Sending data from AJAX call to PHP

pizzipie · 06-14-2016, 05:21 PM

Hi,

Trying to send php file the data which was returned by a call to AJAX.

If I print_r($_GET) (returned from the php file attached below)

array Array ( [myData] => [object Object] )

If I var_dump($_GET) This is what is returned.

array array(1) { ["myData"]=> string(0) "" }

If I echo $_GET['Name'];

Notice: Undefined index: Name in /home/rick/DB-Web/db/Update.php on line 50 is returned.

If I echo $_GET[0]['Name'];

Notice: Undefined offset: 0 in /home/rick/DB-Web/db/Update.php on line 50
is returned

The data returned by AJAX (as shown by firebug ) is as follows:

[{"Name":"George Hopper","Nickname":"Hop","DOB":"1985-05-22","POB":"Koneville, MI","Birth_Record":"A-9023"
,"Recorded_Date":"1985-05-24","Birth_Certificate":"KM-B5099","SS_No":"145-39-9912","Mother_Name":"Alice
Jones Hopper","Mother_DOB":"1960-11-27","DL":"QT90-Idaho","DL_Expiry":"2020-11-17","Passport_No":"P01865"
,"PP_Expiry":"2020-08-15","Next_Kin":"Children: Pete Hopper, Mary Hopper Thompson, Willian J. Hopper"
}]

How can I retrieve the data to work with in the php file?

Code:

$('#rev').click(function () {
 	
 	var param="update"
 	
 	doAjax(param, nName);
 	
 function doAjax(param, nName) {
	
	$.ajax({
		type: "POST",
		url: "getfields.php",
		data: {"param":param, "nName":nName},
		dataType: "json",
		success: sendTbl
	}); // ajax	
 	
 	
 function sendTbl(data) {


 window.location.href="Update.php?myData="+data[0];
 // can send data or data[0] same answer
	
} // sendTbl	

} // doAjax	

}); // #rev

Code:

<?php

set_include_path( '../include' );
error_reporting(-1);
ini_set("display_errors", true);

    
echo gettype($_GET)."\n\n";

print_r($_GET);


?>

keefaz · 06-14-2016, 06:30 PM

I didn't follow how ajax data is sent and retreived, but if received in php script as json, you have to decode it first

PHP Code:



<?php
set_include_path( '../include' );
error_reporting(-1);
ini_set("display_errors", true);

// decode in associative array
$myData = json_decode($_GET['myData'], true);

print_r($myData);

// or write it in a file
file_put_contents('/path/to/writable/dir/debug.txt', print_r($myData, true));
?>

Edit, reading the javascript code, it is not clear what you want to achieve...
functions should be written outside the click(function) block
I don't figure out the meaning of: window.location.href="Update.php?myData="+data[0];

...ok I get it, you want to send first element (= the whole data array/object from firebug output) of data array (retreived from ajax call) as GET method to Update.php when the ajax call to getfields.php is completed

Why not send data to Update.php with ajax as POST like in the first ajax call?

Code:

function doAjax(param, nName) {
	$.ajax({
		type: "POST",
		url: "getfields.php",
		data: {"param":param, "nName":nName},
		dataType: "json",
		success: sendTbl
	}); // ajax	
 }
 
function sendTbl(mData) {
	$.ajax({
		type: "POST",
		contentType: "application/json",
		url: "Update.php",
		data: mData,
		dataType: "json"
	}); // ajax	
	
} // sendTbl	


$('#rev').click(function () {
 	var param="update"
 	doAjax(param, nName);
}); // #rev

Update.php

PHP Code:



<?php
function getData() {
    $myData = json_decode(file_get_contents('php://input'), true);
    file_put_contents('/path/to/writable/dir/debug.txt', print_r($myData, true));
}

getData();
?>

}

sundialsvcs · 06-14-2016, 07:31 PM

It is definitely useful to use the browser debugger ... "FireBug" in Firefox, or what have you ... to L-O-O-K ... A-T the actual data that is being sent and received. (By that I mean, "exactly what bytes were sent from the client to the host, and then, exactly what bytes came back?")

Armed with this information, you can do things such as "writing a little JavaScript program" (or maybe, doing it in the browser's console-window ...) that takes "this character string" and does with it whatever you think is supposed to happen next.

In this way, you ought to be able to fairly-quickly figure out

where the problem lies.

pizzipie · 06-14-2016, 08:28 PM

The data returned by AJAX (as shown by firebug ) is as follows:

[{"Name":"George Hopper","Nickname":"Hop","DOB":"1985-05-22","POB":"Koneville, MI","Birth_Record":"A-9023"
,"Recorded_Date":"1985-05-24","Birth_Certificate":"KM-B5099","SS_No":"145-39-9912","Mother_Name":"Alice
Jones Hopper","Mother_DOB":"1960-11-27","DL":"QT90-Idaho","DL_Expiry":"2020-11-17","Passport_No":"P01865"
,"PP_Expiry":"2020-08-15","Next_Kin":"Children: Pete Hopper, Mary Hopper Thompson, Willian J. Hopper"
}]

in the AJAX success: it is referred to as 'data'

I want to send this to Update.php

How to do this?

Are you saying window.location.href="Update.php?myData="+data; won't work?

Sending it thru another AJAX call didn't work.

keefaz · 06-15-2016, 05:08 AM

It could work but I would url encode it

Code:

var encData = encodeURIComponent(data);
window.location.href = "Update.php?myData=" + encData;

pizzipie · 06-15-2016, 04:24 PM

Thanks keefaz,

I tried your last response and it did work, however, I think you are right in using an AJAX call to do this.

I have a real problem in trying to get AJAX 'data' to be interpreted in my server Update.php code.

I am trying to send data to Update.php with a json string:

{"Name":"Hop", "DL":"QT90-Idaho", "DL_Expiry":"2020-11-17", "PassPort_No":"P01865", "PP_Expiry":"2020-08-15"} (this is a valid JSON string)

The response I get from PHP is:
All of the Update.php code plus the response from:

var_dump($_POST);
echo "\n\n";
print_r($_POST);
echo $_POST["Name"];

array(0) {
}

Array
(
)
 
Notice: Undefined index: Name in /home/rick/DB-Web/pizzidb/Update.php on line 50 

Could you please show me how to access the data in array(0) or is it simply not there?

Thanks R

keefaz · 06-15-2016, 05:33 PM

Usually in php you get the posted json like:

PHP Code:



$myData = json_decode(file_get_contents('php://input'), true);
var_dump($myData);

In the ajax call, you set contentType parameter to "application/json"

pizzipie · 06-15-2016, 05:38 PM

I said in my last post "

Quote:

I tried your last response and it did work, however, I think you are right in using an AJAX call to do this.

I was wrong! When I run var_dump($_GET); after using window.location.href = "Update.php?myData" + str; I get as a response:

array(1) {
["myData{"Name":"Hop",_"DL":"QT90-Idaho",_"DL_Expiry":"2020-11-17",_"PassPort_No":"P01865",_"PP_Expiry"
:"2020-08-15"}"]=>
string(0) ""
}
 
Notice: Undefined index: myData in /home/rick/DB-Web/pizzidb/Update.php on line 49
 

I'm assuming array(1) refers to one array and it's named myData, so why doesn't mydata['Name'] work.

Where did ==> string(0) "" come from?

Going nuts, R

keefaz · 06-15-2016, 07:48 PM

php sees the whole json object as a key in $_GET array, string(0) is buggous value
Also, there are some added underscores after commas (,_"DL":"QT90-Idaho...) maybe replacing spaces...
I think passing json array as get variable is not the way to go

Where does "myData" come from?

If you insist to pass json with get, you can convert your json data to get variables in javascript before calling window.location, like

Code:

var getDataArr = [];
for (var key in data) { // or data[0], I don't know how data is structured
    getDataArr.push(key+'='+encodeURIComponent(data.key)); // or data[0].key
}

window.location.href="Update.php?"+getDataArr.join('&');

pizzipie · 06-15-2016, 09:32 PM

I'd like to use the Ajax call as you suggested. I produced the data to pass as follows:

$.each ...... {
uData.push(" ""+field+"": ""+encodeURI(value)+""");
}

This created:

object uData "DL": "QT90-Idaho", "DL_Expiry": "2020-11-17", "PassPort_No": "P01865", "PP_Expiry": "2020-08-15"

An object named uData.

Now, how can I pass this in AJAX as a POST where 'data:' is uData' to Update.php.

If I pass it, as above, the result of var_dump($_POST); is: array(0) { }
src is shown as undefined=&undefined=&undefined=&undefined=

keefaz · 06-16-2016, 12:25 PM

POST and GET variables are passed in the form: key1=value&key2=value&key3=value

So you code becomes:

Code:

$.each ...... {
  uData.push(field+"="+encodeURIComponent(value));
}
// then convert to string by joining each uData element with a '&' character
var uDataString = uData.join('&');

// use this uDataString for data parameter value in your post ajax call

pizzipie · 06-16-2016, 04:24 PM

Thanks, keefaz, for your continued support. I really appreciate your staying with me on this and sorry that this is not getting resolved!!!

I'm beginning to think this is not just me being ignorant. I have done a fair amount of programming and have not had these problems before. I don't pretend to know much more than beginning intermediate, however.

I tried the call to Update.php with AJAX in two ways.

I did as you suggested in your last post with the results, case 1. and case 2.

In both cases the data posted to Update.php shows in firebug as data-as-posted.png.

I niether case does the data show up in the request.done function, showReturn.

function showReturn(data) {

alert("in showReturn "); <========== this does appear properly case 1. only

$.each(data, function (field, value) { <========== this does not appear creates TypeError: invalid in operand obj case 1.
alert(field+": "+value);
});
}

Comments appreciated.

R

case 1. Comment out - dataType:

var request = $.ajax({
type: "POST",
url: "Update.php",
data: uDataString
//dataType: "json" dataType commented out

}); // ajax

response-notype.png

case 2. Using dataType: "json"

var request = $.ajax({
type: "POST",
url: "Update.php",
data: uDataString
dataType: "json" dataType set to "json"

}); // ajax

Throws "Request failed - parsererror "

response-withtype.png

keefaz · 06-16-2016, 04:40 PM

Yep it works, the data have been sent and received by Update.php, see Response tab

Now Update.php has to send data back with json type if your ajax expects json depending on dataType value, eg if you set dataType to json, the ajax callback expects a response encoded in json.

In php you just echo json at the end of script

PHP Code:



$response = Array('exit' => 'success', 'mykey' => 'some value...');
echo json_encode($response);

BTW, I just re-read documentation for ajax:
https://api.jquery.com/jQuery.ajax/

A function to convert json array to string is superfluous as data can accept array and jquery will convert it as a query string automatically

sundialsvcs · 06-16-2016, 05:07 PM

"Once again, I repeat ..."

...

... in any such situation, start(!) by using the web-browser's debugging facilities to LQQK(!!) at the bytes(!) that the two computers-in-question are actually sending to one another.

If possible, do the same with any other, existing, interaction with this same web-server, which is known to already work, and that you are in the position to observe. ("Hey, d00d, they did it right. 'Go and do likewise!'")

If you confine yourself to looking at the situation only from the point-of-view of "one communicating party or the other," you cannot readily see "which one (or both?) of the two is screwing up!"

"You, as a human(!) outsider," can readily eavesdrop upon something that neither digital party can so-readily see. "Make the very best of it." (The hair follicles time you save will be your own.)

(And if you have not yet learned to prize "hair follicles," someday you will!)

pizzipie · 06-16-2016, 11:09 PM

Quote:

eg if you set dataType to json, the ajax callback expects a response encoded in json.

keefaz, is this not what I did? (AJAX call with dataType:"json",)

On server end:

foreach($_POST as $key => $value) { $rows[$key]=$value; }

Array <========= print_r($rows);

(
[DL] => QT90-Idaho
[DL_Expiry] => 2020-11-17
[PassPort_No] => P01865
[PP_Expiry] => 2020-08-15
)

echo json_encode($rows);

On Client End:

function showReturn(data) { <======== back from Update.php

alert("in showReturn "); <======= does not display

$.each(data, function (field, value) {
alert(field+": "+value);
});
} // showReturn

Request failed: parsererror