[SOLVED] help with form code

[CyberShot]

I am trying to make a form for a church website. for prayer requests. I need the form to be sent over email. I filled out the form and all went as expected, but I didn't get an email. Can you check it out to see what I did wrong?

 

The form

 

<form action="handle_form.php" method="post">
<fieldset>
<legend>Enter your prayer request below</legend>
    <p>Name:</p>
<input type="text" name="name" id="name" />
    <p>Email:</p>
<input type="text" name="email" id="email"  />
    
    <p>Gender:<input type="radio" name="gender" value="M" />Male
    <input type="radio" name="gender" value="F"  />Female</p>
    
    <p>would you like to be contacted?</p>
    <select name="contact">
    <option value="y">Yes</option>
    <option value="n">NO</option>
    </select>
    
    <p>Your Prayer Request:<br /><textarea name="comments" rows="10" cols="40"></textarea></p>
    
    </fieldset>
    
    <div><input type="submit" name="submit" value="Send"/>
    </div>
    </form>

 

the code to handle the form

 

<?php

if(!empty($_REQUEST['name']))
{
	$name = $_REQUEST['name'];
}
else
{
	$name = NULL;
	echo "Please put in your name";
}

if(!empty($_REQUEST['email']))
{
	$email = $_REQUEST['email'];
}
else
{
	$email = NULL;
	echo "Please put in your email";
}

if(!empty($_REQUEST['comments']))
{
	$comments = $_REQUEST['comments'];
}
else
{
	$comments = NULL;
	echo "Please add some comments";
}

if(isset($_REQUEST['contact']))
{
	$contact = $_REQUEST['contact'];
if($contact == 'y') {
	echo 'we will contact you shortly';
}elseif ($contact == 'n') {
	echo 'you will not be contacted'; 
} else { 
	$contact = NULL;
	echo 'you should say yes or no to being contacted';
}
}

$mailto = "my-email.net";
mail($mailto, $name, $email, $contact, $comments);
or die("failure");
?>

 

[keeB]

How is your mail server connected? Can you send an email without doing it through PHP?

[CyberShot]

I have other forms on the server that work just fine. thought my form might just be missing something

[.josh]

You have a problem with your logic.  The email function gets called no matter what, even if user gets 1 or more error messages.  You need to rewrite your conditions to add error messages to a variable, and then only call the mail function if there is no error message variable. (and echo the variable if there is).

 

But that's not why you are not getting an email.  You have your arguments all wrong.  Read the manual entry for mail to see what the arguments are supposed to be.

[CyberShot]

I don't get any error messages when I send the form.

[.josh]

so then I guess you must not really have a problem then, huh.

[CyberShot]

yes, I do have a problem somewhere, just trying to figure out where. I have been trying to add stuff from that link you gave me, but it don't seem to be working.

[.josh]

This is what it's supposed to be:

 

mail  ( string $to , string $subject  , string $message  [, string $additional_headers  [, string $additional_parameters  ]] )

 

This is what you have:

 

mail($mailto, $name, $email, $contact, $comments);

 

I color coded them so you can compare.  Judging by the names of yours vs. theirs, does it really look like to you that you have the right vars being used as the right arguments?

[CyberShot]

I have been googling this stuff for a while, I also have been going through a book. I have also been looking at other forms that I know work. forms that I am using right now at this very min on another site. here is the code for that form

 

<?PHP
$email = $HTTP_POST_VARS[email];
$mailto = "my-email.net";
$mailsubj = "information from mysite.com";
$mailhead = "From: $email\n";
reset ($HTTP_POST_VARS);
$mailbody = "Values submitted from mysite.com :\n";
while (list ($key, $val) = each ($HTTP_POST_VARS))
{
if ($key!="submit")
{
$mailbody .= "$key : $val\n";
}
}
mail($mailto, $mailsubj, $mailbody, $mailhead);
?>

 

  So I figured that I could keep the same pattern and all would be well. when I look at what you posted above, it makes no sense because it first, I am a very new to php and second, it doesn't follow the same logic that the web and the books are telling me. I am trying to get it right as you posted

[.josh]

change $HTTP_POST_VARS to $_POST

 

also stupid question, but

 

$mailto = "my-email.net";

 

is that what you really have in there or did you change it for posting purposes? because if that's what you really have in there, that's also why you're not getting an email.

[CyberShot]

no I changed it for posting purposes.

[.josh]

and you have other scripts on your server that sends mail just fine?  try using a different email address. maybe your email service is blocking it for some reason.

[CyberShot]

I have tested the script above and it works for my email. I usually get it instantly. but when I try using that script on my form rather than the form I got it with. it fails. The $_POST didn't work.

[.josh]

so post your form.

[CyberShot]

it's in the first post above.

[.josh]

so that form at the top points to handle_form.php.  And that ^ right there is handle_form.php.

 

put

 

echo "<pre>";print_r($_POST);

 

in your handle_form.php

[CyberShot]

it printed this to the browser

 

Array
(
    [name] => adf
    [email] => adf
    [gender] => M
    [contact] => y
    [comments] => ad
    [submit] => Send
)

 

of course, I just pushed buttons that don't mean anything. just to put something in the fields

[.josh]

you know..most email service providers would reject emails with stuff like that. particularly the email field.

[CyberShot]

I will try it again with real values

[CyberShot]

I found a simple form that works. I will modify it to my needs

 

<form name="form" method="post" action="testform.php">
<p class="bodymd">Your Name<br>
<input type="text" name="Name">
</p>
<p class="bodymd">Your Email<br>
<input type="text" name="Email">
</p>
<p class="bodymd">Comments or Questions<br>
<textarea name="Comments" rows="5" cols="40"></textarea>
</p>
<p class="bodymd">
<input type="submit" name="Submit" value="Submit">
<input type="reset" name="Reset" value="Clear Form">
</p>
</form>

 

<?php

if (($Name == "") || ($Email == "") || ($Comments == ""))
{
echo "<form name=form method=post action=contact_thanks.php>";
echo "<p class=bodymd>All three fields of this form are required, I really don't think that's too much to ask...</p>";
echo "<p class=bodymd>Fill in the ones you missed, they are listed below.</p>";
}
if ($Name == "")
{
echo "<p class=bodymd>Your Name<br><input type=text name=Name></p>";
}
else
{
echo "<input type=hidden name=Name value=$Name>";
}
if ($Email == "")
{
echo "<p class=bodymd>Your Email<br><input type=text name=Email></p>";
}
else
{
echo "<input type=hidden name=Email value=$Email>";
}
if ($Comments == "")
{
echo "<p class=bodymd>Comments or Questions<br><textarea name=Comments rows=5 cols=40></textarea></p>";
}
else
{
echo "<input type=hidden name=Comments value=$Comments>";
}

if (($Name == "") || ($Email == "") || ($Comments == ""))
{
echo "<input type=submit name=Submit value=Submit>";
echo "<input type=reset name=Reset value=Clear Form>";
echo "</form>";
}
else
{
$message = "Name: $Name\nEmail: $Email\nComments: $Comments\n";
$extra = "From: $Email\r\nReply-To: $Email\r\n";
mail ("my-email.net", "mail subject goes here", $message, $extra);
echo "<p class=bodymd>Thanks for your inguiry, $Name.</p>";
echo "<p class=bodymd>A response will be sent to $Email as soon as possible.</p>";
}
?>