Need help with PHP

topfan

I am just starting to learn php so I bought the "Beginning, PHP5, Apache,Mysql web development' book so I must say it is really hard but it's fun to learn. I am at chapter 2 and trying to learn by reading and practicing.
I am getting and error when I am trying to open moviesite.php . I checked all the coding and compare it with the book I see every thing is correct but I am still getting errors

Today is June J, 2007
My Top movies are:

Warning: sort() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /home/clickbuy/public_html/php/moviesite.php on line 41

// here is my page.

<?php
session_start();
//check to see if the user has been logged in with a valid password
if ($_SESSOIN['authuser'] != 0) {
echo "sorry, but you don't have permission to view this page, loser!";
exit();
}
?>
<html>
<head>
<title>My movie site</title>
</head>
<body>
<?php include "header.php"; ?>
<?php
$favmoives = array("Life of Brian",
                  "Stripes",
                  "Office Space",
                  "The Holy Grail",
                  "Matrix",
                  "Terminator 2",
                  "Star Warz",
                  "Close Encounters of third Kind",
                  "Sixtenn Candles",
                  "Caddyshack");

if (isset($_REQUEST['favmovie'])) {
  echo  "welcome to our site, ";
  echo $_SESSION['username'];
  echo "! <br>";
  echo "My favorite movie is ";
  echo  $_REQUEST['favmovie'];
  echo "<br>";
  $movierate = 5;
  echo "My movie rating for this movie is: ";
  echo $movierate;
} else {
  echo "My Top ". $_POST["num"] . "movies are:<br>";

if (isset($_REQUEST['sorted'])) {
  sort($favmovies);
 }
 //list the movies
 $numlist = 1;
 while ($numlist <= $_POST["num"]) {
 echo $numlist;
 echo ". ";
 echo pos($favmovies);
 next($favemovies);
 echo "<br>\n";
 $numlist = $numlist + 1;
 }
 }
?>
</body>
</html>

bradgrafelman

When posting PHP code, please use the board's [PHP][/PHP] bbcode tags - they make the code much, much easier to read (as well as aiding the diagnosis of syntax errors). You should edit your post now and add these bbcode tags to help others in reading/analyzing your code.

sheephat

$favmoives = array("Life of Brian", ....

bad spelling

topfan

Thanks for reply Sheetphat

for the movie name I just didn't care about spelling since it will not effect the coding as long as the name is followed since I am just practicing and it is not the live site. But I appreciate the point. Was there any thing else that causing the errors?

Thanks

TheoGB

No no! He means you've named the database favmoives rather than favmovies. However you spelt it correctly on the sort() call so that claims the array doesn't exist...which favmovies doens't. It would work if you changed the sort() to use favmoives. 😃

topfan

Hi TheoGB
Thanks for the hint. You were right , I read the whole coding 4 times and couldn't notice it. It is not giving me an error now but I don't see the list

here is the error.
Welcome to my review movie site!
Today is June J, 2007
My Top movies are:
--- You can see my site at clickbuysell.com/php/moviesite.php

TheoGB

Well I presume you're actually calling it with the values for 'num' and 'sorted', because from the output you've posted it doesn't look that way.

Oh and fix your Date output because it's clearly not the Jth day of June 😉

topfan

Sorry TheoGB , I am not following , do you mean that it should be 'num' instead of "num"?

topfan

The other thing that I'd like to know as a newbies , Do I need to memorize all the coding or I have to learn it as we go? Some times I am not sure how the codings are placed in order and which one should come first or why certain codes are used ? Any hint for learning pattern?

Thanks

laserlight

You need to memorise the basic syntax, e.g., the rules for variable names, what the control structures look like and what they do, things like that. Knowing offhand many of the basic functions (e.g., those used for string and array manipulation, including files, input validation, etc) do can also be very useful.

What you should not do is memorise chunks of code verbatim, especially if you do not really understand it. If you remember the patterns from which the code is constructed, you should be able to rewrite and adapt it at will after some practice, even if you need to refer to the PHP manual for things like order of parameters of a function.

TheoGB

topfan wrote:
Sorry TheoGB , I am not following , do you mean that it should be 'num' instead of "num"?

No no:

  echo "My Top ". $_POST["num"] . "movies are:<br>";

  if (isset($_REQUEST['sorted'])) {
    sort($favmovies);
  }
  //list the movies
  $numlist = 1;
  while ($numlist <= $_POST["num"]) {
     echo $numlist;
     echo ". ";
     echo pos($favmovies);
     next($favemovies);
     echo "<br>\n";
     $numlist = $numlist + 1;
}

Look at your code: you are pulling in values for 'num' and 'sorted' from the post variables (I would stick with either $POST and $GET or $_REQUEST btw, rather than mixing and matching by the way - it will make your debugging easier in the long run) but looking at the output they are either:
- not getting set
- not named what you think they're named
- not the sort of data you expect

Anyway, the code is probably working fine but clearly whatever is calling your page is not sending through the correct variables or something.

topfan

Thanks TheoGB for the point. These codes are what is in the book and I am just followin the same coding as listed in the book. I am still learning what code does what and can't tell what I need to change. So if you can just explain it more and tell what needs to be done .

Thanks again

TheoGB

Well I don't know how easily I can explain something that's in a book I can't see that you have...

Essentially the form works as a two stage process:

Screen One: Has an HTML FORM in it. That FORM will have an action associated with it which will be a reference to screen you will be sent to when you 'submit' the form. There will be a button on the form that will have value and initiate a 'submit'.

This 'quick reply' section is one such form, with two different buttons on it, each will send a different value to the destination of the forum submit (I believe that's newreply.php.

So, inside your Screen One form will have to be variables that are set.

What you've shown us in code is the destination screen, i.e. 'screen two' of the form.

The variable $_POST['num'] is checking the variables that were posted by the submit of a form and checking for one called 'num' and using that value.

If you're not seeing any values on your output (as I can see you're not) it means those variables aren't getting set. 'sorted' would also appear to either be posted from the form or sent through in the URL as in:

http://www.domain.com/screenOne.php?sorted=yes

To get the variable 'sorted' from the command line you need to use $_GET['sorted'];

If you use $REQUEST you will pull out variables that are in $GET or $POST (or $COOKIE for that matter, but don't worry about that).

Anyway, the point is that your code is for running after the variables have been set from another page. So you need to make sure you're setting those variables before anything happens on this page.

Does that make sense? What book are you using?

TheoGB

Oops, double post. Sorry!