[SOLVED] Error Querying Database: Web form to Database

[tbritny]

Hi! I am very much a newbie to PHP(I started yesterday) I am working on learning how to get info into a database from a web form, but I have hit a road block pretty early on. My problem started when I entered the code from $dbc to mysql_close($dbc). More specifically this line " $result = mysql_query($dbc, $query) " is what is noted in the error message. I checked to make sure my location, user name, password, database name and table name were correct with my hosting company and that seems to be fine. More information:   

* PHP Version 4.4.8

* Hosting - MediaTemple Grid-Service

 

This is the error message:

 

Warning: mysql_query(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL-Link resource in /web/web/web/web/web/web/website.com/html/test/report.php on line 35

Error querying database.

 

 

Here is my code (copied from a book tutorial):

<?php
$first_name = $_POST['firstname'];
$last_name = $_POST['lastname'];
$when_it_happened = $_POST['whenithappened'];
$how_long = $_POST['howlong'];
$how_many = $_POST['howmany'];
$alien_description = $_POST['aliendescription'];
$what_they_did = $_POST['whattheydid'];
$fang_spotted = $_POST['fangspotted'];
$email = $_POST['email'];
$other = $_POST['other'];

$dbc = mysql_connect('location', 'username', 'password', 'database_name')
or die('Error connecting to MySQL server.');

$query = "INSERT INTO table_name (first_name, last_name, " .
"when_it_happened, how_long, how_many, alien_description, " .
"what_they_did, fang_spotted, other, email) " .
"VALUES ('Sally', 'Jones', '3 days ago', '1 day', 'four', " .
"'green with six tentacles', 'We just talked and played with a dog', " .
"'yes', 'I may have seen your dog. Contact me.', " .
"'sally@gregs-list.net')";

$result = mysql_query($dbc, $query)
or die('Error querying database.');

mysql_close($dbc);

echo 'Thanks for submitting the form.<br />';
echo 'You were abducted ' . $when_it_happened;
echo ' and were gone for ' . $how_long . '<br />';
echo 'Number of aliens: ' . $how_many . '<br />';
echo 'Describe them: ' . $alien_description . '<br />';
echo 'The aliens did this: ' . $what_they_did . '<br />';
echo 'Was Fang there? ' . $fang_spotted . '<br />';
echo 'Other comments: ' . $other . '<br />';
echo 'Your email address is ' . $email;
?>

Thanks for any help you can give me! Let me know if more information is needed.

 

 

 

 

[gurroa]

As written in the manual:

resource mysql_query ( string $query [, resource $link_identifier ] )

So try this:

$result = mysql_query($query, $dbc)

or better (if you have only one connection):

$result = mysql_query($query);

[.josh]

Also,

 

$dbc = mysql_connect('location', 'username', 'password', 'database_name')
or die('Error connecting to MySQL server.');

 

I hope that you just changed the location, username and password arguments to that for posting purposes, because you need to put the real info in there for it to work.

 

Also, the 'database_name' does not go in the mysql_connect.  You need to specify the database name with

 

mysql_select_db after the mysql_connect

 

[tbritny]

Thank you, I just utilized both of your suggestions! I am not getting the line error anymore, just the Error Querying Database part, but I'll keep working it. And yes, I used fake information for posting here...I checked with the hosting company and all that information is correct on my actual code. Anyway, thanks again!

[.josh]

change your die to:

 

die(mysql_error() . "<br/>query: " . $query);

 

it will post what the actual error is and what you are trying to send to the db. Maybe you mispelled a table/column name (they are case sensitive even).

[tbritny]

Thank you for your help, that completely solved my problem. There was more information going into the table than there were columns. It is working perfectly now. Thank you!