form validation using php

[Sudhakar]

hi

i need to validate a field in a form where a user enters their
lodgement number as part of a registration form. this lodgement number
can have letters, numbers, spaces and special characters. i do not
know exactly what those special characters are, so do i have to define
the type of special characters and validate accordingly.

presently my php code for validating the lodgement number is

$lodgementtf = $_POST["lodgementtf"];

if($lodgementtf == "" || !preg_match("/^[a-zA-Z0-9_ <]+$/",
$lodgementtf) )
{
echo "display error message":
}
i also have another way of validating

if($lodgementnumber == "" || !preg_match("/^[a-zA-Z0-9_ !-@£$%^&*()]+
$/", $lodgementnumber) )

does this mean that the special characters can only be = a space AND
_!-@£$%^&*() and no other special characters.

please advice.

thanks.

[Mitch Sherman]

On Tue, 13 May 2008 23:18:37 -0700 (PDT), Sudhakar
<su***********@gmail.comwrote:

>i also have another way of validating

if($lodgementnumber == "" || !preg_match("/^[a-zA-Z0-9_ !-@£$%^&*()]+
$/", $lodgementnumber) )

does this mean that the special characters can only be = a space AND
_!-@£$%^&*() and no other special characters.

You will want to escape out that carat (\^) to match the carat symbol
(^).

Mitch

[Mitch Sherman]

On Tue, 13 May 2008 23:18:37 -0700 (PDT), Sudhakar
<su***********@gmail.comwrote:

>i also have another way of validating

if($lodgementnumber == "" || !preg_match("/^[a-zA-Z0-9_ !-@£$%^&*()]+
$/", $lodgementnumber) )

does this mean that the special characters can only be = a space AND
_!-@£$%^&*() and no other special characters.

You can also escape the dash and the carat ("\\-\\^").

Mitch