Contact form values disappear upon failed validation

phpauthor · May 29, 2011

I'm just learning about PHP and I'm diving in head first by attempting to modify our web site's contact form. I'm wishing to stop the form from erasing previously entered values upon "failed" data validation. It's of course going to be annoying to our visitors if their hardworked entries disappear just because they left out a name or entered an illegal email address. I regret that some potential solutions found on this forum and other locations on Google didn't seem to help on my page.

As you can see, the validation is done with PHP's version of if-elseif-else. Later I'll be adding a reCAPTCHA and I hope that whatever I learn here might be useful for the potentially same problem when I am adding the CAPTCHA.

The actual contact form is at http://www.woofwoofwoof.org/contact/index.php. Thank you in advance for your taking the time to help me what originally appeared to be a simple problem. I have read the rules and I hope I've followed the rules -- please let me know if I committed any sins of omission or commission. Now, for your Sunday reading pleasure, here's the code:

CODE STARTS HERE ====================================

<?php include("../common/docType.php"); ?>

<?php include("../common/htmlOpen.php"); ?>

<head>

<title><?php include("../common/titleBar.php"); ?> - Contact us!</title>

<?php include("../common/headInclude.php"); ?>

</head>

<?php

// Success/Fail message

$msg = "";

$brisket = "";

// Target Email

$targetEmail = "barkingdog@bellsouth.net";

// Process Submissions

if(isset($_POST['submitted'])) {

if($_POST['submitted']) { // process form.

$guestName = $_POST['guestName'];

$cityState = $_POST['cityState'];

$emailAddress = $_POST['emailAddress'];

$phone = $_POST['phone'];

$msgSubject = "Barking Dog Chocolatiers Inquiry";

$msgContent = "FROM: $guestName\n";

$msgContent .= "City/State: $cityState\n";

$msgContent .= "Phone & time to call: $phone\n";

$msgContent .= "\nInquiry:\n";

$msgContent .= stripslashes($_POST['msgContent']);

// Trial if then else reversed from Dan's original allowing maybe multiple tests in sequence -- in action

if($guestName == "") {

$keepvar = "1";

$msg = "<p style='color: red; font-weight: bold; font-size: 14px; margin: 12px 0px 0px 0px;'>Please enter a name!</p>";

} elseif($emailAddress == "") {

$msg = "<p style='color: red; font-weight: bold; font-size: 14px; margin: 12px 0px 0px 0px;'>Please enter a valid email address!</p>";

} else {

mail($targetEmail, $msgSubject, $msgContent, "From: $guestName <$emailAddress>\nX-Mailer:PHP/" . phpversion());

$msg = "<p style='color: darkgreen; font-weight: bold; font-size: 14px; margin: 12px 0px 0px 0px;'>Thank you! Your message has been sent.</p>";

$brisket = "<img src='../images/Brisket180x180web.jpg' width='180px' height='180px' alt='Brisket Says Hi' />";

}

// Original if then else all commented out

// if($emailAddress != "") {

// mail($targetEmail, $msgSubject, $msgContent, "From: $guestName <$emailAddress>\nX-Mailer:PHP/" . phpversion());

// $msg = "<p style='color: darkgreen; font-weight: bold; font-size: 14px; margin: 12px 0px 0px 0px;'>Thank you! Your message has been sent.</p>";

// $brisket = "<img src='../images/Brisket180x180web.jpg' width='180px' height='180px' alt='Brisket Says Hi' />";

// } else {

// $msg = "<p style='color: red; font-weight: bold; font-size: 14px; margin: 12px 0px 0px 0px;'>Please enter a valid email address!</p>";

// }

}

?>

</div>

<br /><img class="sideBox" src="../images/sideBox.jpg" width="12px" height="12px"><p class="sideItemSelected">contact us</p><br style="clear:both" />

<p class="sideItem"><a class="sideLink" href="./shipping.php">useful q & a</a></p>

<h1>contact us</h1><br />

<h2>Have questions? Ready to order?<br />

<p id="contactText" class="text">It's not business, it's personal! For instant answers to many questions about ordering, shipping, and other good stuff, please check the <a href="shipping.php">useful q&a</a> page. Nonetheless, we'll always be happy to answer your questions by phone or through the form below. We look forward to hearing from you.</p><br />

</div>

<p class="itemLabel">City & state</p>

</div>

</div>

<p class="itemLabel">Email Address</p>

</div>

<p class="itemLabel">Phone & best local time to call</p>

</div>

<div>

<p class="itemLabel">Your question</p>

<textarea tabindex="5" id="msgContent" type="text" name="msgContent">Please telephone us to submit an order</textarea>

</div>

</div>

<?php //echo($msg); ?>

</div>

<?php

echo($msg);

echo($brisket);

?>

</div>

</div>

</div>

</form>

</div>

</div>

</div>

<?php include("../common/footer.php"); ?>

</div>

</body>

</html>

CODE STOPS HERE=====================================

Hybride · May 29, 2011

Please use the code tags next time.

For all of your input, you need to use the actual input name when echoing the value to retain the input value. So, your

<input tabindex="1" class="itemContent" type="text" name="guestName" value='<?php echo $_POST['Name']; ?>' />

becomes

<input tabindex="1" class="itemContent" type="text" name="guestName" value='<?php echo $_POST['guestName']; ?>' />

Or, your

 <input tabindex="2" class="itemContent" type="text" name="cityState" />

becomes

<input tabindex="2" class="itemContent" type="text" name="cityState" value='<?php echo $_POST['cityState']; ?>' />

phpauthor · May 30, 2011

Dear brthl,

Not only are your suggestions working perfectly, but also the clarity of your writing is really good. I hope one of your jobs is writing textbooks or instructions!

Everything worked when I used your ideas -- I even figured out how to make it work for the textarea.

However, when I go to test the 5th content area (your question), I can't find a string name to represent what exists in the "your question" textarea. If I can get a name for the string itself so I can test for a length (say, <5), then I can require a question prior to "Submit" being successful.

Here's the new code; the part in reference is marked in red as "// OH HELP!" on the left margin. Thank you again for your articular and ridiculously prompt response.

START CODE HERE =============

<?php include("../common/docType.php"); ?>

<?php include("../common/htmlOpen.php"); ?>

<head>

<title><?php include("../common/titleBar.php"); ?> - Contact us!</title>

<?php include("../common/headInclude.php"); ?>

</head>

<?php

// Success/Fail message

$msg = "";

$brisket = "";

// Target Email

$targetEmail = "barkingdog@bellsouth.net";

// Process Submissions

if(isset($_POST['submitted'])) {

if($_POST['submitted']) { // process form.

$guestName = $_POST['guestName'];

$cityState = $_POST['cityState'];

$emailAddress = $_POST['emailAddress'];

$phone = $_POST['phone'];

$msgSubject = "Barking Dog Chocolatiers Inquiry";

$msgContent = "FROM: $guestName\n";

$msgContent .= "City/State: $cityState\n";

$msgContent .= "Phone & time to call: $phone\n";

$msgContent .= "\nInquiry:\n";

$msgContent .= stripslashes($_POST['msgContent']);

// Trial if then else reversed from Dan's original allowing multiple tests in sequence -- in action

if($guestName == "") {

$keepvar = "1";

$msg = "<p style='color: red; font-weight: bold; font-size: 14px; margin: 12px 0px 0px 0px;'>Please enter a name!</p>";

} elseif(strlen($cityState) < 4) {

$msg = "<p style='color: red; font-weight: bold; font-size: 14px; margin: 12px 0px 0px 0px;'>Please enter a valid city & state!</p>";

} elseif($emailAddress == "") {

$msg = "<p style='color: red; font-weight: bold; font-size: 14px; margin: 12px 0px 0px 0px;'>Please enter a valid email address!</p>";

// Oh HELP! } elseif(strlen($msgContent) <5) {

// OH HELP! $msg = "<p style='color: red; font-weight: bold; font-size: 14px; margin: 12px 0px 0px 0px;'>Please enter a question!</p>";

} else {

mail($targetEmail, $msgSubject, $msgContent, "From: $guestName <$emailAddress>\nX-Mailer:PHP/" . phpversion());

$msg = "<p style='color: darkgreen; font-weight: bold; font-size: 14px; margin: 12px 0px 0px 0px;'>Thank you! Your message has been sent.</p>";

$brisket = "<img src='../images/Brisket180x180web.jpg' width='180px' height='180px' alt='Brisket Says Hi' />";

}

// Original if then else all commented out

// if($emailAddress != "") {

// mail($targetEmail, $msgSubject, $msgContent, "From: $guestName <$emailAddress>\nX-Mailer:PHP/" . phpversion());

// $msg = "<p style='color: darkgreen; font-weight: bold; font-size: 14px; margin: 12px 0px 0px 0px;'>Thank you! Your message has been sent.</p>";

// $brisket = "<img src='../images/Brisket180x180web.jpg' width='180px' height='180px' alt='Brisket Says Hi' />";

// } else {

// $msg = "<p style='color: red; font-weight: bold; font-size: 14px; margin: 12px 0px 0px 0px;'>Please enter a valid email address!</p>";

// }

}

?>

</div>

<br /><img class="sideBox" src="../images/sideBox.jpg" width="12px" height="12px"><p class="sideItemSelected">contact us</p><br style="clear:both" />

<p class="sideItem"><a class="sideLink" href="./shipping.php">useful q & a</a></p>

<h1>contact us</h1><br />

<h2>Have questions? Ready to order?<br />

<p id="contactText" class="text">It's not business, it's personal! For instant answers to many questions about ordering, shipping, and other good stuff, please check the <a href="shipping.php">useful q&a</a> page. Nonetheless, we'll always be happy to answer your questions by phone or through the form below. We look forward to hearing from you.</p><br />

<p class="itemLabel">name (required)</p>

</div>

<p class="itemLabel">city & state (required)</p>

</div>

</div>

<p class="itemLabel">email address (required)</p>

</div>

<p class="itemLabel">phone & best local time to call</p>

</div>

<div>

<p class="itemLabel">your question</p>

</div>

</div>

<?php //echo($msg); ?>

</div>

<?php

echo($msg);

echo($brisket);

?>

</div>

</div>

</div>

</form>

</div>

</div>

</div>

<?php include("../common/footer.php"); ?>

</div>

</body>

</html>

STOP CODE HERE =====================

mikesta707 · May 30, 2011

please use code tags.

and instead of using

strlen($msgContent)

why dont you try using

strlen($_POST['msgContent'])

the reason being you set $msgContent to a value that will almost always have a length larger than 5

in case you dont know, you can use code tags like so

[code]
php and html code here

[/code]

OR

[code=php:0]
just php code here

[/code]

phpauthor · May 30, 2011

Thanks to both of you -- both of you wrote to the point and in a manner that was easily comprehended even though that section of PHP is new. It works perfectly and will help us get more coherent requests from customers as well as reduce spam. I really appreciate your time.

-- Joal

P.S. Please keep fingers & toes crossed as I gingerly approach adding a reCAPTCHA.

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Contact form values disappear upon failed validation

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