passing data

smartkid

Here is my situation and I hope somebody can help me!

Iam using PHP 5.1.4 ON AN XP (Professional Media Center Edition)
using the XITAMI (2.4d9) web server. below is my code.
I have an HTML form calling my PHP script.

The problem is when I enter my name into the form and press
the submit button I get my echoed message "nothing has been passed
to this script".

The 'name' DATA and 'submit' DATA is not being passed to the
script.....WHY?
From researching the Net, I learned that the 'track_vars' was always set to 'on' (I assumed within the PHP.INI file),
so I looked in my php.ini for the "track_vars" variable and
I couldn't find it so I add track_vars = on and restarted my
computer. I then executed the php script again and my same echoed
was displayed.
I did a phpinfo() call before I made the change and the track_vars
variable was not listed in the php.ini file. After I added the
variable to the php.ini file, I made another phpinfo call and
again it was not there in the php.ini file'
I did a computer search and it showed that only one copy of my
php.ini file existed and that was located in C:\php. However,in
my phpinfo() display it shows this:

(Configuration File (php.ini) Path => C:\WINDOWS PHP API => 20041225
PHP Extension => 20050922 Zend Extension => 220051025

I can't find this PATH C:\WINDOWS PHP API anywhere on the system.
Where is it?

I would appreciate any help. Thanks!

<!DOCTYPE >
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE> form</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<form action="repeate.php" method="POST">
<P>First Name:
<Input Type = "text"
name = "first_name"
size = "20"></P>
<P> <Input Type = "Submit"
name = "Submit"
value = "submit"></P>
</form>
</BODY>
</HTML>

<?php
$first_name=$POST['first_name'];
$submit=$POST['submit'];
if ($submit)
{

    echo "first_name: $first_name";

}
else {
echo "nothing has been passed to this script";
echo "$first_name";
}
?>

Piranha

The value of the submit button is not always passed on as expected. It is much easier to use a hidden input to see if something have been submitted:

<HTML>
  <HEAD>
    <TITLE> form</TITLE>
  </HEAD>
  <BODY>
    <form action="repeate.php" method="POST">
      <input type="hidden" name="sub" value="sub" />
      <P>First Name:
        <Input Type = "text"
          name = "first_name"
          size = "20">
      </P>
      <P> 
        <Input Type = "Submit"
          name = "Submit"
          value = "submit">
      </P>
    </form>
  </BODY>
</HTML>

<?php
$first_name=$_POST['first_name'];
$sub=$_POST['sub'];
if ($sub)
{
    echo "first_name: $first_name";
}
else 
{
    echo "nothing has been passed to this script";
    echo $first_name;
}
?>

By the way, type all html-tags in small letters to make it according to XHTML.

NogDog

In your form, the submit button's name is Submit, but in your PHP code you are looking for $_POST['submit']. The names are case-sensitive, so you'll need to choose one or the other to use in both places. (Thus I've developed the habit of always using all lower-case names.)

smartkid

Thanks Piranha and Nogdog for your quick response this Old person is trying to learn PHP. Piranha, I replaced my code with your code and got the same echoed
message "nothing has been passed to this script". What can I test next?

Piranha

I think you should read a bit in the debugging 101 to know the basics how you debug. If you just echo from the POST value, is that working? If you echo something in the if-part, does that work? Have you tried to change the if-statement to compare the value to the value you expect?

smartkid

fYI--I became interested in learning PHP about two months ago.
I went to book stores and spent days and nights reading what I thought
were good books for learning PHP and searching the net for more
learning aids.

I started having the problems stated above about two weeks ago.
However,during the past two weeks I have been using the major search
engines using all sort of keywords trying to find anything close to the
problems I have been experiencing. I printed a ream of paper and read
and re-read any problem/solution that appeared to be close to my
situation.

I read your link 'debugging 101' and I think BUNKERMASTER has some good
points for both the novice and the advance.

However, the thread he said he had read as depicted in his thread i.e.,.....eadid=10240313 I deserves no merits. I think the creator of that thread is off base.

This forum I thought was about helping people with PHP related
situations. That link implied to me that people asking for help
don't do their homework before asking for help.

Just as I spent two weeks doing my homework, I think other people does the same.

I don't think anyone ask dumb questions but will get dumb answers.
If any responder get upset by helping people with questions, then this kind of
stuff is not their forte.

I'm off my soapbox now so, I'll get back to my situation.

I added
the line error_reporting(E_ALL); and

change the 'if-else' statement to: if ($sub == "sub")

this is the results received:

Notice: Undefined index: first_name in C:\Xitami\webpages\repeate.php
on line 3 Notice: Undefined index: sub in
C:\Xitami\webpages\repeate.php on line 4
nothing has been passed to this script

The html form seem to be making the right call to the php script and while the
coding may share some of the problem the html is still not posting the data in
the variable name. Otherwise the name data would be echoed whether or not the evaluation is true or false. I think the problem is more associated with the
other problems that I mentioned i.e., .ini (that I can't locate) and track_vars variable that I can't locate. However, if you have
a better idea please share it with me.

Houdini

See my signature and click the last link to get XAMPP for your OS (any OS) then you will not have these problems.

Piranha

And how should I be able to know that you were one of the few new people in this forum that have done their homework? You didn't say it. If you have told that information in the first place instead of telling me how stupid I am that I could not read your mind afterwords I would not have come with that suggestions. Or you could just posted afterwords "ty for the suggestion, but I have tried it already".

Maybe my answers is dumb. Or maybe I just try to get people to help themselfes when I tell them to read another thread or do a search on some special keyword. I am however very direct and it may seem like I am unfriendly because of that. That is however not my intention, my intention is to help people out in a way that will both help them to help themselfes and in a way that can't be misunderstood.

And now I will stop ranting about it.

I tested the code I submitted, and it worked here. I have no idea what could be the problem, others might be able to help you out better.

Weedpacket

smartkid wrote:
(Configuration File (php.ini) Path => C:\WINDOWS PHP API => 20041225
PHP Extension => 20050922 Zend Extension => 220051025

I can't find this PATH C:\WINDOWS PHP API anywhere on the system.
Where is it?

That's four pieces of information (and in the text file being displayed it's actually written on four separate lines; while the HTML-formatted version for browser viewing uses tables to lay the information out). In particular PHP is looking for its initialisation file in C:\WINDOWS; and it's using version 20041225 of the PHP API (I could think of better ways to spend Christmas....🙂).

I've never come across PHP not being able to find its initialisation file in a Windows system, I have to say (I just extract the .zip file into the appropriate directory, rename php.ini.recommended, tweak it; works for me...) so I'm only guessing in suggesting that this thread is relevant.

smartkid

fyi--Piranha, my soapbox was not directed at you, only at the thread link that I had mentioned which I didn't think it was kind to people asking questions.

smartkid

I'll do a re-install this weekend with 5.2. I'll keep you posted with the results.
Thanks for your support!!!!

Weedpacket

smartkid wrote:
which I didn't think it was kind to people asking questions.

The questions aren't the problem (obviously, without them there'd be no-one here). It's how they're asked by too many people that's the problem.

smartkid

This is what I have done or attempted to do since my last posting.

I did a re-install of php from verion 5.1.4 to version 5.2.1 and

executed the phpinfo function. The config file was just as it was

shown in version 5.1.4 the only difference in the display was the

version number shown i.e., 5.2.1

(Configuration File (php.ini) Path => C:\WINDOWS PHP API => 20041225
PHP Extension => 20050922 Zend Extension => 220051025

My Install process went like this:

1) I deleted php.ini and .dll files from the system
2) I downloaded from php.net(VersaServer) zip package php 5.2.1
3) I unzip to C:\php
4) I made sure that php5ts.dll was in the same directory as my php.exe

i.e. both in C:\php
5) I followed Php.net procedures ...HOW TO ADD THE PHP DIRECTORY TO THE
PATH ON WINDOWS XP
6)In C:\php I rename php.ini-recommended to php.ini (no changes were
made to the php.ini file)
7) I followed the Php.net procedures... HOW DO I MAKE THE PHP.INI FILE

AVAILABLE TO PHP ON WINDOWS XP......PHPRC the variable and C:\php the