Basic PHP variable problem

aidoDel · November 24, 2009

I have a html form where user enters birthday (day + month) and it is sent to be processed by php to calculate their star sign. Everything works fine but I'm unsure how to treat the data once sent.

PHP

<?php
$Capricorn = array("Capricorn", "The sign Capricorn is one of the most stable and (mostly) serious of the zodiacal types.");
$Aquarius = array("Aquarius");
$Pisces = array("Pisces");
$Aries = array("Aries");
$Taurus = array("Taurus");
$Gemini = array("Gemini");
$Cancer = array("Cancer");
$Leo = array("Leo");
$Virgo = array("Virgo");
$Libra = array("Libra");
$Scorpio = array("Scorpio");
$Sagittarius = array("Sagittarius");
?>
    
<?php
    $user_month = $_POST['user_month'];
    $user_day = $_POST['user_day'];
    echo "Your birthday is {$user_day} of {$user_month} that makes your star sign ";
?>
<?php
// .........JAN = CAPRICORN or AQUARIUS........
if ( $user_month  == "January" ) {
    if ($user_day <= "19"){
    echo "{$Capricorn;[0]}";
    }
    else{
        echo "{$Aquarius[0]}";
    }
}

Rather than echo $Capricorn, I want to set this value to be $Capricorn so I can call it later.

I have no clue how to go about doing this.

flyhoney · November 24, 2009

<?php

$month = 12;
$year = 1985;

function star_sign($month, $year) {
$time = mktime(0, 0, 0, $month, 0, $year);
$day_of_year = date("z", $time);

if (date("L", $time) && ($day_of_year > 59))
	$day_of_year -= 1;

switch ($day_of_year) {
	case $day_of_year > 356:
		return "Capricorn";
	case $day_of_year > 326:
		return "Sagittarius";
	case $day_of_year > 296:
		return "Scorpio";
	case $day_of_year > 266:
		return "Libra";
	case $day_of_year > 235:
		return "Virgo";
	case $day_of_year > 203:
		return "Leo";
	case $day_of_year > 172:
		return "Cancer";
	case $day_of_year > 140:
		return "Gemini";
	case $day_of_year > 111:
		return "Taurus";
	case $day_of_year > 78:
		return "Aries";
	case $day_of_year > 51:
		return "Pisces";
	case $day_of_year > 20:
		return "Aquarius";
	default:
		return "Capricorn";
}
}

die(star_sign(12, 1985));

mraza · November 24, 2009

i see you are giving all variables an array which is pointless you need to have something like this if you wants to store only one value;

$star = arrary('Capricorn','Aquarius','Pisces','Aries','Taurus','Gemini','Cancer','Leo','Virgo','Libra','Scorpio','Sagittarius');

and then you can call like this:

$capricorn = $star[0];
$Aquarius = $star[1];
and so on

aidoDel · November 24, 2009

i see you are giving all variables an array which is pointless you need to have something like this if you wants to store only one value;
$star = arrary('Capricorn','Aquarius','Pisces','Aries','Taurus','Gemini','Cancer','Leo','Virgo','Libra','Scorpio','Sagittarius');
and then you can call like this:
$capricorn = $star[0];
$Aquarius = $star[1];
and so on

Each star sign will hold several pockets of information when I have completed it.

$Capricorn = array("<h1>Star NAME", "<p>Star Description " <img>Releated picture")

I need to generate a new page on the user's star sign so if someone is Capricorn will have a heading, description and image all relating to Capricorn.

That is why I have created an array for each star sign. Is there a better way of doing this?

aidoDel · November 24, 2009

<?php

$month = 12;
$year = 1985;

function star_sign($month, $year) {
$time = mktime(0, 0, 0, $month, 0, $year);
$day_of_year = date("z", $time);

if (date("L", $time) && ($day_of_year > 59))
	$day_of_year -= 1;

switch ($day_of_year) {
	case $day_of_year > 356:
		return "Capricorn";
	case $day_of_year > 326:
		return "Sagittarius";
	case $day_of_year > 296:
		return "Scorpio";
	case $day_of_year > 266:
		return "Libra";
	case $day_of_year > 235:
		return "Virgo";
	case $day_of_year > 203:
		return "Leo";
	case $day_of_year > 172:
		return "Cancer";
	case $day_of_year > 140:
		return "Gemini";
	case $day_of_year > 111:
		return "Taurus";
	case $day_of_year > 78:
		return "Aries";
	case $day_of_year > 51:
		return "Pisces";
	case $day_of_year > 20:
		return "Aquarius";
	default:
		return "Capricorn";
}
}

die(star_sign(12, 1985));

This is so much more logically than my approach flyhoney but I don't understand how to related it back to my form, and WHY I need the year 1985? Is it possible to explain what is happening? I'm a complete PHP novice..... this is the first thing I have ever tried.

flyhoney · November 24, 2009

12-1985 are just test numbers I used to demonstrate:

<?php

// include the function I showed you somewhere

echo "Your star sign is " . star_sign($_POST['user_month'], $_POST['user_day']);

flyhoney · November 24, 2009

Oops! Sorry, I just wasn't paying attention, you really need the month, day AND year.

So, a comprehensive example:

<?php

function star_sign($month, $day, $year) {
   $time = mktime(0, 0, 0, $month, $day, $year);
   $day_of_year = date("z", $time);

   if (date("L", $time) && ($day_of_year > 59))
      $day_of_year -= 1;

   switch ($day_of_year) {
      case $day_of_year > 356:
         return "Capricorn";
      case $day_of_year > 326:
         return "Sagittarius";
      case $day_of_year > 296:
         return "Scorpio";
      case $day_of_year > 266:
         return "Libra";
      case $day_of_year > 235:
         return "Virgo";
      case $day_of_year > 203:
         return "Leo";
      case $day_of_year > 172:
         return "Cancer";
      case $day_of_year > 140:
         return "Gemini";
      case $day_of_year > 111:
         return "Taurus";
      case $day_of_year > 78:
         return "Aries";
      case $day_of_year > 51:
         return "Pisces";
      case $day_of_year > 20:
         return "Aquarius";
      default:
         return "Capricorn";
   }
}

$month = $_POST['user_month'];
$day = $_POST['user_day'];
$year = $_POST['user_year'];

echo "Your star sign is " . star_sign($month, $day, $year);

aidoDel · November 25, 2009

I have tried this code and also tried to change somethings but it only ever returns "Capricorn" no matter what date I enter.

My HTML is:

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <title>Smart Forms JS</title>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="js/smartform.js"</script>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="css/style.css" />
</head>
<body>
<h2 align="center">What your future holds</h2>
<div id="form-area">
<!--<form action="users_details.php" method="post">-->
    <form action="new.php" method="post">
    <fieldset>
    <legend>Your Personal Details</legend>
                
        <p>
            Please enter your date of birth: <br />
                <label for="user_day">Day:<input name="user_day" id="user_day" type="text" size="2" class="reqd" maxlength="2" onkeypress="return isNumberKey(event)"></label>
                <label for="user_month">Month:
                    <select name="user_month"  id="user_month" class="reqd">
                            <option value="" selected="selected">Choose a month</option>
                            <option value="January">January</option>
                            <option value="February">February</option>
                            <option value="March">March</option>
                            <option value="April">April</option>
                            <option value="May">May</option>
                            <option value="June">June</option>
                            <option value="July">July</option>
                            <option value="August">August</option>
                            <option value="September">September</option>
                            <option value="October">October</option>
                            <option value="November">November</option>
                            <option value="December">December</option>
                    </select>
                </label>
                <label for="user_year">Year:<input name="user_year" id="user_year" type="text" size="4" class="reqd" maxlength="4" onkeypress="return isNumberKey(event)" ></label>
        </p>
                
<p>

            <input name="submit" type="submit" />
            <input name="reset" type="reset" />
        </p>
    
    </fieldset>
</form>
</div>
</body>
</html>

and my php is now:

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <title>Processed Form</title>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="css/style.css" />
</head>
<body>

<div id="wrapper">
    <h2>Processed Form from Birthday Page</h2>

<?php
//$Capricorn = array("Capricorn", "And so say all of us");
//$Aquarius = array("Aquarius");
//$Pisces = array("Pisces");
//$Aries = array("Aries");
//$Taurus = array("Taurus");
//$Gemini = array("Gemini");
//$Cancer = array("Cancer");
//$Leo = array("Leo");
//$Virgo = array("Virgo");
//$Libra = array("Libra");
//$Scorpio = array("Scorpio");
//$Sagittarius = array("Sagittarius");

//Change variables to multidimentional array:

$starsign[0] = array('name'=>'Capricorn', 'description' =>'description of capricorn people');
$starsign[1] = array('name'=>'Aquarius', 'description' =>'description of aquarius people');
$starsign[2] = array('name'=>'Pisces', 'description' =>'description of Pisces people');
$starsign[3] = array('name'=>'Aries', 'description' =>'description of aries people');
$starsign[4] = array('name'=>'Taurus', 'description' =>'description of Taurus people');
$starsign[5] = array('name'=>'Gemini', 'description' =>'description of Gemini people');
$starsign[6] = array('name'=>'Cancer', 'description' =>'description of Cancer people');
$starsign[7] = array('name'=>'Leo', 'description' =>'description of Leo people');
$starsign[8] = array('name'=>'Virgo', 'description' =>'description of Virgo people');
$starsign[9] = array('name'=>'Libra', 'description' =>'description of Libra people');
$starsign[10] = array('name'=>'Scorpio', 'description' =>'description of Scorpio people');
$starsign[11] = array('name'=>'Sagittarius', 'description' =>'description of Sagittarius people');

$month = $_POST['user_month'];
$day = $_POST['user_day'];
$year = $_POST['user_year'];

?>



<?php

function star_sign($month, $day, $year) {
   $time = mktime(0, 0, 0, $month, $day, $year); //return the Unix timestamp
   $day_of_year = date("z", $time);  // "z" is equal to  the day of the year 0 to 365

   if (date("L", $time) && ($day_of_year > 59)) // for leap years "L" is LEAP YEAR
      $day_of_year -= 1; // if it is FEB 29 (59) Subtract 1 from the day of year


   switch ($day_of_year) {
      case $day_of_year > 356: // above 22nd Dec = Capricorn
         return "Capricorn";
      case $day_of_year > 326:
         return "Sagittarius";
      case $day_of_year > 296:
         return "Scorpio";
      case $day_of_year > 266:
         return "Libra";
      case $day_of_year > 235:
         return "Virgo";
      case $day_of_year > 203:
         return "Leo";
      case $day_of_year > 172:
         return "Cancer";
      case $day_of_year > 140:
         return "Gemini";
      case $day_of_year > 111:
         return "Taurus";
      case $day_of_year > 78:
         return "Aries";
      case $day_of_year > 51:
         return "Pisces";
      case $day_of_year > 20:
         return "Aquarius";
      default:
         return "Capricorn";
   }

}

         echo "Your star sign is " . star_sign($month, $day, $year);
?>

I assume that it is only returning the default value in the switch statement? How do I rectify this?

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