How do you test for blank form input?

[Chris Portka]

This is a very simple question but after a long time I still can't find
an answer looking on my own. How do you test for no user input in a
form? Example:

<form action="index.php" method="get">
Type your first name:
<input type="text" name="FirstName">
<input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>

<?php
if ($_GET["FirstName"] == "")
{
echo "No user input";
}
?>

Is this the correct way to always test if there was nothing input by
the user in the form? Should I test for nil or something else?
Thanks,
Chris

[black francis]

try

if (trim($var) == "") //empty
else //not empy

[Lisa Pearlson]

trim() and also look at empty()

"Chris Portka" <ch*********@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:11********************@g43g2000cwa.googlegrou ps.com...

This is a very simple question but after a long time I still can't find
an answer looking on my own. How do you test for no user input in a
form? Example:

<form action="index.php" method="get">
Type your first name:
<input type="text" name="FirstName">
<input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>

<?php
if ($_GET["FirstName"] == "")
{
echo "No user input";
}
?>

Is this the correct way to always test if there was nothing input by
the user in the form? Should I test for nil or something else?
Thanks,
Chris

[Marcin Dobrucki]

Chris Portka wrote:

<?php
if ($_GET["FirstName"] == "")
{
echo "No user input";
}
?>

how about:

if (isset($_GET['FirstName']) && empty($_GET['FirstName'])) {
echo "yes, it's empty";
}

Specifically the "empty" function will be useful here, but sometimes its
good to check that the variable actually exists.

/Marcin

[Smitro]

Chris Portka wrote:

This is a very simple question but after a long time I still can't find
an answer looking on my own. How do you test for no user input in a
form? Example:

<form action="index.php" method="get">
Type your first name:
<input type="text" name="FirstName">
<input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>

<?php
if ($_GET["FirstName"] == "")
{
echo "No user input";
}
?>

Is this the correct way to always test if there was nothing input by
the user in the form? Should I test for nil or something else?
Thanks,
Chris

I also use NULL some times...eg.
if ($_GET["FirstName"] == NULL)

[BKDotCom]

if ( !isset($_GET['whatever']) || ( empty($_GET['whatever']) &&
$_GET['whatever'] != 0) )

[Marcin Dobrucki]

BKDotCom wrote:

if ( !isset($_GET['whatever']) || ( empty($_GET['whatever']) &&
$_GET['whatever'] != 0) )

php.net/empty

"... As of PHP 4, The string value "0" is considered empty..."