not passing on my values?

**stanp** · Jul 22, 2009 08:08

below is a simple switch structure that should bring up the correct next question after the user selcts from the drop down of choices. However it keep only returnig the "default" of the switch. It's I am doing something wrong in regards to sending info from the html page to the php page. Something wrong with my syntax?

Code:

//pass the recieved values using hidden types

	print("<input type=hidden name=\"FirstName\" value=\"$FirstName\">\n");
	print("<input type=hidden name=\"LastName\" value=\"$LastName\">\n");
	print("<input type=hidden name=\"Comments\" value=\"$Comments\">\n");
	print("<input type=hidden name=\"ContactHow\" value=\"$ContactHow\">\n");

//_____make a switch for the form pulldown

switch ($ContactHow) {
  case "Telephone":
	print("<b>Please enter a daytime phone number where you can be reached:</b><br>\n");
	print("<input type=text name=\"Telephone\" size=10><br>");
	print("<input type=submit name=submit value=\"Continue\">\n");
	break;
  case "Mail":
	print("<b>Please enter your mailing address:</b><br>\n");
	print("<textarea name=\"MailAddress\" rows=5 cols=40></textarea><br>\n");
	print("<input type=submit name=submit value=\"Continue\">\n");
	break;
  case "Email":
	print("<b>Please enter your email address:</b><br>\n");
	print("<input type=text name=\"Email\" size=40><br>\n");
	print("<input type=submit name=submit value=\"continue\">\n");
	break;
  case "Fax":
	print("<b>Please enter your fax number</b><br>\n");
	print("<input type=text name=\"Fax\" size=10><br>\n");
	print("input type=submit name=submit value=\"continue\">\n");
	break;
  	default:
	print("<b>Please select how you want to be contacted</b><br>\n");
	break;
  }

**guido2004** · Jul 22, 2009 08:12

Where in your script do you give $ContactHow its value?

**stanp** · Jul 22, 2009 08:35

it comes from this html in whcih the user selects the type of contact method

Code:

<html><head>
<meta content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="content-type"><title>handlecontact</title>

</head><body>
<form action="HandleContact.php" method="post">
First Name <input name="FirstName" size="20" type="text"><br>
Last Name <input name="LastName" size="20" type="text"><br>
How would you prefer to be contacted?
<select name="ContactHow"><option value="">Select One:</option><option value="Telephone">Telephone</option><option value="Mail">Mail</option><option value="Email">Email</option><option value="Fax">Fax</option></select>
<br>
Comments <textarea name="Comments" rows="5" cols="40"></textarea><br>
<input name="Submit" value="Submit!" type="submit">
</form>
</body></html>

**guido2004** · Jul 22, 2009 08:40

In your script, you'll have to use the $_POST array which contains the form values.

Code PHP:

// get the received values from the $_POST array
$FirstName = $_POST['FirstName'];
$LastName = $_POST['LastName'];
$Comments = $_POST['Comments'];
$ContactHow = $_POST['ContactHow'];
 
//pass the recieved values using hidden types
 
	print("<input type=hidden name=\"FirstName\" value=\"$FirstName\">\n");
	print("<input type=hidden name=\"LastName\" value=\"$LastName\">\n");
	print("<input type=hidden name=\"Comments\" value=\"$Comments\">\n");
	print("<input type=hidden name=\"ContactHow\" value=\"$ContactHow\">\n");
 
//_____make a switch for the form pulldown
 
switch ($ContactHow) {
  case "Telephone":
	print("<b>Please enter a daytime phone number where you can be reached:</b><br>\n");
	print("<input type=text name=\"Telephone\" size=10><br>");
	print("<input type=submit name=submit value=\"Continue\">\n");
	break;
  case "Mail":
	print("<b>Please enter your mailing address:</b><br>\n");
	print("<textarea name=\"MailAddress\" rows=5 cols=40></textarea><br>\n");
	print("<input type=submit name=submit value=\"Continue\">\n");
	break;
  case "Email":
	print("<b>Please enter your email address:</b><br>\n");
	print("<input type=text name=\"Email\" size=40><br>\n");
	print("<input type=submit name=submit value=\"continue\">\n");
	break;
  case "Fax":
	print("<b>Please enter your fax number</b><br>\n");
	print("<input type=text name=\"Fax\" size=10><br>\n");
	print("input type=submit name=submit value=\"continue\">\n");
	break;
  	default:
	print("<b>Please select how you want to be contacted</b><br>\n");
	break;
  }

**stanp** · Jul 22, 2009 08:55

thanks . That made it work.
I thought this part was taking the info from the html form?

Code:

//pass the recieved values using hidden types
 
    print("<input type=hidden name=\"FirstName\" value=\"$FirstName\">\n");
    print("<input type=hidden name=\"LastName\" value=\"$LastName\">\n");
    print("<input type=hidden name=\"Comments\" value=\"$Comments\">\n");
    print("<input type=hidden name=\"ContactHow\" value=\"$ContactHow\">\n");

**Waffles** · Jul 22, 2009 09:06

those are just variables, you need to access them first from the $_POST array, then assign them to variables, which is what the code supplied does.

[edit] you'll probably want to secure those variables first to prevent malicious input before using them in your forms/database etc, consider mysql_real_escape_string and search on sitepoint for some detailed guides

**guido2004** · Jul 22, 2009 09:12

Originally Posted by stanp

thanks . That made it work.
I thought this part was taking the info from the html form?

Code:

//pass the recieved values using hidden types
 
    print("<input type=hidden name=\"FirstName\" value=\"$FirstName\">\n");
    print("<input type=hidden name=\"LastName\" value=\"$LastName\">\n");
    print("<input type=hidden name=\"Comments\" value=\"$Comments\">\n");
    print("<input type=hidden name=\"ContactHow\" value=\"$ContactHow\">\n");

No, this part creates hidden form fields, which before didn't contain anything, and now will contain the values passed by the form.
I guess the first form is sent to a page that contains a second form, and the values from the first form are included in the second form as hidden fields.

**stanp** · Jul 22, 2009 11:31

Ahh I see. So I have made the hidden fields to hold the values, i just never sent the values over.
so this $_Post is some built in function that goes to tha page passing the values and "collects" it.
I am understanding this right?

**Waffles** · Jul 22, 2009 15:41

http://www.php.net/manual/en/reserve...ables.post.php

**guido2004** · Jul 23, 2009 01:02

$_POST is an array, that contains the values sent by a form that has action="post".
If you have a form with action="get", or if you send values in the query string of the url (pagename.php?param1=value1&param2=value2), then the sent values can be found in the $_GET array.
Take a look at the link waffles posted.

**stanp** · Jul 23, 2009 07:21

cool. I get ya.
So you could in theory just keep using this on php and send values from one page to the next to the next to the next and so on and so on...
reading the link now..
thanks

**Waffles** · Jul 23, 2009 08:40

Originally Posted by stanp

cool. I get ya.
So you could in theory just keep using this on php and send values from one page to the next to the next to the next and so on and so on...
reading the link now..
thanks

in theory yes, although the value of hidden fields are viewable in the source, so if you're doing stuff that requires some level of security its probably not advisable.

its also probably more efficient to store data in this way in a session ($_SESSION), which is another super global, like $_POST, but allows you to store data throughout a users "session" (i.e. the time they spend on the website). This is also more secure, and you can access the data in the same way as you would with $_POST, which saves you having to draw out a form with hidden fields every time. but this is beyond the scope of your initial query

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