query validation question why it's not working

[simcoweb]

Ok, i'm trying to prevent certain information being inserted more than once into a mysql database. I'm using this code to validate against the 'date' field. If there's no entry then it runs the $sql INSERT:

 

<?
if ($err == "") {
			   $dupe = "SELECT * FROM picks WHERE date='$date'";
			   $dupe_results = mysql_query($dupe) or die(mysql_error());
			   $num_rows = mysql_num_rows($dupe_results);
			   if ($num_rows == 1) {
			     echo "There are already picks entered for this date: $date . If you wish to edit them then select Display Picks and choose the date you wish to edit.<br>\n";
				} else {
			   $sql = "INSERT INTO picks (step1, step2, step3, step4, date) VALUES ( '$step1', '$step2', '$step3', '$step4', '$date')";
			   $results = mysql_query($sql) or die(mysql_error());
			   
				}
			 }
?>

 

Problem is it's not working. I have the $date variable set like this:

 

$date  = date("m/d/Y");

 

Which returns todays date. Maybe i'm missing something but it appears that it either won't validate against that date format ( 01/31/2007 ) or my code is wrong.

[Jessica]

Do you get an error?

You know the mysql DATE format is YYYY-MM-DD, so this won't work unless your date field is a varchar formatted that way.

[simcoweb]

I don't get any errors and i'm using a varchar format for the field instead of the mysql 'date' format.

 

That's what I can't understand is why it's bypassing the validation without an error and simply running the 2nd query. There may be something else I have to validate against but there's nothing 'unique' except an id that's auto-incremented for each entry. But, that's also based upon the date as well as each day should be one entry. Therefore one id per day.

[Jessica]

Try

if ($num_rows >= 1) {

[simcoweb]

That did the trick! Just for my edification, why wouldn't the == work as opposed to the >= ?

 

And, this may be related to my lack of expertise as well, but this isn't functioning as it logically should.

 

<?
		if(!results ) {
			     echo "Could not enter new picks into database. Please re-enter.<br>\n";
				} else {
				 echo "<font color='#0000FF'>New picks successfully entered for $date.<br>\n";

				   echo "<ul><li>Step 1: $step1</li>\n
				             <li>Step 2: $step2</li>\n
							 <li>Step 3: $step3</li>\n
							 <li>Step 4: $step4</li>\n
							 </ul><br>\n";
				}
			?>

 

It's displaying the <ul> stuff whether or not the query for inserting it was successful.

[simcoweb]

Never mind on that! I found it like 10 seconds after I posted.

 

I had (!results) when it should be (!$results). 

[simcoweb]

Grrr... ok, this code controls the form validation and mysql insertion/validation/check. What's happening is when I click on the menu item 'Add Picks' which is this page/form it's automatically submitting the form instead of waiting for it to be completed. Therefore, it's inserting blank fields into the database with the exception of the date. I can't spot where i'm missing the right sequence to stop this from happening:

 

<?
				$v_sbm=$_REQUEST['submit'];  
				$connection = mysql_connect($dbhost, $dbusername, $dbpass);
				$SelectedDB = mysql_select_db($dbname);
			// set our POST variables
			$step1 = mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['step1']);
			$step2 = mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['step2']);
			$step3 = mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['step3']);
			$step4 = mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['step4']);
			$date  = date("m/d/Y");
			$err   = "";
			$err_dupe = "";

				// validate data
			if (isset($v_sbm)) {
			  if(trim($step1)== "") {
			  $err .="Step One cannot be blank.<br>";
			  }    
			  if(trim($step2)== "") {
			  $err .="Step Two cannot be blank.<br>";
			  }
			  if(trim($step3) == "") {
			  $err .="Step Three cannot be blank.<br>";
			  }
			  if(trim($step4) == "") {
			  $err .="Step Four cannot be blank.<br>";
			} 
		} 
			 if (empty($err)){
			   $dupe = "SELECT * FROM picks WHERE date='$date'";
			   $dupe_results = mysql_query($dupe) or die(mysql_error());
			   $num_rows = mysql_num_rows($dupe_results);
			   if ($num_rows >= 1) {
			    $err_dupe .="There are already picks entered for this date: $date . If you wish to edit them then select Display Picks and choose the date you wish to edit.<br>\n";
			    
				} else {
				  if (empty($err_dupe)){
			   $sql = "INSERT INTO picks (step1, step2, step3, step4, date) VALUES ( '$step1', '$step2', '$step3', '$step4', '$date')";
			   $results = mysql_query($sql) or die(mysql_error());
			   }
				}
			 }
?>

 

To recap, in my 'admin' area there's several links and the one pointing to this one is Add Picks (points to picks_add.php which this code is part of). Immediately upon displaying the page it also displays the echoed results (parsed from this code inserted into the body of the form)

 

<?
if(!$results) {
     echo "Could not enter new picks into database. Please re-enter.<br>\n";
} else {
     echo "<font color='#0000FF'>New picks successfully entered for $date.<br>\n";

 echo "<ul><li>Step 1: $step1</li>\n
          <li>Step 2: $step2</li>\n
	 <li>Step 3: $step3</li>\n
	 <li>Step 4: $step4</li>\n
	 </ul><br>\n";
	}
?>

 

None of this should happen until the Submit button is pressed