Things don't work when they're inside function()

[Robo]

Part of my script is a simple add record script, it works fine normally, but when I put in inside a function, it'll submit the record, confirm, and tell me it's successfuly, but when I look at it in PHPMyAdmin, a new row was made, but none of the variables were submitted, only the automatic ones, like Primary Key and Timestamp, here's the code:

// this function adds an item to the db
function add_record()
	{
	// we're adding a new record
	$sql = mysql_query ("INSERT INTO items (title, blah1, blah2) 
	VALUES ('$title', '$blah1', '$blah2')") or die (mysql_error());
			

	// run SQL against the DB to confirm
	$result = mysql_query($sql);
	echo "<p>Record updated/edited!</p>";
	}



// if the Add Record button was pushed
if ($add_record)
	{

	// connect to MySQL database
	$dbcnx = mysql_connect($site, $username, $password) or die (mysql_error());
	mysql_select_db($dbName, $dbcnx);

	add_record();

	} // end of form submition

The script runs fine, if the instructions inside the function add_record() was inside the "if ($add_record)", but I have no idea why it will not submit variables once it's inside the function(), I even get the message "Record updated/edited!"

[Karl]

Try adding this at the top of your function:

globals $title, $blah1, $blah2;

[Kevin Yank]

That, or pass the variables in as parameters.

[freddydoesphp]

or pass the whole $HTTP_POST_VARS in as a parameter or globalize it then use extract() inside the function

[Robo]

OK, I understand Karl's post about putting global to $title, $blah1, $blah2, etc. But I dunno how to pass the variables as parameters or that thing about $HTTP_POST_VARS...can you please explain how I can do that, and why?

[freddydoesphp]

Well let's say you have a form that posts to a php script that then puts the form data into a database with the given funtion that you provided above.

1) You need to somehow get the form data in to the function

So you could gloablize each var which could be a pain in the as
function add_record()
{
global $var1, $var2, $var3, etc....
// we're adding a new record
$sql = mysql_query ("INSERT INTO items (title, blah1, blah2)
VALUES ('$title', '$blah1', '$blah2')") or die (mysql_error());


// run SQL against the DB to confirm
$result = mysql_query($sql);
echo "<p>Record updated/edited!</p>";
}


Or you could use the array that is automatically available to you trhough the post that the form just made called $HTTP_POST_VARS

function add_record()
{
global $HTTP_POST_VARS;
extract($HTTP_POST_VARS);
// we're adding a new record
$sql = mysql_query ("INSERT INTO items (title, blah1, blah2)
VALUES ('$title', '$blah1', '$blah2')") or die (mysql_error());


// run SQL against the DB to confirm
$result = mysql_query($sql);
echo "<p>Record updated/edited!</p>";
}


When you posted the form you post a bunch of key/value pairs that were stored in the $HTTP_POST_VARS array like so:
$HTTP_POST_VARS["var1"]
$HTTP_POST_VARS["var2"]
$HTTP_POST_VARS["var3"]
etc...
by using extract you end up with
$var1
$var2
$var3
etc...

Does that make more sense?

[Robo]

Oh ok, it makes more sense now, I'll try those methods and see how I get on.

Another question, what is the advantage of putting instructions into functions? I thought of that you could call the function multiple times instead of copying the same code all over again, but what other advantages are there in using function ()? And are there any performance hits and speed difference?