problem with submit form in php

[dansk]

hello,

i have this page that is created using a post method, and i can't get the first if statment to be executed "see the comments by the if statment"

[code]<?

$connect = mysql_connect("localhost", "user","pass") or die(mysql_error());
$result = mysql_query("SELECT * from Announ.login WHERE session_id = '" . $_COOKIE[id] . "'");
$row = mysql_fetch_array($result);

if ($row[session_id] == $_COOKIE[id] && $row[user_name] == "admin")
{

  if($_POST['ID']==submit) ********//here's the problem, if I use $_POST, it will always go here since it comes from another page that uses a form with method post, how do i make it only go here when the form is submitted

  {


echo "in there<br>";
      // Set global variables to easier names

    // and prevent sql injection and apostrophe to break the db.

      $post_title = mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['post_title']);

      $post = mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['post']);
     
      $post_status = mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['post_status']);
     
      $image = mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['image']);

      $image_link = mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['link']);

              //check if (title) field is empty then print error message.

              if(!$post_title){  //this means If the title is really empty.

                    echo "Error: News title is a required field. Please fill it.";

                    exit(); //exit the script and don't do anything else.

              }// end of if





        $result = mysql_query("UPDATE announ.articles SET Post_Title='$post_title', Post_Date='NOW()', Post='$post',Images='$image', Image_Link='$image_link' WHERE ID=' " . $_POST['ID'] . " ' ")or die(mysql_error());


 
          echo "<b>Thank you! News UPDATED Successfully!<br>You'll be redirected to Home Page after (2) Seconds";

          echo "<meta http-equiv=Refresh content=2;url=Posts.php>";

}

elseif($_POST['ID'])


{



        $result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM announ.articles WHERE ID= ' " . $_POST['ID'] . " ' ");

        while($myrow = mysql_fetch_assoc($result))

            {

                $post_title = $myrow["Post_Title"];

                $post = $myrow["Post"];

                $post_status= $myrow["Post_Status"];

                $image = $myrow["Image"];

$image_link =$myrow["Image_Link"];
?>

<br>


<h3>::Edit News</h3>


<form method="POST" action="<?php echo $PHP_SELF ?>">

<input type="hidden" name="ID" value="<? echo $myrow['ID']?>">



Title: <input name="post_title" size="40" maxlength="255" value="<? echo $post_title; ?>">

<br>

News: <textarea name="post"  rows="7" cols="30"><? echo $post; ?></textarea>

<br>

Status: <input name="post_status" size="10" maxlength="255" value ="<? echo $post_status; ?>">

<br>

image_link: <input name="image_link" size="20" maxlength="255" value ="<? echo $image_link; ?>" >

<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Update News">

</form>

<?

              }//end of while loop



  }//end else
 
  }
else
{
header("Location: login.php");
}
?>[/code]

[michaellunsford]

short answer. [code=php:0]if($_POST['ID']) //do this[/code] should work, or I've seen it written this way: [code=php:0]if(is_set($_POST['ID'])) //do this [/code].

longer answer. If you're visiting the page from a link, the [code=php:0]if($_POST)[/code] will return false. If you submit a form (with the method="post"), it will return true. If you're [code=php:0]include[/code]ing from a page that is beign posted to, [code=php:0]if($_POST)[/code] will still return true.

does that make sense?

[dansk]

michaellunsford, Thank you for the help

I understand you proint. But, I only would like it to return true when I submit the form on that page itself. Since I am visiting from a different page where I process a POST method. Your answer makes it true which directly goes in the first if statment - notice i have two if statements- one is in the middle which will display text fields and a POST form to be submitted, only then, i want the first If to be true.

Thank you very much, I really appericate your help

[michaellunsford]

if your second form has a unique field name, just check for that. [code=php:0]if($_POST['different_field'][/code] That way, it will only be true if the second form is posted. Don't have a second field? Just put a hidden field inside that second post form.
[code=php:0]<input type="hidden" name="second_post" value="whatever">[/code] When you check for that field, it will only be true if it's present (on the second form post).