if (isset($POST[''])) not posting

[duffman8]

I have created a search facility for a small asset database that is currently hosted locally on my PC using PHP5.3.8, Apache 2.2.2.1 and MySQL 5.0.8.

 

I have two .php pages - search_computers.php and search_computers_sql.php

 

The problem I have is that when I search for e.g. Dell on search_computers.php the web browser opens search_computers_sql.php and displays all of the code and comments on that page from "echo "<p>You forgot to enter" onwards. I have posted the code on both pages below and attached a screenshot of what search_computers_sql.php looks like after submitting a search parameter.

 

This has completely baffled me! I have other forms on this database that have posted and inserted into the MySQL database fine. I've tested the SQL on search_computers_sql.php and that definitely works (I tested it on MySQL query browser).

 

If I was too hazard a guess I would say something isn't quite right with if (isset($_POST['search'])) on search_computers_sql.php but I can't figure it out. Could it possibly be an Apache configuration problem as well?

 

Any help would be much appreciated!

 

search_computers.php

 

				
<h2>Search for a Computer</h2>
<p>Please enter a search parameter to find a computer<u><b></b></u></p>
<br>

<form name="search" method="post" action="./search_computers_result.php">
Seach for: <input type="text" name="find" /> under 
<Select NAME="field">
<Option VALUE="pc_id">PC ID</option>
<Option VALUE="manufacturer">Manufacturer</option>
<Option VALUE="ram">RAM</option>
<Option VALUE="specification">Specification</option>
<Option VALUE="network_point">Network Point</option>
</Select>
<input type="hidden" name="searching" value="yes" />
<input type="submit" name="search" value="Search" />
</form>	

 

search_computers_sql.php

 

//This is only displayed if they have submitted the form 

if (isset($_POST['search']))
    
$find  = $_POST['find'];
$field = $_POST['field'];
{
	 //If they did not enter a search term we give them an error 
	 if ($find == "") 
	 { 
	 echo "<p>You forgot to enter a search parameter. Please click "?><a href="./search_computers_result.php">here</a></li><?   echo" to try again."; 
	 exit; 
	 } 

	 // We preform a bit of filtering 
	 $find = strtoupper($find); 
	 $find = strip_tags($find); 
	 $find = trim ($find);

	//Connect to local db
	$data_db = mysqli_connect('localhost','root');

	$data = "SELECT c.pc_id, c. manufacturer, c.ram, c.specification, n.network_point, s.status, l.location FROM asset_db.computers c, asset_db.location l, asset_db.network_point n, asset_db.status s WHERE l.id = c.location AND n.id = c.network_point AND s.id = c.status AND upper($field) LIKE '%$find%'";
	$result = mysqli_query($data_db,$data);

		 if (!$result)
                {  echo 'There is no data to display';  exit;  }

		 //And we remind them what they searched for 
			echo "<b>You Searched For:</b> " .$find;
			echo "<br>";
			echo "<br>";
		//This counts the number or results - and if there wasn't any it gives them a little message explaining that 
		$anymatches = mysqli_num_rows($result);
		if ($anymatches > 0)
			{	
			echo ('	</table>
					<table>
					<tr>
					<th style="width: 75px">PC ID</th>
					<th style="width: 125px">Manufacturer</th>
					<th style="width: 75px">RAM</th>
					<th style="width: 175px">Specification</th>
					<th style="width: 85px">Network Point</th>
					<th style="width: 75px">Status</th>
					<th style="width: 175px">Location</th>
					</tr>');

			echo "Please click "?><a href="./search.php">here</a></li><? echo" to enter a new search parameter.<br><br>";				

				 //And we display the results 
				 while($row=mysqli_fetch_array($result,MYSQLI_BOTH)) 
				 {
					$pc_id			= $row['pc_id'];
					$manufacturer   = $row['manufacturer'];
					$ram   			= $row['ram'];
					$specification  = $row['specification'];
					$network_point  = $row['network_point'];
					$status         = $row['status'];
					$location       = $row['location'];
					echo "<tr>";
					echo "<td>$pc_id</td>";
					echo "<td>$manufacturer</td>";
					echo "<td>$ram</td>";
					echo "<td>$specification</td>";
					echo "<td>$network_point</td>";
					echo "<td>$status</td>";
					echo "<td>$location</td>";
					echo "</tr>";
				 }
			echo '	</table>';
			}// End of $anymatches	
	 if ($anymatches == 0) 
	 { 
	 echo "Sorry, but we cannot find a match for your search. Please click "?><a href="./search_computers.php">here</a></li><? echo" to try again.<br><br>"; 
	 } 

}//End of if (isset($_POST['search']))

 

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Pikachu2000]

You have an php closing ?> tag in this line that evidently shouldn't be there.

 

echo "<p>You forgot to enter a search parameter. Please click "?><a href="./search_computers_result.php">here</a></li><?   echo" to try again.";

 

EDIT: Missed the following opening tag, but change it (and all other open tags) to the full <?php tag syntax. Short <? open tag syntax is not enabled by default, and is likely to be removed entirely in a future version of php.

[duffman8]

Thank you for the reply. I've cleaned up those lines of code but it still displays all the code and comments on search_computers_result.php under the browser. (My original post for I mistakenly referred this file as search_computers_sql.php - Sorry!)

 

I've attached another screenshot.

 

[attachment deleted by admin]

[AyKay47]

see here in this line..

 

if (isset($_POST['search']))

 

you have not included a starting curly bracket to wrap your code in if the submit button has been pressed.. add the opening curly bracket..

 

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

[duffman8]

Thanks for the suggestion - but the code and comments still 'print' on the browser.

[AyKay47]

only other thing that I can think of is the extension of the page you are using is not .php but .html

 

Edit: or you do not have PHP configured..

[AyKay47]

where are your opening and closing PHP tags for this.. I don't see them in the provided code.. also, as Pikachu stated.. make sure that the short_open_tag directive in your php.ini file is set to On before trying to use them in your code..

[Pikachu2000]

where are your opening and closing PHP tags for this.. I don't see them in the provided code.. also, as Pikachu stated.. make sure that the short_open_tag directive in your php.ini file is set to On before trying to use them in your code..

 

That isn't what I said at all. I would never recommend that instead of changing the tags so the code remains usable, and retains portability.

[duffman8]

How embarrassing!  :-[ :-[

 

My opening PHP tags were

<? ?>

as opposed to

<?PHP ?>

.

 

It works great now. Thank you both for the support!

[AyKay47]

sorry pikachu I didn't see your edit.. to enable short tags you will need to enable the relevant php.ini directive that i listed above.. however we will never suggest that you use short tags instead of full tags.. as this is considered a bad practice and most likely short tags will be removed in future variations of PHP..