POST variable not found

[Lee David]

I have a validation form that lets you enter your ID and password. Then I
call the page again. This time the page script should check that it is a
"recall" and check the entered data with the database. With a match, set
three cookies (this doesn't work) and redirect to another page. With a
miss, see the cookies to "guest" values and redirect to a different page.

When I "echo" from within the code (for testing), it displays showing the
code was executed. When I don't, the code isn't executed at all. Here is
the code:

<?php
if ($_POST[postaction] == "validateuser")
{
// page redisplayed with results of this code
$user = "me";
$pwrd = "mypassword";
$cont = "localhost";
$name_db = "mokenabarber";
$name_table = "UserID";
// form variables
$id = $_POST["id"];
$pwd = $_POST["pwd"];
// set SQL session
$name_connect = mysql_connect($cont, $user, $pwrd) or die(mysql_error());
$db_connect = mysql_select_db($name_db, $name_connect) or
die(mysql_error());
// set SQL call
$sql_code = "SELECT Password, Level FROM $name_table ";
$sql_code .= "WHERE ID = '$id'";
// testing only
// echo $sql_code . "<br><br>";
// check SQL output
$sql_result = mysql_query($sql_code,$name_connect) or die(mysql_error());
$output = mysql_fetch_array($sql_result);
// store database variables
$pwdSQL = $output["Password"];
$lvlSQL = $output["Level"];
// testing only
// echo "sql pwd: '" . $pwdSQL . "'<br>sql lvl: '" . $lvlSQL . "'<br>rows:
'" . mysql_num_rows($sql_result) . "'<br>post pwd: '" . $pwd . "'<br>post
id: '" . $id . "'<br>";
// set cookie time limit - 180 days
$hold = 60 * 60 * 24 * 180;
if ($pwdSQL == $pwd)
{
// validated user - write cookie and continue
setcookie("user", "$id", $hold);
setcookie("level", "$lvlSQL", $hold);
setcookie("authorized", "yes", $hold);
header("Location: http://www.mokenahickorycreek.com/SQL_Staff.php");
exit;
}
else
{
setcookie("user", "guest", $hold);
setcookie("level", "0", $hold);
setcookie("authorized", "no", $hold);
header("Location: http://www.mokenahickorycreek.com/index.php");
exit;
}
}
?>

The goofy lack of whitespace is because the online manual says you can't
have it or cookies won't be set. But then their example has blank lines so
go figure. I've tried variations of using quotes and not using them, but
don't see any difference.

TIA, Lee

[Gordon Burditt]

>I have a validation form that lets you enter your ID and password. Then I

call the page again. This time the page script should check that it is a
"recall" and check the entered data with the database. With a match, set
three cookies (this doesn't work) and redirect to another page. With a
miss, see the cookies to "guest" values and redirect to a different page.

When I "echo" from within the code (for testing), it displays showing the
code was executed. When I don't, the code isn't executed at all. Here is
How do you know this? What is the result? A blank page?
Are you ABSOLUTELY SURE the password matches?
the code:

<?php
if ($_POST[postaction] == "validateuser")
{
// page redisplayed with results of this code
$user = "me";
$pwrd = "mypassword";
$cont = "localhost";
$name_db = "mokenabarber";
$name_table = "UserID";
// form variables
$id = $_POST["id"];
$pwd = $_POST["pwd"];
// set SQL session
$name_connect = mysql_connect($cont, $user, $pwrd) or die(mysql_error());
$db_connect = mysql_select_db($name_db, $name_connect) or
die(mysql_error());
// set SQL call
$sql_code = "SELECT Password, Level FROM $name_table ";
$sql_code .= "WHERE ID = '$id'";
// testing only
// echo $sql_code . "<br><br>";
// check SQL output
$sql_result = mysql_query($sql_code,$name_connect) or die(mysql_error());
$output = mysql_fetch_array($sql_result);
// store database variables
$pwdSQL = $output["Password"];
$lvlSQL = $output["Level"];
// testing only
// echo "sql pwd: '" . $pwdSQL . "'<br>sql lvl: '" . $lvlSQL . "'<br>rows:
'" . mysql_num_rows($sql_result) . "'<br>post pwd: '" . $pwd . "'<br>post
id: '" . $id . "'<br>";
// set cookie time limit - 180 days
$hold = 60 * 60 * 24 * 180;
if ($pwdSQL == $pwd)
{
// validated user - write cookie and continue
setcookie("user", "$id", $hold);
setcookie("level", "$lvlSQL", $hold);
setcookie("authorized", "yes", $hold);
header("Location: http://www.mokenahickorycreek.com/SQL_Staff.php");
exit;
}
else
{
setcookie("user", "guest", $hold);
setcookie("level", "0", $hold);
setcookie("authorized", "no", $hold);
header("Location: http://www.mokenahickorycreek.com/index.php");
exit;
}
}
?>

The goofy lack of whitespace is because the online manual says you can't
have it or cookies won't be set.
You may not output anything but headers before the setcookie() and
header() calls. This particularly includes whitespace OUTSIDE the
<? ?>. Whitespace inside <? ?> is OK. Your commented-out echo
statements will screw up the cookies if they are activated, as will
the die() calls.
But then their example has blank lines so
go figure. I've tried variations of using quotes and not using them, but
don't see any difference.

Gordon L. Burditt

[Lee David]

The echo shows both the form entered password and the database one. I put
them in quotes so I can see if there is any trailing blanks or non-print
characters and they look the same. What I get is the page redisplaying
itself. For some reason I don't understand, the post action doesn't seem to
happen and the test against the POST variable always fails. When it did
work was when I uncommented the testing echo. Then that test does work (or
you wouldn't be able to see the echo which is inside of the POST if
condition), but I don't know why.

Doesn't seem logical that the line 2 test works when there is an echo on
line 29 and doesn't if there isn't. No wonder my hair is white.

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Lee

[Tony]

Lee David wrote:

The echo shows both the form entered password and the database one. I put
them in quotes so I can see if there is any trailing blanks or
non-print characters and they look the same. What I get is the page
redisplaying itself. For some reason I don't understand, the post
action doesn't seem to happen and the test against the POST variable
always fails. When it did work was when I uncommented the testing
echo. Then that test does work (or you wouldn't be able to see the
echo which is inside of the POST if condition), but I don't know why.

Doesn't seem logical that the line 2 test works when there is an echo
on line 29 and doesn't if there isn't. No wonder my hair is white.

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Lee

Try this, to see what's going on:

remove the redirects, and add some code at the bottom to output all of the
variables you're testing. Just simple <? echo
"variable_name='$variable'<br>"; ?> statements, listing all the variables.
At least that way you'll see what you're ending up with.

--
Tony Garcia
http://www.dslextreme.com/~tony23/

[Lee David]

Thanks for the post. If you look at the code, you will see that I thought
like you do and have various "testing" code (commented out when it runs)
that do what you suggest - listing variables and values.

The good news is I found the problem and it was the idiot programmer, me,
that forgot to add in the current date to the additional time to keep the
cookie. It wasn't being written out due to being expired.

Now my new problem is a return to a prior one - including code within the
page. On the mainframe we would call it preprocessor code. Here I call it
a PITA. <g>

Lee

"Tony" <to*******@dslextreme.com.spam> wrote in message
news:11************@corp.supernews.com...

Lee David wrote:

The echo shows both the form entered password and the database one. I put
them in quotes so I can see if there is any trailing blanks or
non-print characters and they look the same. What I get is the page
redisplaying itself. For some reason I don't understand, the post
action doesn't seem to happen and the test against the POST variable
always fails. When it did work was when I uncommented the testing
echo. Then that test does work (or you wouldn't be able to see the
echo which is inside of the POST if condition), but I don't know why.

Doesn't seem logical that the line 2 test works when there is an echo
on line 29 and doesn't if there isn't. No wonder my hair is white.

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Lee

Try this, to see what's going on:

remove the redirects, and add some code at the bottom to output all of the
variables you're testing. Just simple <? echo
"variable_name='$variable'<br>"; ?> statements, listing all the variables.
At least that way you'll see what you're ending up with.

--
Tony Garcia
http://www.dslextreme.com/~tony23/