Very Unusual Multiple Form Problem

RationalRabbit

Since I began programming for the Web, there have been many instances where I have used multiple forms on a page. Whether those forms go to separate pages or post to the same page is no problem - there are ways to deal with each.

I have been all day trying to wrap my mind around this problem.

I have a simple, 1 field form in the (included) header of the page for instigating a zip code/city lookup, which is dealt with on a specific page (list.php). I also have a second form on list.php to do a refined search. Both these forms work fine and independently, using a hidden field to determine which form was submitted.

Now, on another page, which, of course, includes the header with the search field, I also have a several-field form to be filled out. When the submit button is pressed on this form, it goes directly to the "list.php" page.

I know that someone is going to ask me to post code, but it is really irrelevant, I believe. I base that conclusion on the following:

In debugging this script, I have done all of the following:

Deleted blocks of code on the form page until I had nothing left on the page but the header, menu, and the form.
Eliminating the header, of course, causes the problem to go away. The problem is, the form in the header is being actuated.
Turned caching off on the page.
Eliminated the session_start() altogether. My page now has nothing but the two forms.
Placed the following code at the very top of the page:
```
if(isset($_POST['Submit'])){die('I am dead!');}
```
This code runs when the header is removed. When the header is present, it does not. So... any type of form detection is out the window ... it never gets there.
At this point, I felt it had to be in the session. so I cleared all session cookies, and tried again. Same thing.
I had a couple of shots of whisky and called an old friend who is always good for a laugh.
Figuring I should have closed my browser after clearing session cookies, I did one step better. (FireFox sometimes restores those session cookies) I went directly to the form page in Internet Explorer and hit the submit button ... I still ended up on the list.php page.

Anybody with any other ideas, I'm all ears!!

dagon

RationalRabbit;10965825 wrote:
I know that someone is going to ask me to post code, but it is really irrelevant, I believe. I base that conclusion on the following:

post code, it's always relevant.

RationalRabbit

Actually, Dagon, I believe, in this case, it isn't.

It seems that the server is retaining information it should not. Or maybe I've been staring at this code so long I've gone completely bananas.

But ... Since you made that statement, I went in and (almost) totally stripped down both files, then tested to make sure the problem still occurred. That includes testing first in FireFox, then opening a closed Internet Explorer, and typing the address of freesignup.php directly into the address bar and hitting the submit button.

The two files are list.php and freesignup.php. The header is an include file. for this example and my last tests, I pasted the code from the include file into it's proper place in both files, which is the "HeadWrap" div.

The Submit button in the "FreeForm" form will go directly to list.php, without passing "GO". In other words, even if I set the form to self, it will never reach the top of the page. What the action is set to is immaterial. It is ignored.

register_globals is ON on this server.

LIST.php

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
   <meta charset="UTF-8">
   <title>List Page</title>
   <meta name="description" content=""/>
   <meta name="keywords" content=""/>
</head>
<body>
<div id="HeadWrap">
   <table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
      <tr>
      <td style="background:url(images/Head-Left.png) repeat-x;">&nbsp;</td>
      <td style="width:178px; height:150px; background:url(images/HeadSec-Left2.png) no-repeat;">&nbsp;</td>
      <td style="width:322px; height:150px; background:url(images/Head-Right.png) repeat-x;">&nbsp;</td>
      <td style="width:280px; height:150px; background:url(images/HeadSec-Right.png) no-repeat; text-align:right;" valign="top">
         <img src="images/Search.gif" style="margin-top:10px;" width="25" height="20" alt="Search" />
         <form name="HeadForm" id="HeadForm" style="display:inline;" method="post" action="list.php">
            <input style="font-size:10px;" type="text" size="30" name="CityFind" value="" />
            <input type="hidden" name="HeadForm" value="1" />
            <input style="font-size:10px;" type="submit" name="Submit" value="Go" />
         <form>
      </td>
      <td style="background:url(images/Head-Right.png) repeat-x;">&nbsp;</td>
      </tr>
   </table>
</div>
<div id="Wrapper">
</div>
</body>
</html>

FREESIGNUP.php

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
   <meta charset="UTF-8">
   <title>form page</title>
</head>
<body>
<div id="HeadWrap">
   <table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
      <tr>
      <td style="background:url(images/Head-Left.png) repeat-x;">&nbsp;</td>
      <td style="width:178px; height:150px; background:url(images/HeadSec-Left2.png) no-repeat;">&nbsp;</td>
      <td style="width:322px; height:150px; background:url(images/Head-Right.png) repeat-x;">&nbsp;</td>
      <td style="width:280px; height:150px; background:url(images/HeadSec-Right.png) no-repeat; text-align:right;" valign="top">
         <img src="images/Search.gif" style="margin-top:10px;" width="25" height="20" alt="Search" />
         <form name="HeadForm" id="HeadForm" style="display:inline;" method="post" action="list.php">
            <input style="font-size:10px;" type="text" size="30" name="CityFind" value="" />
            <input type="hidden" name="HeadForm" value="1" />
            <input style="font-size:10px;" type="submit" name="Submit" value="Go" />
         <form>
      </td>
      <td style="background:url(images/Head-Right.png) repeat-x;">&nbsp;</td>
      </tr>
   </table>
</div>
<div id="Wrapper">
   <div id="InnerTube">
         <div id="FormSet" class="RedFrameBox">
         <?PHP
            echo('
            <form method="post" name="FreeForm" id="FreeForm" action="action is the same no matter what file is here">
               <table class="FormTable" width="100%">
                  <tr><td class="Label">E-mail Address (will not display):</td><td class="Value"><input type="text" name="a_Email" width="100%" maxlength="100" /></td></tr>
                  <tr><td class="Label">Contact is okay from these parties:</td><td class="Value">Real Estate Agents<input type="checkbox" name="a_Agents" value="1" />&nbsp;&nbsp;Others<input type="checkbox" name="a_Others" value="1" /></td></tr>
               </table>
               <div class="BlueFrameBox">
               <table width="100%">
                  <tr>
                     <td style="text-align:center;">
                        <input type="reset" value="Reset" />
                     </td>
                     <td style="text-align:center;">
                        <a class="HrefButton" href="freepreview.php"><input type="button" value="Preview" /></a>
                     </td>
                     <td style="text-align:center;">
                        <input type="hidden" name="FreeForm" value="1" />
                        <input type="submit" name="Submit" value="Submit" />
                     </td>
                  </tr>
               </table>
               </div>
            </form>
         </div>');
         ?>
      </div> <!-- Main Content -->
      <div style="clear: both"></div>
   </div> <!-- InnerTube -->
</div>
</body>
</html>

RationalRabbit

Oh Crap! No closing "/" on the header form!

Pressing Submit was submitting both forms.