Question about passing a variable.....

[Moron]

I have a form where someone enters their employee number, then it returns a page with leave history (some of you have already hashed this out with me).

Once the second page displays, I want them to be able to click for more history, BUT....I don't want them to have to re-enter their employee number.

So the question is, how do I pass an already-existing variable to the next page?

[theblain]

I would pass $_Session variables.
http://www.php.net/session

[AndyB]

[code]
<?php
$empnum = $_GET['empnum']; // or POST however it got here ...

// do your database stuff for second page display


// link to history.php for more stuff
echo "<a href='history.php?empnum=". $empnum. "'>history</a>";[/code]

[Woolf]

You could use sessions.
[list]
[*]Put session_start(); at the top of your pages
[*]When someone submits the form, save the variable like this: $_SESSION['employee_num'] = $employee_num. Where $employee_num is the variable that you have when someone submits the form.
[*]To recall the ID number on another page, use $_SESSION['employee_num'] (e.g. $employee_num = $_SESSION['employee_num'])
[/list]

[Moron]

[quote author=Woolf link=topic=105102.msg419650#msg419650 date=1156192586]
You could use sessions.
[list]
[*]Put session_start(); at the top of your pages
[*]When someone submits the form, save the variable like this: $_SESSION['employee_num'] = $employee_num. Where $employee_num is the variable that you have when someone submits the form.
[*]To recall the ID number on another page, use $_SESSION['employee_num'] (e.g. $employee_num = $_SESSION['employee_num'])
[/list]
[/quote]

One question: I know that $_session_start(); has to be declared at the top of the page before any HTML code, but the variable I'll be using hasn't been defined yet at that point.

So.... can I put $_SESSION further down my page after the variable has been created or does it also have to be at the top?

[Moron]

More info.....

On my first page, I have this at the top:

[code]
<?php
session_start(); 
$_SESSION['empcode']='$empcode';
session_register("empcode");
?>
[/code]

On the second page, I have this at the top:

[code]
<?php
session_start();
$empcode = $_SESSION['empcode'];
echo $empcode;
?>
[/code]

On the second page called, where I put [b]echo $empcode;[/b] as a test, it's displaying [i]$empcode[/i] instead of displaying the [b]value[/b] of $empcode.

If I echo it on the first page, it properly displays the employee number.

[448191]

Your second page is ok, the first is not.
[code]
<?php
session_start();
$_SESSION['empcode']=$empcode;
?>[/code]

'$empcode' doesn't work because everything within single quotes is treated as a string. Leave them. Also leave session_register(), you don't need it.

[Moron]

[quote author=448191 link=topic=105102.msg420641#msg420641 date=1156339018]
Your second page is ok, the first is not.
[code]
<?php
session_start();
$_SESSION['empcode']=$empcode;
?>[/code]

'$empcode' doesn't work because everything within single quotes is treated as a string. Leave them. Also leave session_register(), you don't need it.
[/quote]

Many thanks! That worked.

Now, though, I'm getting....

[quote][b]Warning:[/b] Unknown: Your script possibly relies on a session side-effect which existed until PHP 4.2.3. Please be advised that the session extension does not consider global variables as a source of data, unless register_globals is enabled. You can disable this functionality and this warning by setting session.bug_compat_42 or session.bug_compat_warn to off, respectively. in [b]Unknown[/b] on line [b]0[/b]
[/quote]

I set the following two lines in the php.ini file as follows:

session.bug_compat_42 = off
session.bug_compat_warn = 0

I then stopped and restarted the Default Web Site, but the warning still comes back.

Two steps forward, one step back!

:)

[448191]

Directly assign $_SESSION['empcode'], there's no need to copy $empcode for it.

[Moron]

[quote author=448191 link=topic=105102.msg420725#msg420725 date=1156345465]
Directly assign $_SESSION['empcode'], there's no need to copy $empcode for it.
[/quote]

That worked, too.  :)

My next hair-puller is to figure out how to pull records based on the passed $empcode variable.

[lessthanthree]

[quote author=Moron link=topic=105102.msg420761#msg420761 date=1156347916]

That worked, too.   :)

My next hair-puller is to figure out how to pull records based on the passed $empcode variable.

[/quote]

Wouldn't that just be a simple SQL query?

[code]
mysql_query("SELECT * FROM history WHERE `empcode` = '".$_SESSION["empcode"]."'");
[/code]

If you originally obtaining the empcode value from $_GET don't forget to clean the value and check the data is matching what you're expecting, else you're open to people injecting mallicious code into your script.

[Moron]

[quote author=lessthanthree link=topic=105102.msg420771#msg420771 date=1156348366]



Wouldn't that just be a simple SQL query?

[code]
mysql_query("SELECT * FROM history WHERE `empcode` = '".$_SESSION["empcode"]."'");
[/code]

If you originally obtaining the empcode value from $_GET don't forget to clean the value and check the data is matching what you're expecting, else you're open to people injecting mallicious code into your script.
[/quote]

I added that line to my query, so the query now reads....

[code]$RESULTDS=mssql_query("SELECT DISTINCT LH.[Employee Number], LH.[Lmo], LH.[Lda], LH.[LYR], LH.[Hours], LH.[Leave Code], M2.[HRYRAT], M2.[EMPNO], M2.[MANLAP], M2.[MANLAC], M2.[MANLTC], M2.[MSKLAB], M2.[MSKLTC], M2.[MSKLAB], M2.[MSKLTC], M2.[NAMEMI], M2.[NAMEL], M2.[NAMEF] FROM LEAVHST LH INNER JOIN MASTERL2 M2 ON LH.[Employee Number]=M2.EMPNO WHERE M2.[EMPNO] = '".$_POST['employeenumber']."' and 'empcode' = '".$_SESSION["empcode"]."' ORDER BY LH.[LYR] desc, LH.[Lmo] desc, LH.[Lda] desc");
$RESULT=mssql_fetch_assoc($RESULTDS);
$HOURSRESULT=mssql_fetch_assoc($RESULTDS);

[/code]


This section doesn't pull anything:

[code]
<CENTER>

<font size="3" color="#ff0000" face="arial"><b>

<?php
echo $RESULT['NAMEF'];
?>

<?php
echo $RESULT['NAMEMI'];
?>


<?php
echo $RESULT['NAMEL'];
?>

<?php
echo " - ";
?>

<?php
echo $RESULT['EMPNO'];
?>
[/code]

So what have I failed to do?

[lessthanthree]

Unfortunately I know absolutely nothing about MsSQL, so I can't specifically point you to the right place, I would however suggest you check your query syntax. The empcode bit you've put in there is the only fieldname I can see with single quotes around it....I used backticks (`) in my query as that's what you use to define that it is a fieldname in MySQL...

Of course, it goes without saying to make sure you actually have a field named empcode in your table...

I'm also not sure why you skip in and out of PHP where you're echoing the $RESULT stuff when it could be in one php block...