PHP Application Form

radman08

I am building a student application that will go online. I do not have the resources to pay someone to build it for me so I am learning as I go. I have my form built. It is 6 pages long with a final page to submit the form. The way I have it set up right now is I have a database that each pages content submits to. One of my problems right now is that each page starts a new line in my table so if I have one person with one username filling out the application all of his/her data will be spread out into 6 different fields inside my table. I want to have the entire form fill in one single line in my table not 6 or 7. How can I do that? I thought of using a session variable (ie username) to have all the data enter into the same place but I don't know how to do that. Is there a way? If not is there a way that each page submitted can post a session variable (ie username) so that when it comes time to collect and submit the info it will be easy to call all 6 pages into one place?

Second issue. When the application is finished I want, when the submit button is hit, to collect all of the info entered by the one applicant to all come into one place, be formatted and e-mailed to 2-3 e-mail addresses in neat order. How is that possible? I know it is because I have had someone say they can do it (for a price out of my budget). Any help would be good.

Thanks,
RADMAN08

jeremyphphaven

Easiest way is as you go through each page... use session information to store until the end, then store the information in the database (one entry in the database) and kill the session data.

For example... lets say page one is the user filling out name, address, city, state.

After they submit page 1, you will check the information (hopefully you have that in place already), then instead of uploading to the database, store the information into a session variable, then move on to page to...

session_start(); // make sure this is at the start of every PHP page

// FORM IS SUBMITTED

// YOU CHECKED THE DATA

// NOW STORE IT IN A SESSION VARIABLE
$_SESSION['name'] = $_POST['name'];
$_SESSION['addr'] = $_POST['addr'];
$_SESSION['city'] = $_POST['city'];
$_SESSION['state'] = $_POST['state'];

// FAST FORWARD TO THE LAST PAGE, CREATE YOUR QUERY TO THE DATABASE
$query = "insert into [I]table[/I] set
   username='" .addslashes($_SESSION['name']). "',
   addr='" .addslashes($_SESSION['addr']). "',
   city='" .addslashes($_SESSION['city']). "',
   state='" .addslashes($_SESSION['state']). "'
";
mysql_query($query) or die(mysql_error());

Hopefully that helps... good luck!!!

radman08

Thank you.

My question then is if someone wanted to fill out the form over a period of a few days will the information still carry to the end. The reason the form is 6 pages long is that there is way too much information to fill out the application in one sitting. Will using the session work for that type of work?

RADMAN08

jeremyphphaven

nope it sure won't. You have two viable options there.

1. You use a STAGING table in your database along to store the information.
PROS - Its in a database, you can pull and store whatever you want at whatever stage in the process. You can then move the data to its permanent home.
CONS - This needs some form of identifier to say John doe is really John doe next time he comes to the page, that way you can pick up where he left off. If you have a user system in place (login before you fill out the form type of thing), no problem. If not, the only real way to do this is using IP, or cookies.

2. Second option is using cookies. If they come to the form, and you noticed that have 1-3 pages filled out, shoot them to the 4th page to continue
PROS - Don't have to dink with a database, information is stored on the users computer.
CONS - A user clears their cookies, they have to start over. Or if they don't accept the use of cookies browser side.

You're on the right track... My suggestion, figure out which info is required and which is not and give a ONE PAGE registration form. After all, I'm not sure what this is for, but if you have 6 pages worth of questions... SHIT, my health insurance application for my entire family had only about 10 questions... FIX IT UP!!!

radman08

Can you tell me a little about staging or where I can find a how to? I will be using a user/login setup that is good to go.

As far as what this is for it is an indepth background and history for students entering out program. Radical Action Disciples (still in the works as far as a website...)

jeremyphphaven

A staging table is basically just an area to store the data until it's ready to be moved to it's permanent home.

It's like buying land and living in a trailer (staging table) until you're ready to move into your home (the REAL table(s)).

You can name it whatever you want and have as many fields as you want, etc. It's more of a methodology than anything.

radman08

I have data stored and ready to move. How do I get all the data to move to a permanent "home"? How can I move it all to its permanent place and have it submit or e-mail to our office? Is there a way to just collect the data- all identified by a username- and just have it format into an e-mail or file and send to an address?

jeremyphphaven

create a php script that it's only job is to take all the data in the staging table and move it to the real table...

If it's a lot of data, you may want to create a loading area so you know when it's done. also if it's a lot of data, you may want to do it in chunks.

More than likely, I'm guess in your scenarios, you can simply write a script that will pull all the data, the insert it into it's permanent home.

You can then call the script via a web browser, or create a nightly job (cron job) that will run the script automatically every night.

Hit me up if you have any other questions.

radman08

I am pretty new to coding. I really do not know much at all so I don't know how to write a php script to do this. How would I do that?