validating # sign in php

[sudhakararaog]

my question is about validation using php. i am validating a username which a user would

 

enter and clicks on a image to find if that username is available. example if a user enters

 

abc#123 php file is reading this value as abc ONLY which i do not want instead the php file

 

should read as abc#123. following is the sequence of pages. please advice the solution.

 

first page = register.php here a user enters a username and clicks on an image to find out

 

if the username is available or not. using a javascript function of onclick i am reading the

 

value entered in the form in javascript as

=============================================

var useri = document.registrationform.username

var valueofuseri = document.registrationform.username.value

 

var recui = /^\s{1,}$/g;

 

if ((useri.value==null) || (useri.value=="") || (useri.length=="") ||

 

(useri.value.search(recui))> -1)

{

alert("Please Enter a User Name")

return false

}

 

window.open("checkusernamei.php?theusernameis="+valueofuseri, "titleforavailabilityi",

 

"width=680,  height=275, status=1, scrollbars=1, resizeable=yes");

 

============================================

 

i have used a alert message in javascript to display the value, javascript is able to

 

capture all the characters entered which is abc#123

 

second page = checkusernamei.php = this file uses GET to read what was entered in the form.

============================================

$username = $_GET["theusernameis"];

 

if( $username == "" ||  !preg_match("/^[a-z0-9]+(?:_[a-z0-9]+)?$/i", $username) )

{

echo "username is blank or has special characters";

}

============================================

the # sign is being ignored only if the image is clicked in order to check the username, if

 

the user enters abc#123 and clicks the submit button without clicking on the checkuser image

 

button then my php validation for username shows an error message.

 

==============================================================

if( $username == "" ||  !preg_match("/^[a-z0-9]+(?:_[a-z0-9]+)?$/i", $username) )

{ echo "display error message for username"; }

==============================================================

now the problem is with clicking the image only and passing the value to checkusernamei.php

 

using GET method

i have also used an echo statement in checkusernamei.php as

echo "value of username is ". $username; = this displays abc and not abc#123

 

how can i fix this problem wherein checkusernamei.php will be able to read abc#123. also in

 

this checkusernamei.php file i have a select query which will read if the username already

 

exists in the table. presently as checkusernamei.php is reading abc ONLY the select query is

 

also passing abc and not abc#123

 

$select = "Select username from table where username = '$username'";

 

please advice.

 

thanks.

 

[FlyingIsFun1217]

Code tags would be nice.

 

FlyingIsFun1217

[sasa]

if you pass variable throw URL use urlencode() fubction