[RESOLVED] Output Buffer problems

[OdinSaysFold]

Everything with this particular script was working beautifully until I added lines 65 through 72 to check against existing data. Since I put it in there I get "Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by ......"

I tried sticking in ob_start and ob_end_flush functions in lots of different places to accomplish an easy fix, but to no avail. I'd love to just be lazy and ignore it since it DOES throw the right error when applicable, however, it also creates the entry in the DB as well and THAT I cannot live with 😕

Anyone have any ideas on this?

<?php

$con = mysql_connect("localhost","db_user","password");
if (!$con)
  {
  die('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());
  }

mysql_select_db("db_name", $con);

$uname = $_POST["UName"];
$pwd = $_POST["Pwd"];
$passwd = $_POST["Passwd"];
$fname = $_POST["FName"];
$lname = $_POST["LName"];
$email = $_POST["EAddress"];
$address = $_POST["Address"];
$city = $_POST["City"];
$state = $_POST["State"];
$zip = $_POST["Zip"];
$country = $_POST["Country"];
$month = $_POST["BDayM"];
$day = $_POST["BDayD"];
$year = $_POST["BDayY"];
$agree = $_POST["agree"];

$len_uname = strlen($uname);
$len_passwd = strlen($passwd);
$len_fname = strlen($fname);
$len_lname = strlen($lname);
$len_email = strlen($email);
$len_address = strlen($address);
$len_city = strlen($city);
$len_state = strlen($state);
$len_zip = strlen($zip);
$len_country = strlen($country);
$len_month = strlen($month);
$len_day = strlen($day);
$len_year = strlen($year);
$len_agree = strlen($agree);

$regm = date(m);
$regd = date(d);
$regy = date(Y);

if(!eregi("^[_a-z0-9-]+(\.[_a-z0-9-]+)*@[a-z0-9-]+(\.[a-z0-9-]+)*(\.[a-z]{2,3})$", $email)) { $error = true; echo "The email address entered is not valid. Please go back and submit the form again.<br>"; }
elseif($len_uname == 0) { $error = true; echo "The Username field cannot be blank. Please go back and submit the form again.<br>"; }
elseif($len_passwd < 6) { $error = true; echo "Your password must be at least six characters long. Please go back and submit the form again.<br>"; }
elseif($len_fname == 0) { $error = true; echo "The first name field cannot be blank. Please go back and submit the form again.<br>"; }
elseif($len_lname == 0) { $error = true; echo "The last name field cannot be blank. Please go back and submit the form again.<br>"; }
elseif($len_email == 0) { $error = true; echo "The email address field cannot be blank. Please go back and submit the form again.<br>"; }
elseif($len_address == 0) { $error = true; echo "The address field cannot be blank. Please go back and submit the form again.<br>"; }
elseif($len_city == 0) { $error = true; echo "The city field cannot be blank. Please go back and submit the form again.<br>"; }
elseif($len_state == 0) { $error = true; echo "The state field cannot be blank. Please go back and submit the form again.<br>"; }
elseif($len_zip == 0) { $error = true; echo "The postal code field cannot be blank. Please go back and submit the form again.<br>"; }
elseif($len_country == 0) { $error = true; echo "You must select the country you reside in. Please go back and submit the form again.<br>"; }
elseif($len_month == 0) { $error = true; echo "You must select the month you were born in. Please go back and submit the form again.<br>"; }
elseif($len_day == 0) { $error = true; echo "You must select the day you were born on. Please go back and submit the form again.<br>"; }
elseif($len_year == 0) { $error = true; echo "You must select the year you were born in. Please go back and submit the form again.<br>"; } 

elseif($pwd != $passwd) { $error = true; echo "The passwords entered do not match. Please go back and submit the form again.<br>"; }

elseif($len_agree != 3) { $error = true; echo "You must agree to the site terms and conditions in order to register. Please go back and submit the form again.<br>"; }

$q_uname = mysql_query("SELECT * from userinf WHERE UName='$uname'");
if(mysql_num_rows($q_uname) > 0) { $error = true; echo "The Username you have chosen is already in use. Please go back and submit the form with a different Username.<br>"; }

$q_email = mysql_query("SELECT * from userinf WHERE EAddress='$email'");
if(mysql_num_rows($q_email) > 0) { $error = true; echo "An account already exists with the email address you have supplied.<br>"; }

$q_address = mysql_query("SELECT * from userinf WHERE Address='$address'");
if(mysql_num_rows($q_address) > 0) { $error = true; echo "An account already exists with the address you have supplied.<br>"; }

$sql="INSERT INTO table 
(UName, Passwd, FName, LName, EAddress, Address, City, State, Zip, Country, BDayM, BDayD, BDayY, RegM, RegD, RegY)
VALUES
(\"".$_POST["UName"]."\",
\"".$_POST["Passwd"]."\",
\"".$_POST["FName"]."\",
\"".$_POST["LName"]."\",
\"".$_POST["EAddress"]."\",
\"".$_POST["Address"]."\",
\"".$_POST["City"]."\",
\"".$_POST["State"]."\",
\"".$_POST["Zip"]."\",
\"".$_POST["Country"]."\",
\"".$_POST["BDayM"]."\",
\"".$_POST["BDayD"]."\",
\"".$_POST["BDayY"]."\",
$regm,
$regd,
$regy)";

if (!mysql_query($sql,$con))
  {
  die('Error: ' . mysql_error());
  }

mysql_close($con);

header("Location: http://blah.com/blah.html");

?>

[laserlight]

Since you reached for output buffering, you should be aware that the problem is that you are printing output before the header call. Output buffering is one solution, but it is usually more appropriate to restructure your script such that you only print output after the last header (or setcookie) call.

In this case, that actually makes a great deal of sense. You are printing output by printing an error message when an input error is detected. But if you immediately send the location header after printing the error message, the user is unlikely to be able to read the error message. Therefore, you should only send the location header if there are no errors, or you only print the error message on the destination page.

[OdinSaysFold]

laserlight;10967868 wrote:

Since you reached for output buffering, you should be aware that the problem is that you are printing output before the header call. Output buffering is one solution, but it is usually more appropriate to restructure your script such that you only print output after the last header (or setcookie) call.

In this case, that actually makes a great deal of sense. You are printing output by printing an error message when an input error is detected. But if you immediately send the location header after printing the error message, the user is unlikely to be able to read the error message. Therefore, you should only send the location header if there are no errors, or you only print the error message on the destination page.

The second paragraph kind of threw me but I made a lot of sense of the last line in the end. I revamped my method to put the error verbiage in a message array and create a true flag if it occurs and then at the end of all the checks if there is a true flag or flagS it writes the error to the same page. Example:

if($uname != '') {
		$qry = "SELECT * FROM userinf WHERE UName='$uname'";
		$result = mysql_query($qry);
		if($result) {
			if(mysql_num_rows($result) > 0) {
				$errmsg_arr[] = 'The Username you have selected is already in use, please choose a different one';
				$errflag = true;
			}
			@mysql_free_result($result);
		}
		else {
			die("Query failed");
		}
	}

// and then after all my checks ending with:

if($errflag) {
		$_SESSION['ERRMSG_ARR'] = $errmsg_arr;
		session_write_close();
		header("location: register.php");
		exit();
	}

Works super! Now I just have to figure out why the email I send out upon registration is coming up blank. I am creating a table using a string variable for the body of the email. Thought it was a good idea til the email came through blank....

$details = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM table_name WHERE UName = $uname");
  $table = "<table border='1'>
    <tr>
      <th>Username</th>
      <th>Email Address</th>
      <th>First Name</th>
      <th>Last Name</th>
      <th>Address</th>
      <th>City</th>
      <th>State</th>
      <th>Postal Code</th>
      <th>Country</th>
      <th>Birth Month</th>
      <th>Birth Day</th>
      <th>Birth Year</th>
    </tr>";
    while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($details)) {
      $table.= "<tr>";
      $table.= "<td>" . $row['UName'] . "</td>";
      $table.= "<td>" . $row['EAddress'] . "</td>";
      $table.= "<td>" . $row['FName'] . "</td>";
      $table.= "<td>" . $row['LName'] . "</td>";
      $table.= "<td>" . $row['Address'] . "</td>";
      $table.= "<td>" . $row['City'] . "</td>";
      $table.= "<td>" . $row['State'] . "</td>";
      $table.= "<td>" . $row['Zip'] . "</td>";
      $table.= "<td>" . $row['Country'] . "</td>";
      $table.= "<td>" . $row['BDayM'] . "</td>";
      $table.= "<td>" . $row['BDayD'] . "</td>";
      $table.= "<td>" . $row['BDayY'] . "</td>";
      $table.= "</tr>";
    }
  $table.= "</table>"; 
      echo $table;

$to = "[e-mail]";
$subject = "A New Member has registered";
$content = $details;
$from = "[e-mail]";
$headers = "From: $from";
mail($to,$subject,$content,$headers);

I am marking the thread resolved but would still appreciate any input on my current blank email issue. Thanks so much for the earlier reply!

[laserlight]

OdinSaysFold wrote:

I revamped my method to put the error verbiage in a message array and create a true flag if it occurs and then at the end of all the checks if there is a true flag or flagS it writes the error to the same page.

That's good, but you don't need the flag: rather, create an empty array at the start, then check if it is not empty.

OdinSaysFold wrote:

Now I just have to figure out why the email I send out upon registration is coming up blank. I am creating a table using a string variable for the body of the email. Thought it was a good idea til the email came through blank....

The problem is that you set $content = $details; when it should be $content = $table;. But it is even easier and clearer if you just used $content instead of $table from the start.