Can I use SESSION varialbes in mail()?

[lspyres]

I have a simple shopping cart allowing lunch items to be placed in it. When ready, there's a form the customer completes with necessary information. When the "Place Order" button is pushed, it takes the customer to a "receipt". I can get all the customer information into the e-mail but I can't seem to get the table of items to send in the e-mail.

Here's my e-mail build -
[FONT="Courier New"] //start building the mail string
$body = "<p><b>Name:</b> $username</p>";
$body .= "<p><b>E-mail:</b> $email</p>";
$body .= "<p><b>Phone:</b> $phone</p>";
$body .= "<p><b>Department:</b> $dept</p>";
$body .= "<p><b>Refrigerator:</b> $fridge</p>";
$body .= "<p><b>Delivery Date:</b> $ddate</p>";
$body .= "<p><b>PrePay Account:</b> $prepaynum</p>";
$body .= "<p><b>Department PO:</b> $deptpo</p>";
$body .= "<p><b>Date Ordered:</b> $datestamp</p>";
//need to put the items purchased here..

	//set up the mail
	$recipient = "[e-mail]";
	$subject = "Order from $_POST[username]";
	$mailheaders = "MIME-Version: 1.0\r\n";
	$mailheaders .= "Content-type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1\r\n";
	$mailheaders .= "From: $_POST[username] <$_POST[email]> \n";[/FONT]

Here's the code I used to send the mail:
[FONT="Courier New"]<?php
$formmail=mail($recipient, $subject, $body, $mailheaders);
if($formmail==0)
{
echo("<h3>Sorry but it didn't work!</h3>");
}
else
{
echo "<h3><em>Thank you, <em>$username</em>, your order was sent!</em></h3>";
echo "<p><em>Ordered on:</em> $datestamp</p>";
}
}
?>[/FONT]

Here's how I'm getting the table of purchased items to display on the page,
I'm using a for loop to get the items in the table:

[FONT="Courier New"]<?php
for($i=1; $i<=count($SESSION['order']); $i++)
{
?>
<tr>
<td><?php echo $SESSION['order'][$i]['name'] ?></td>
<td><?php echo $SESSION['order'][$i]['description'] ?></td>
<td class="aligncenter"><?php echo $SESSION['order'][$i]['qty'] ?></td>
<td class="alignright"><?php echo $SESSION['order'][$i]['price'] ?></td>
<td class="alignright"><?php echo $SESSION['order'][$i]['qty']$SESSION['order'][$i]['price'] ?></td>
</tr>
<tr class="total">
<?php
$orderTotal=$orderTotal+($SESSION['order'][$i]['qty']$_SESSION['order'][$i]['price']);
}
?>
<td colspan="4" class="alignright"><h4>Order Total $</h4></th>
<td class="alignright"><h4><?php echo $orderTotal ?></h4> </tr>
</table>[/FONT]

Any ideas? Is it possible? I'm wondering if it's not working because of the $_SESSION variable???

Thanks!

[ragedigital]

I don't see where you're assigning any values to the SESSION variables.

Are you storing the items in a file or database?

[benracer]

If i understand correctly then the items would be added to the session when the add to cart button is pressed. I would first just echo out the session values outside of the mail function, if this returns the correct data then you could set a variable outside the mailfunction then use "{$message}" to echo out the information/items.

[lspyres]

ragedigital wrote:

I don't see where you're assigning any values to the SESSION variables.

Are you storing the items in a file or database?

I thought the things declaring my menu items ($_SESSION['order'][$i]['name'], etc.) were called session variables. Whatever the correct term is, those are things I can't figure out how to get into my e-mail.

I have two arrays, one for categories and one for the menu items. I have 4 pages, an order page to display the categories & items. The next page is a process.php which acts like the cart. It holds the items ordered until the user is ready to fill out the customer information form and order. The next is a review form, just displaying the items and the customer info. The last page is the sendmail.php where I display everything again, order and customer info and send the mail. I'm using $_POST to get the customer info and the same for loop on the process, review and sendmail pages to get the order info to display:

[FONT="Courier New"] <table class="order">
<tr>
<th>Item</th>
<th>Description</th>
<th class="aligncenter">QTY</th>
<th class="alignright">Unit Price</th>
<th class="alignright">Sub-Total</th>
</tr>
<?php
for($i=1; $i<=count($SESSION['order']); $i++)
{
?>
<tr>
<td><?php echo $itemname ?></td>
<td><?php echo $itemdescription ?></td>
<td class="aligncenter"><?php echo $SESSION['order'][$i]['qty'] ?></td>
<td class="alignright"><?php echo $SESSION['order'][$i]['price'] ?></td>
<td class="alignright"><?php echo $SESSION['order'][$i]['qty']$SESSION['order'][$i]['price'] ?></td>
</tr>
<tr class="total">
<?php
$orderTotal=$orderTotal+($SESSION['order'][$i]['qty']$_SESSION['order'][$i]['price']);
}
?>
<td colspan="4" class="alignright"><h4>Order Total $</h4></th>
<td class="alignright"><h4><?php echo $orderTotal ?></h4> </tr>
</table>[/FONT]

Am I hopeless? Or maybe I just need to set this up as a database?

[ragedigital]

I just didn't see where you were setting the $_SESSION variables. I see where you are trying to get their values, but is their some code where they are being assigned some value?

I would honestly set this up in a database. If you have an error or someone screws up on their email, then the data is screwed.

Plus, with a database, you can always look up their order at a later date, change the status of the order, place updates with the order... you get teh point.

You'll have to have several tables:

Customer Information (user_id, name, address, etc...)
Product Information (product_id, description, etc...)
Customer Order (order_id, user_id, date_ordered, etc...)
Shopping Cart (cart_id, user_id, product_id, order_id, quantity, etc...)

[Blah162]

maybe its because i dont see all your code, or maybe its because i skimmed your code....but imagining the rest of your code i assume that the Sessions are set up as $_SESSION['blah']= $blah; somewhere else in the code. having assumed this i dont see where your mail code is calling to even send this. if you called it $orderTotal it is not being called here: $formmail=mail($recipient, $subject, $body, $mailheaders); and it is not listed in the $body as a field either, so it is never being sent to the emails from what i can see. i would try adding it to the $body portion. maybe i am completely wrong?

[Blah162]

maybe its because i dont see all your code, or maybe its because i skimmed your code....but imagining the rest of your code i assume that the Sessions are set up as

$_SESSION['blah']= $blah;

somewhere else in the code. having assumed this i dont see where your mail code is calling to even send this. if you called it $orderTotal it is not being called here:

$formmail=mail($recipient, $subject, $body, $mailheaders);

and it is not listed in the $body as a field either, so it is never being sent to the emails from what i can see. i would try adding it to the $body portion. maybe i am completely wrong?

[benracer]

Make sure session_start(); is at the top.

[lspyres]

i would try adding it to the $body portion. maybe i am completely wrong?

session_start(); is at the top of the page.

The session is defined as 'order'. I added the session to the body of the e-mail but it just gives me "Array" in the e-mail.

$body = "<p><b>Name:</b> $username</p>";
$body .= "<p><b>E-mail:</b> $email</p>";
$body .= "<p><b>Phone:</b> $phone</p>";
$body .= "<p><b>Department:</b> $dept</p>";
$body .= "<p><b>Deliver To:</b> $fridge</p>";
$body .= "<p><b>Delivery Date:</b> $ddate</p>";
$body .= "<p><b>PrePay Account:</b> $prepaynum</p>";
$body .= "<p><b>Department PO:</b> $deptpo</p>";
$body .= "<p><b>Date Ordered:</b> $datestamp</p>";
$body .= $_SESSION['order'];

I'm lost on how to make the details display.

[benracer]

Ok, add some items as you would normally then run the following code. Post what the browser displays.

<?php
session_start();
print_r($_SESSION['order']);
?>

[lspyres]

benracer wrote:

Ok, add some items as you would normally then run the following code. Post what the browser displays.

On the web page I use the code below to get the items added to the order to display:

<tr>
        <td><?php echo $_SESSION['order'][$i]['name'] ?></td>
        <td><?php echo $_SESSION['order'][$i]['description'] ?></td>
        <td class="aligncenter"><?php echo $_SESSION['order'][$i]['qty'] ?></td>
        <td class="alignright"><?php echo $_SESSION['order'][$i]['price'] ?></td>
        <td class="alignright"><?php echo $_SESSION['order'][$i]['qty']*$_SESSION['order'][$i]['price'] ?></td>
    </tr>

I tried using <?php echo $SESSION['order'][$i]['name'] ?> that in the $body but it didn't like it, the email is blank where that code is. I also tried defining $itemname = $SESSION['order'][$i]['name'] ; and including $itemname in the $body but no luck there either

I added the print_r as you suggested. It printed the array at the top of the page. I still can't figure out how to get it in the e-mail. Forgive me if I'm just not seeing the obvious, I'm still trying to wrap my head around this PHP thing.

Thanks!!!

[lspyres]

I put the orders in a database but still was having trouble getting the order details into the e-mail. BUT, I finally figured out to do what I was trying to do! I was asking the question wrong. My real question should have been...How can I use a while loop in an e-mail. To get the order detail I was displaying with a while loop into the e-mail, this is how I built my e-mail $body:

$body = "<html><head><style type='text/css'> body {font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;} h1 {color:#ff9; background-color:#036; padding:3px 5px;} p{line-height:25px;} table {width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:3px solid #036;} table tr th {padding:8px 2px; background-color:#ff9; color:#036; border:2px solid #036;} table tr td {padding:5px 2px; border:1px solid #036; border-bottom:none;}</style></head>";
		$body .="<h1>Lunch Express Order from $username</h1>";
		$body .= "<table><tr><th>Item</th><th>Qty</th><th>Price</th><th>Sub-Total</th></tr>";
		while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result))
		{
			$subtotal=($row['qty']*$row['productPrice']); 
			$formattedsub = number_format($subtotal,2);
			$body .= "<tr><td width='65%'>" . $row['productName'] . "</td><td align='center' width='8%' style='border:1px solid #036; border-bottom:none'>" . $row['qty'] . "</td><td align='right' width='12%'>$" . $row['productPrice'] . "</td><td width='25%' align='right'>$" . $formattedsub . "</td></tr>";
			$orderTotal = $orderTotal+($row['qty']*$row['productPrice']);
			$formattedtotal = number_format($orderTotal,2);
		}
		$body .= "<tr><th colspan='3' align='right'> Order Total </th><th align='right'>$" . $formattedtotal . "</th></tr>";
		$body .= "</table>";
		$body .= "<p><b>Name:</b> $username<br />";
		$body .= "<b>E-mail:</b> $email<br />";
		$body .= "<b>Phone:</b> $phone<br />";
		$body .= "<b>Department:</b> $dept<br />";
		$body .= "<b>Deliver To:</b> $fridge<br />";
		$body .= "<b>Delivery Date:</b> $ddate<br />";
		$body .= "<b>PrePay Account:</b> $prepaynum<br />";
		$body .= "<b>Department PO:</b> $deptpo<br />";
		$body .= "<b>Date Ordered:</b> $datestamp</p></body></html>";

I either over complicated or over simplified my question!

Thanks for the help!