Getting error on php contact form

[foxclone]

I'm getting the following error on a contact form I'm trying to implement:

Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Undefined constant "secretcode" in /home/foxclo98/test.foxclone.com/contact.php:33 Stack trace: #0 {main} thrown in /home/foxclo98/test.foxclone.com/contact.php on line 33

Here's the full code of the contact form:

<?php
$errorlevel=error_reporting();
error_reporting($errorlevel & ~E_WARNING);
//...code that generates notices
error_reporting($errorlevel);
// initialization
session_start();

$email_contact = "help@foxclone.com";
$email_website = "webmaster@foxclone.com";

// definition of permitted types/subject/category. use to dynamically build the option list,
// pre-selecting any existing choice, and used in the validation logic
$permitted_types = ['Questions', 'Report Problem', 'Suggestion', 'Other', 'Website Problem'];
$secretcode = ['nospam'];
$post = []; // array to hold a trimmed working copy of the form data
$errors = []; // array to hold user/validation errors


// post method form processing
if($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'POST')
{
	// trim all the data at once
	$post = array_map('trim',$_POST); // if any of the fields are arrays, use a recursive call-back function here instead of php's trim function

	// inputs: name, email, type/subject/category, message - all required
		
	// validate the inputs
	$errors = [];
	//Other validation stuff.
	if ($post['secretcode'] != 'nospam')
	{
		$errors[secretcode] = 'You did not enter the correct secret code.';
	}
	
	
	if($post['name'] === '')
	{
		$errors['name'] = 'Name is required.';
	}
	if($post['email'] === '')
	{
		$errors['email'] = 'Email is required.';
	}
	else
	{
		// while it is true that the following email format validation will produce an error
		// for an empty value, you should specifically tell the visitor what is wrong with what
		// they submitted
		if (false === filter_var($post['email'], FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL))
		{
			$errors['email'] = 'The Email Address you entered does not appear to be valid.';
		}
	}
	if($post['type'] === '')
	{
		$errors['type'] = 'You must select a Type/Subject/Category.';
	}
	else
	{
		// you will only see the following error due to a programming mistake or someone/something submitting their own values
		if(!in_array($post['type'],$permitted_types))
		{
			$errors['type'] = 'The selected Type is invalid.';
			// you would want to log the occurrence of this here...
		}
	}
	if($post['message'] === '')
	{
		$errors['message'] = 'Message is required.';
	}
	else
	{
		if(strlen($post['message']) < 10)
		{
			$errors['message'] = 'The Message must be at least 10 characters.';
		}
	}

	// if no errors, use the submitted data
	if(empty($errors))
	{
         
		// apply htmlentities() to help prevent cross site scripting when viewing the received email in a browser
		$formcontent = htmlentities("From: {$post['name']}\r\nEmail: {$post['email']}\r\nSubject: {$post['type']}\r\nMessage: {$post['message']}", ENT_QUOTES);

		if ($post['type'] === "Website Problem")
		{
			$recipient=$email_website;
		}
		else
		{
			$recipient=$email_contact;
		}
		$email = $post['email'];
		// add $post['email'] as a Reply-to: header if desired, it is one, valid email address at this point
		$mailheader = "From: $email\r\n" ;
		$mailheader .= "Cc: $email\r\n";

		if(!mail($recipient, $post['type'], $formcontent, $mailheader))
		{
			// an error
			// setup the user error message
			$errors['mail'] = 'The email could not be sent, the site owner has been notified.';
		
			// system error handling goes here... - datatime, get the last error message, include the mail parameter values...
			// at this point, all parameters are either an internal value, have been validated they they are just an expected 
			// value/format, or have had htmlentities() applied.
			
		}
	
		// if no errors at this point, success
		if(empty($errors))
		{
			$_SESSION['success_message'] = "Mail Sent. Thank you {$post['name']}, we will contact you shortly..";
			die(header("Refresh:0"));
		}
	}
}

// html document starts here...
?>


<?php
// display any success message
if(!empty($_SESSION['success_message']))
{
	// for demo purposes, just output it as a paragraph. add any markup/styling you want
	echo '<p>';
	echo htmlentities($_SESSION['success_message'], ENT_QUOTES);
	echo " - <a href='index.php#home' style='color:#ff0099;'> Return Home</a>";
	echo '</p>';
	unset($_SESSION['success_message']);
}
?>

<?php
// display any errors
if(!empty($errors))
{
	// for demo purposes, just output them as a paragraph. add any markup/styling you want
	echo '<p>'; echo implode('<br>',$errors); echo '</p>';
}
?>

<?php
// (re)display the form here..., re-populating the fields with any existing values


?>

<?php require_once("header.php");?>

<style>
  input, select {
  width: 20rem;
  line-height:30px;
  border:2px solid #2f496e;
  padding: 0;
  margin: 0;
  height: 30px;
  -moz-box-sizing: border-box;
  -webkit-box-sizing: border-box;
  box-sizing: border-box;
  font: 500 1rem sans-serif;
  background: #fff;
}

.input {
  text-indent: 3px;
}
</style>

</head>
<body>
  <?PHP require_once("navbar.php"); ?>
<!--******************
*      CONTACT       *     
*******************-->

<div class="head__h1"> Need help? Have a suggestion? Why not send us an email?</div>     
  <div class="subtext"> You'll receive a copy of your inquiry for your records </div>
    <div class ="download">

	  <div class="cont__row" style="background-color: #d9b44a;">
         <div class="cont__column">
              
		       <form method="POST">
			   
			<label>Secret Code:</label><br>
            <input type="text" name="secretcode" id="secretcode" placeholder="Type nospam here">
              <br> <br>

            <label>Name</label><br> 
            <input type="text" name="name"><br> <br> 
                
            <label>Email</label><br> 
            <input type="email" name="email"><br> <br> 
          
        <label>Select a Category</label> <br> 
            <select name="type" id="category" size="1">
                <option value=''>                 </option>
                <option value='Questions'>Questions</option>
                <option value="Report Problem">Report Problem</option>
                <option value='Suggestion'>Suggestion</option>
                <option value='Other'>Other</option>
                <option value="Website Problem"> Website Problem</option>
            </select>
         
            </div>
        
            <div class="cont__column">
            <label>Message</label><br> 
            <textarea name="message" rows="10" cols="50" style="font: 500 1rem sans-serif"></textarea><br> <br> 
          
          
            <div class="button">
            <input type="image" id="myimage" src="images/email1.jpg" style="height:40px; width:160px;"/>
                
        </form>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
  </div> 
  <?PHP require_once("footer.php"); ?>

I'd appreciate ssome help on this.

[ginerjm]

Quote

$errors[secretcode] = 'You did not enter the correct secret code.';

You have an array reference without quotes on it.  It thinks that's a constant when it is supposed to be an index value.

The error message should have pointed this out to you.

Edited June 13, 2022 by ginerjm

[ginerjm]

48 minutes ago, foxclone said:

<?php
$errorlevel=error_reporting();
error_reporting($errorlevel & ~E_WARNING);
//...code that generates notices
error_reporting($errorlevel);

Not sure what you are attempting with the above but since the setting is only good for the duration of the script's execution, you really s/b thinking of doing an E_ALL as well as a display on the client's screen to aid in debugging your script easier.

error_reporting(E_ALL);
ini_set('display_errors', '1');

 

[ginerjm]

1 hour ago, foxclone said:

$secretcode = ['nospam'];

The above line makes an array having one element (0) whose value is 'nospam'.

What are you planning to do with that array? I don't see it referenced but it still seems like a funny thing to be doing.  You are doing a check for the entry in this field but not with the array you have created.  Perhaps you simply want to create it near the top of your script as a simple static variable and not an array?

and then maybe you want to change this

    if ($post['secretcode'] != 'nospam')
To be 

if ($post['secretcode'] != $secretcode)

BTW - You seem to be doing this thing with your own version of the $_POST array for no good reason.  Is this something you read about somewhere that is supposed to be of help to your algorithm?  Why not just use $_POST?  It's a global array that you control and is accessible from your entire script.

 

Edited June 13, 2022 by ginerjm

[phppup]

@ginerjm This particular item caught my attention.

$secretcode = ['nospam'];

Looks like a piece from @kicken in yesterday's post on "sudden influx of spam"

 

Edited June 13, 2022 by phppup
Clean up post

[ginerjm]

What does one have to do with the other?