[RESOLVED] oh dear i underestimated the power of header()

noobyphpchick

I have used header() to help me same page validate my form, so error messages appear on the same form page
<form name= "form" action="form.php" onsubmit="" method="post">

when all the error checking is done and valid i have used header("location:submitpage.php"); to transport me to submitpage.php where i was going to display all the results of my form, but i have realised that it doesn't work because it doesn't seem to know where the form or the varibles are.

so this on the submitpage.php
<h2>Welcome <?php echo $_POST["name"]; ?></h2><br>

only displays welcome as it doesn;t find $_POST["name"];

Is this a common problem and are there any magic fixes which i don't know about?
or after weeks of doing validation have i finally got it working to realise i cannot work out the actual results in a seperate page.

YAOMK

Once you post to a php script, the data submitted to the $_POST array is only available to that script, when you send back a header to redirect the user, you loose the previously submitted data. What you can do is use sessions and pass the session id as part of the query string, then call the session in the following page.

//in form.php
session_start();
$_SESSION['name'] = $_POST['name'];

header("location:submitpage.php?PHPSESSID");

//in submitpage.php
session_start();
echo $_SESSION['name'];

Note that the default behavior is to store session data in cookies but this can be modified to use other storage like a database, a file or even memory.

bpat1434

You could also manually add the posted information to headers and then send the Location header as well...

wilku

YAOMK wrote:
Note that the default behavior is to store session data in cookies but this can be modified to use other storage like a database, a file or even memory.

Is it? I thought that just session id is stored in a cookie. The rest of the session data is stored in files (path to session folder is given in php.ini).

YAOMK

Yes Wilku, the default behavior is to is to store the session data in a file in the /tmp directory, and the session id in the users cookie. I got mixed up : )

noobyphpchick

Thank you so much i have managed to get it working!! i am starting to like php🙂
I only have 1 more thing to fix on my master piece and thats how to keep the selected option in a drop down list and radio button when the form is submitted and then caught by another error as at the moment the selection is lost.
I wont post about that until i've exhausted google though as i'm sure the answer is out there.
I've only been learning php for 2 weeks so i am chuffed i have got this min project working🙂

YAOMK

in a radio button you used the checked attribute right before the name attribute, as far as the selected option in a drop down you use <OPTION selected>.

I'd use a ternary expression to determined whether the post data for that option is been submitted, if so I show the field as selected. Hope this helps : )

laserlight

in a radio you used the checked attribute right before the name attribute

I believe it can be placed just like any other attribute, without any need to be right before the name attribute.

as far as the selected option in a drop down

It would be selected="selected", but then this is more HTML than PHP 🙂

noobyphpchick, remember to mark this thread as resolved using the thread tools (if the issue is resolved).

YAOMK

Thanks for the clarification.

noobyphpchick

Hi,
I've tried the ternary expressions in the select box the drop downs now don't appear, i've tried doing it different ways but no luck in getting it to keep the selection through all the validation checks🙁
can anyone see what i'm doing wrong? thanks for any advice.

<label for="exercise">Weekly Exercise:</label>
<select name ="exercise">
<option value ="$POST[exercise]"></option>
<option selected></option>
<option".(isset($POST[exercise]) && $POST[exercise] == ' '? ' selected ' : ' ')."value=" "> </option>
<option".(isset($POST[exercise]) && $POST[exercise] == '0'? ' selected ' : ' ')."value="0">0</option>
<option".(isset($POST[exercise]) && $POST[exercise] == '2'? ' selected ' : ' ')."value="2">2</option>
<option".(isset($POST[exercise]) && $POST[exercise] == '3'? ' selected ' : ' ')."value="3">3</option>
<option".(isset($POST[exercise]) && $POST[exercise] == '4'? ' selected ' : ' ')."value="4">4</option>
<option".(isset($POST[exercise]) && $POST[exercise] == '5'? ' selected ' : ' ')."value="5">5</option>
<option".(isset($POST[exercise]) && $POST[exercise] == '6'? ' selected ' : ' ')."value="6">6</option>
<option".(isset($POST[exercise]) && $POST[exercise] == '7'? ' selected ' : ' ')."value="7">7</option>
<option".(isset($POST[exercise]) && $_POST[exercise] == '8'? ' selected ' : ' ')."value="8">8</option>

</select> hours
<font size="2" color="red"><?php print "$exmessage" ?></font>

bpat1434

noobyphpchick: Don't start another question in a thread (even if it is your own) as it can reduce the help others are looking for with similar issues. I've already split off your posts and the replies to it into another thread in the Newbie section of PHPBuilder. It's entitled Ternary Operator issues.