Creating a player database

[ScribeOfAges]

First off, I have extremely limited knowledge of php. That said I had a friend a few years ago who created a database of collectors for a toy community. If I was able to contact him then I would get his help, but he has disappeared from the internet world.

 

So anyway his site is here: http://www.silentcastle.com/cobracommand/index.shtml

 

Now it is pretty easy for me to just copy those pages of code and fumble around modifying them for my needs, but what i can't do is figure out what php pages I would need to make those pages work. I have tried using them and they just don't seem to work.

 

I would be really grateful for someone or someones who could help me get something working, whether it be a modified version of his site or maybe even something new.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Bendude14]

explain more? what are you trying to achieve? do you have anything that you have already started to show us that you can post here?

[ScribeOfAges]

My ultimate goal is this. I am working on making a website for a trading card game (like Magic) and I wanted to create a database of players so that people could find each other locally to play against in person. The database can only be accessed by those who sign up and submit their information and each persons request for joining would need to be approved before getting full access.

 

I pretty much grabbed what pages of his I could and uploaded them to my site here: http://maplestory.scribeofages.com/database/index.shtml

 

As I said I know extremely little about php so the pages are not changed at all. I figure that I need some sort of document that holds peoples info after they have signed up and I figure I need some sort of document telling the php to send an email to me when someone tries to sign up. I am hoping that I make some sort of sense. Thanks again.

[Bendude14]

I think you should buy a book on php. Take a look on Amazon or google there are lots of online tutorials.

 

Anyways heres a start.

 

You will need a Database, probably MySql which will store all the information about each person that registers including there login details etc.

 

In your database tables you will have to a have a row called "active" then make the default "no". You will then have to create a form which allows you to activate your users account.

 

Don't forget when validating you will have to check they have been activated before allowing them to log in.

 

Look into using the PHP mail function, you should be easily be able to build a registration form which will retrieve info such as:

 

Name, email, phone, location, username, password. Once they submit using the mail function you can send your self a notification so you can activate there account.

 

Hope this helps

If you have any more questions just ask them here

 

[ScribeOfAges]

A couple years ago I bought a Visual Quickstart Guide for MySQL/PHP. I have tried reading through it, but it just simply doesn't make any sense to me.  I consider myself pretty lucky these days, when trying to use things like CSS, JavaScript, PHP, because I bought a cool book and taught myself HTML back in '99 and it just seems like all the rest doesn't come easy at all. Thanks.

[xoligy]

Bro if your thinking of making this you really neede to look up some tutorials and figuring out how things work. The best bet for you at the moment is looking at good-tutorials.com at signup and login pages and once you have that working and understand it look at how to create profiles from there you need to work on location and maybe add distance so people know how far they would have to travel if i be honest i didnt sign up so im not sure whats in the other site but at a guess im saying you would need in the db

 

sinup and activation

user information (profile)

location details

cards they have

 

dont forget to look up and read about security so that only those logged in can see what is there, i know that is part of signup and login but you need to understand it, another thing on security is sql injections you really have abit of reading to do before diving right into the deep end!

[Bendude14]

yes i should have added something on security. probably the biggest threat to most php apps is user input even if its not on purpose.

 

Make sure you validate ALL data you will need to look into mysql_real_escape_string as well if your entering data into a DB

 

One last tip Add this at the top of your page. It will make life easier when debugging.

 

error_reporting(E_ALL);