Why does name="name[]" value="2013-01-01" split the value up into an array?

FoxRocks · January 10, 2013

Hi there,

First, thank you for your interest in my problem, I appreciate your time.

I have a small form that is populated with records from a mysql database using php. I have three <input>'s which have the name attribute set to an array in case there is more than one record. The problem I'm having is for some reason the $adate (which is === "2013-01-01") gets broken down into 10 parts of an array. I don't get it, I've used this exact same setup on 5 or 6 other pages and it doesn't do this.

Just to be clear, when I echo out $date, it looks like this:

$date[$i] = 2

And when I run through it, it looks like this:

$date[0] = 2
$date[1] = 0
$date[2] = 1
$date[3] = 3
$date[4] = -
$date[5] = 0
$date[6] = 1
$date[7] = -
$date[8] = 0
$date[9] = 1

What I'm expecting, and wanting, is this:

$date[$i] = 2013-01-01

Here is my form code:

<form method="post" action="">
<table cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" border="1" id="wod_tracking_form">

<tr align="center">
<td colspan="3"><?php echo $wod_name; ?> Tracking Form</td>
</tr>

<tr align="center">
<td class="bold">Date Worked</td>
<td class="bold">Notes</td>
<td class="bold">Entered By</td>
</tr>

<?php

for($i = $fromTIME; $i <= $toTIME; $i = strtotime('+1 day', $i))
   {
   $adate = date('Y-m-d',$i);
   $bdate = date('M jS Y',$i);
   echo "<tr>";
   echo "<td align=\"center\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"wod_date[]\" value=\"" . $adate . "\">" . $bdate . "</td>";
   echo "<td><textarea name=\"wod_note[]\" style=\"resize:none;\" maxlength=\"255\" cols=\"25\" rows=\"3\"><textarea></td>";
   //Change the value below once the admin area has been created. Use the session admin id here.
   echo "<td align=\"center\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"wod_admin\" value=\"10845\">10845</td>";
   echo "</tr>";
   }

?>

<tr align="center">
<td colspan="3"><input type="submit" name="wod_submit" style="width:100px;" value="SUBMIT"></td>
</tr>

</table>
</form>

Here is my code for inserting it into the database:

<?php
if(isset($_POST['wod_submit']))
   {
   $wod_date = $_POST['wod_date'];
   $note = $_POST['wod_note'];
   $admin = $_POST['wod_admin'];
   $i = 0;

   foreach($wod_date as $date)
       {
       $sql = ("INSERT INTO wod_tracking (Emp_ID, WOD_Date, WOD_Note, WOD_Admin) VALUES ('$emp_id', '$date[$i]', '$note[$i]', '$admin')");

       if(!$result_sql = $mysqli->query($sql))
           {
           die ("There was a problem inserting the records into the wod_tracking table. mySQLI Error: " . $mysqli->error . "");
           }

       $i++;
       }
   die;
   //unset($_SESSION['wod']);
   //redirect_to($url);
   }
?>

I don't know if this is because it's in a date format, or what, but it's causing me a lot of confusion, I would really appreciate some help on this one.

Cheers!

~FOX~

Edited January 10, 2013 by FoxRocks

Beeeeney · January 10, 2013

If it is dropdowns: Day, month & year, then catch it in an array and implode it:

$day = $_POST['day'];
$month = $_POST['month'];
$year = $_POST['year'];

$date = array($day, $month, $year);
$date = implode('-', $date);

Then you can just use the $date variable in your MySQL query to insert it into the database. This is the best way I know how. Maybe someone else knows a better solution?

Edited January 10, 2013 by Beeeeney

Muddy_Funster · January 10, 2013

what exactly is going on here? :

for($i = $fromTIME; $i <= $toTIME; $i = strtotime('+1 day', $i))

Christian F. · January 10, 2013

That loops through every day from $fromTIME to $toTIME, by adding 1 day to the timestamp $i per iteration of the loop.

Muddy_Funster · January 10, 2013

I reckon seeing a view source of the form page could be helpfull, just to see what's in those hidden fields.

also, you have missed the / out of the closing tag for the textarea in the code you posted here.

Edt: Without the loop this is what the form source looks like on my machine:

<tr>
<td align="[url=""]center[/url]">
<input type="[url=""]hidden[/url]" name="[url=""]wod_date[][/url]" value="[url=""]2013-01-10[/url]">
Jan 10th 2013
</td>
<td>
<textarea name="[url=""]wod_note[][/url]" style="[url=""]resize:none;[/url]" maxlength="[url=""]255[/url]" cols="[url=""]25[/url]" rows="[url=""]3[/url]">
</textarea>
</td>
<td align="[url=""]center[/url]">
<input type="[url=""]hidden[/url]" name="[url=""]wod_admin[/url]" value="[url=""]10845[/url]">10845
</td>
</tr>

2nd Edt - ignore the URL's all through that, thatis the damn code formating on this board again

Edited January 10, 2013 by Muddy_Funster

FoxRocks · January 10, 2013

Thank you all for the replies.

I should have included what the variable are set to, sorry.

<?php
$fromSTR = $_SESSION['tod_fromDate']; //Selected through the date picker
$toSTR = $_SESSION['tod_toDate']; //Selected through the date picker. This is possibly the same value as $_SESSION['tod_fromDate']
$fromTIME = strtotime($fromSTR);
$toTIME = strtotime($toSTR);
$emp_id = $_SESSION['emp_id']; //Set from the database
?>

I have printed all of these out and they come out as expected:

<?php
$fromDate = 2013-01-01;
$toDate = 2013-01-01;
$emp_id = 9078;
?>

FoxRocks · January 10, 2013

OK, here is my form code, all of it, including the $_SESSION's. I've added some echo statements.

<?php
$_SESSION['tod_fromDate'] = "2013-01-01";
$_SESSION['tod_toDate'] = "2013-01-01";
$fromSTR = $_SESSION['tod_fromDate'];
$toSTR = $_SESSION['tod_toDate'];
$fromTIME = strtotime($fromSTR);
$toTIME = strtotime($toSTR);
$_SESSION['emp_id'] = "9078";
$emp_id = $_SESSION['emp_id'];
$tod_name = "Taken Days Off";
$tod = 8;
?>
<form method="post" action="">
<table cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" border="1" id="tod_tracking_form">
<tr align="center">
<td colspan="3"><?php echo $tod_name; ?> Tracking Form</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
<td class="bold">Date Taken</td>
<td class="bold">Notes</td>
<td class="bold">Entered By</td>
</tr>
<?php
for($i = $fromTIME; $i <= $toTIME; $i = strtotime('+1 day', $i))
{
echo "for i: " . $i . "<br>";//Error checking
$adate = date('Y-m-d',$i);
echo "for adate: " . $adate . "<br>";//Error checking
$bdate = date('M jS Y',$i);
echo "for bdate: " . $bdate . "<br>";//Error checking
echo "<tr>";
echo "<td align=\"center\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"tod_date[]\" value=\"" . $adate . "\">" . $bdate . "</td>";
echo "<td><textarea name=\"tod_note[]\" style=\"resize:none;\" maxlength=\"255\" cols=\"25\" rows=\"3\"></textarea></td>";
//Change the value below once the admin area has been created. Use the session admin id here.
echo "<td align=\"center\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"tod_admin\" value=\"10845\">10845</td>";
echo "</tr>";
}
?>
<tr align="center">
<td colspan="3"><input type="submit" name="tod_submit" style="width:100px;" value="SUBMIT"></td>
</tr>
</table>
</form>
<?php
if(isset($_POST['tod_submit']))
{
$tod_date = $_POST['tod_date'];
$note = $_POST['tod_note'];
$admin = $_POST['tod_admin'];
$i = 0;

foreach($tod_date as $date)
{
$sql = ("INSERT INTO tod_tracking (Emp_ID, TOD_Date, TOD_Note, TOD_Admin) VALUES ('$emp_id', '$date[$i]', '$note[$i]', '$admin')");
echo "foreach i: " . $i . "<br>";//Error checking
echo "foreach date[i]: " . $date[$i] . "<br>";//Error checking
// if(!$result_sql = $mysqli->query($sql))
// {
// die ("There was a problem inserting the records into the tod_tracking table. mySQLI Error: " . $mysqli->error . "");
// }
echo "sql: " . $sql . "<br>";//Error checking

$i++;
}
//unset($_SESSION['tod']);
//redirect_to($url);
}
?>

Now, here is the page source once the code has run:

<form method="post" action="">
<table cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" border="1" id="tod_tracking_form">
<tr align="center">
<td colspan="3">Taken Days Off Tracking Form</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
<td class="bold">Date Taken</td>
<td class="bold">Notes</td>
<td class="bold">Entered By</td>
</tr>
for i: 1356998400<br>for adate: 2013-01-01<br>for bdate: Jan 1st 2013<br><tr><td align="center"><input type="hidden" name="tod_date[]" value="2013-01-01">Jan 1st 2013</td><td><textarea name="tod_note[]" style="resize:none;" maxlength="255" cols="25" rows="3"></textarea></td><td align="center"><input type="hidden" name="tod_admin" value="10845">10845</td></tr>
<tr align="center">
<td colspan="3"><input type="submit" name="tod_submit" style="width:100px;" value="SUBMIT"></td>
</tr>
</table>
</form>
foreach i: 0<br>foreach date[i]: 2<br>sql: INSERT INTO tod_tracking (Emp_ID, TOD_Date, TOD_Note, TOD_Admin) VALUES ('9078', '2', 'Here are the notes', '10845')<br>

And finally, here is a screen shot of the form with the echo statements:

This makes NO sense to me, I can't believe I'm either missing something obvious, or that I can't get it to work...ugh.

Christian F. · January 10, 2013

As I suspected... Run a var_dump () on $tod_date after this line:

$tod_date = $_POST['tod_date'];

Then have a look at your loop, and translate what it does to plain English. Make sure you really understand what it actually does, not just what you wanted it to do.

FoxRocks · January 10, 2013

Here is a phpfiddle: http://phpfiddle.org/main/code/wz6-afn

FoxRocks · January 10, 2013

As I suspected... Run a var_dump () on $tod_date after this line:
$tod_date = $_POST['tod_date'];
Then have a look at your loop, and translate what it does to plain English. Make sure you really understand what it actually does, not just what you wanted it to do.

Here it is:

array (size=1)
 0 => string '2013-01-01' (length=10)

Christian F. · January 10, 2013

I know what it does, I just wanted you to think about it.

Muddy_Funster · January 10, 2013

I've updated your fidle using basic debuging 101, run it now and see if you can find the issue

FoxRocks · January 10, 2013

"basic debugging 101" , ok, I guess my error checking wasn't cutting it? I echo'd out everything you did, I just didn't label which line it was on.

It's not that I don't appreciate getting helped in the right direction, or being taught how to troubleshoot instead of just being handed the answer...in fact I prefer that over just getting the answer...however the var_dump() and the "basic debugging 101" ideas didn't produce anything new that my already existing error checking didn't already have.

Anyways, I've found the problem. It was a stupid one as I'm sure we all expected.

Thanks for the help, I'm sorry if I sound unappreciative with my comment, don't take it personally.

~FOX~

EDIT: I forgot to say what the problem was. I changed $date[$i] to just $date in the insert statement and it worked fine.

Edited January 10, 2013 by FoxRocks

Muddy_Funster · January 10, 2013

You found the problem, but do you know what the problem was?

that which I echoed out was different to what you did, I'm not in the habbit of re-writing things for the fun of it or to pass the time. The point I was making was that you should be checking the content of the variable at each change.

Why did $date work when $date[$i] did not. What was $date[$i] if it wasn't what you expected it to be?

These are the key questions you need to be able to answer.

FoxRocks · January 13, 2013

Right, I didn't really explain the solution very well.

The FOR loop was already looping through each value of the $date array. When I accidentally added the [$i] key to it, it broke that value down further thinking it was mutlidimensional array, when it wasn't.

~FOX~

FoxRocks · January 13, 2013

To whoever last updated my fiddle, while I'm not a "faggot" as you claim, I'm also not a coward. You might think that updating the fiddle to say such a thing is funny and clever, but in reality it's just pathetic. If you have something to say, just say it and don't be such a juvenile.

~FOX~

PFMaBiSmAd · January 13, 2013

You do realize that anyone who directly found it or found the link you posted to it somewhere else, such as in this public thread that gets index by all the major search engines, could have messed with your post on the fiddle site?

FoxRocks · January 13, 2013

Yes, I do. I guess I should have just ignored it instead of bringing attention to it. My Bad.

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Why does name="name[]" value="2013-01-01" split the value up into an array?

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