Created Variables / Now can't use them ...

[lightsguy]

Background: I know very little about PHP. I can usually take a script and modify it for my needs. In this case, I've been able to write the section of code below for my needs.

 

This is part of a form to mail script that people use to request ports on switches.

 

<? function request_row($limit){ 
  for ($x=1; $x<=$limit; $x++) 
  echo"<tr><td>Server Name: <input type=\"text\" size=\"20\" name=\"server$x\"></td>" .
"<td>Location: <input type=\"text\" size=\"20\" name=\"location$x\"></td>" .
"<td>Switch: <input type=\"text\" size=\"20\" name=\"switch$x\"></td>" .
"<td>Port: <input type=\"text\" size=\"20\" name=\"port$x\"></td></tr>" ;
}

 

Further down in my script, I have

request_row($howmany) ;

 

which calls the function above. ($howmany comes from another portion of the script.)

 

The problem I'm running in to, is that I don't know how to get this to print into an email. Now, I understand how to create the email portion, I'm not asking for help there.

 

function mailme() {
$to = "[email protected]" ;
$subject = "Subject";
$headers = 'From:' . $_POST["emp_email"] . "\r\n" .
   'Reply-To: [email protected]' . "\r\n" .
   'X-Mailer: PHP/' . phpversion();
$message =
$_POST["emp_name"] . " has filled in the form ..." ;

mail($to,$subject,$message,$headers) ;

 

What I need to do is get the results of those variables in "request_row" into the email.

 

I'm not asking for someone to give it to me. Just tell me where I need to start looking and I'll try and figure it out myself.

[steveclondon]

don't echo your result in your function instead save it as a varible in the function.

 

such as $answer='what you were echoing';

 

then at the end of the function put this

return $answer;

 

then when you call your function you would do something like this

 

$answer=request_row($limit);

then when you type you message you can enter $answer where ever you want and it will enter that bit of text or you can also echo $answer to the browser. You should never echo in functions as it can cause problems displaying html correctly. always return the result then echo that result

[lightsguy]

I'm new enough to know this ... I didn't ask my question well enough. My apologies for this.

 

I guess my question is this ...

 

I've created the variables, based on the number of requests the person is making. (server$x, location$x, in function request_row($limit))

 

Now, from my limited knowledge I know I can use these variables like this....

$server = $_POST['server'] - Then use $server in the email.

or

$message = "Server" . $_POST['server'] . ; //My syntax may be a hair off, but you get the idea.

 

Now, the confusing part to me is the fact the number of $server variables is going to vary each time.

 

If used (and I don't know if this is legal)

$message = "Server" . $_POST['server$x'] . ;

How would I tell PHP to increment $x? I figured it out in the function (see first post) but I can't figure out how to duplicate that feat here. I would need to repeat the entire row up to the number of times specified in $limit (again see first post.)

 

Again, if you can point me in the direction to look, I don't mind reading and learning.

 

[lightsguy]

Some progress, I think ...

 

If the user selects 3 requests, then the form will show the username, email, etc. (not shown on this portion of code.) However, when the script shows the server/location, etc., it only shows the LAST request. If I chose 3, it only shows the third. Pick 7, it only shows the last.

 

I'm sure it's something really simple, something that I should learn. If you can point me in the right direction I'll go research.

 

function show_row($limit) {
for ($x=1; $x<=$limit; $x++)
$answer=" Server name:" . $_POST["server$x"] . "Location" . $_POST["location$x"] . "Switch:" . $_POST["switch$x"] . "Port:" . $_POST["port$x"] . "\n\n" ;
return $answer;
}

 

Then ... (and the echo's are in this portion so I can see the results without mailing the form over and over. Would be removed and the mail() portion activated when corrected.)

 

function mailme() {
$to = "[email protected]" ;
$subject = "subject";
$headers = 'From:' . $_POST["emp_email"] . "\r\n" .
   'Reply-To: [email protected]' . "\r\n" .
   'X-Mailer: PHP/' . phpversion();
$_POST["emp_name"] . " has submitted \n" ;
echo $headers . "<br />";
echo $to . "<br />" ;
echo $subject . "<br />" ;
$answer=show_row($_POST["num_of_requests"]);
echo $answer;

//mail($to,$subject,$answer,$headers) ;
}

 

[lightsguy]

Okay, so I guess I don't know what I'm doing. I've used this code below to as part of a form to mail. Depending on $limit, it will repeat $limit times. This part works, and I've got no problem with it.

 

<? function request_row($limit){ 
  for ($x=1; $x<=$limit; $x++) 
  echo"<tr><td>Server Name: <input type=\"text\" size=\"20\" name=\"server$x\"></td>" .
"<td>Location: <input type=\"text\" size=\"20\" name=\"location$x\"></td>" .
"<td>Switch: <input type=\"text\" size=\"20\" name=\"switch$x\"></td>" .
"<td>Port: <input type=\"text\" size=\"20\" name=\"port$x\"></td></tr>" ;
}

 

However, I don't know where to go from here. Since I'll have an unknown number of variables created each time, I have to find a way to get those into the mail() portion of the form. If it was a known number each time, then I could work it into the results. However, I don't know how to duplicate my feat from above.

 

You can see my previous attempts at making this work in my previous posts.