "<form name='frmFoo' method='post' action='" . $scriptname . "'";
   $strForm .= "<input name='bar' size='10' maxlength='10' value='enter'></input>";
   $strForm .= "<input type='submit' value='Submit' name='submit'></input>";
   $strForm .= "</form>";
   echo $strForm;
}

?>

Note that this is the basic structure of a form handler file. The $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'] set for the action attribute of the form sends processing back to this php script.

The following tests for the existence of the submit variable in the POST. If it is set then we know we are to handle the form processing (and not put up the form again).

if (isset($_POST['submit'])) {

Since we now know we want to process the form, just call the form's associated constructor and it's handler - DoIt:

   $foo = new Foo();
   $foo->DoIt();

Hope this helps.

[Will_Poulson]

I understand what you are saying about the just using _post directly, but, what I am running into trouble with larger systems, error checking on forms, and other situations where I need to access the variables, and work on them through the software, plus, if would rather run all the htmlentities, and sql injection tests once, on everything, versus having to check each variable. I am able to do that with the code I first posted, in that with globals off each variable is called into existance by one foreach, that checks and prepares the data once in that spot, for all incoming variables.

So, the question still stands, how do I extract the _POST and use features like the $$key= to genreate and make available all sent variables, within a class.

Thanks for the nice walk through on the _POST hadling though

-- Will

[kkobashi]

Look at PHP documentation on extract()....

In the notes look at kake26 at gmail dot com post on 30-Apr-2005 09:59. However, look at the recent post by ktwombley at gmail dot com on that same subject.

Also from the docs:
http://us3.php.net/manual/en/language.variables.variable.php

Warning
Please note that variable variables cannot be used with PHP's Superglobal arrays within functions or class methods.

[NogDog]

I might do something like this:

class Foo
{
  // ATTRIBUTES
  var $post = array();  // data extracted from $_POST array

  // METHODS

  // Constructor:
  function Foo()
  {
    if(! $this->populatePost())
    {
      user_error("No post data received", E_USER_ERROR);
    }
  }  // end constructor

  // bool populatePost(void)
  function populatePost()
  {
    if(isset($_POST))
    {
      foreach($_POST as $key => $val)
      {
        $this->post[$key] = (get_magic_quotes_gpc()) ? 
                            htmlspecialchars(stripslashes($val)) :
                            htmlspecialchars($val);
      }
    }
    $result = (count($this->post)) ? TRUE : FALSE;
    return($result);
  } // end populatePost()

} // end class Foo

[Will_Poulson]

That looks sweet, thank you,

So, am I to take it (from this example, and the text above) that you cannot name variables via an array... via the $$key approach I was using, and rather you need to stuff it into your array, and the ref the variable by it's name in the array.

hence :

kkobashi -
"Warning
Please note that variable variables cannot be used with PHP's Superglobal arrays within functions or class methods."

Just wanting to confirm this, because it would mean a fairly vast rewrite

[NogDog]

Frankly, I don't know. For me, variable variables are like pointers in C: they tend to make my head spin, so I always try to find a different way to do it. 🙂