Strange PHP problem!!!

Birgi · 03-08-2005, 04:01 AM

Hi everybody,

I have a problem with PHP. I created a very basic html form and I am trying to access the input from a very basic php. For example in the html form I got:

<input type="text" ... ... ... name="email">

And in the php file I have:

<?php
...
print("Email : $email");
?>

But this is not working... I also tried the following...

http://........./evaluate1.php?email...oy@hotmail.com

Always $email seems to be empty...

No syntax errors and other things.

Can you please help?

Birgi

blue penguin · 03-08-2005, 05:09 AM

You have to tell the PHP parsing engine that you want to use the data from the form, if you put this:

Code:

$email = $_POST['email'];

before you call $email it should work (assuming your form used the POST method, or if you used the get method it would be:

Code:

$email = $_GET['email'];

here http://www.zend.com/php/beginners/php101-2.php is part two (where using data from forms is explained) of an excelent 15 part PHP tutorial by Zend, the PHP company.

Good luck in your PHP progamming :-)

zaichik · 03-08-2005, 06:47 AM

Hello,

This is a fairly common problem. Until version 4.2.x of PHP, there was a directive called register_globals the default value of which was On. Since 4.2.0 the default value is Off. The difference is how you access variables in sessions, cookies, and forms. If register_globals is set to On, you can do just what you have been trying to do. However, this is insecure, so usually (if the admin is smart) register_globals is set to off. Then you have to have to access the variables like Blue Penguin says to. More information here.

If you have a form with many input items, you can do this:

Code:

extract( $_POST ); //if the form has the POST method, otherwise extract( $_GET );

Then you can use the variables as you have trying to. extract() works on any array that has key names for the elements. So if you did this:

Code:

$myArray[ 'value1' ] = $something;
$myArray[ 'value2' ] = $somethingElse;
extract( $myArray );

you would then have variables $value1 and $value2.

Birgi · 03-08-2005, 12:07 PM

blue penguin and zaichik,

Thanks... It worked out perfectly. Having people like you around, makes being a newbie easier.

Thanks again...

Birgi