[SOLVED] Equal variables are.....not equal ?

[dexter_sherban]

I have a program that takes a value from a column and stores it into a variable. Then takes a value the user entered in a html form and stores it in another variable. Then it should see if they are the same(they are both strings). The site works, but I kept getting them unequal. And when I was tesing it I knew the valuse were equal. So I echoed them before the comparison and both are "aaaa". But the if statement sais they are different. The code is big so il try to but only the relevant lines.

 

<?php 

if (isset($_POST['actualusername']))
{
$actualusername=$_POST['actualusername'];
}
else
{
$actualusername=$_POST['actualusername'];
}
if (isset($_GET['username']))
{
$username=$_GET['username'];
}
else
{
$username=null;
}
if (isset($_POST['new_password1']))
{
$new_password1=$_POST['new_password1'];
}
else
{
$new_password1=null;
}
if (isset($_POST['new_password2']))
{
$new_password2=$_POST['new_password2'];
}
else
{
$new_password2=null;
}
if (isset($_POST['old_password']))
{
$old_password=$_POST['old_password'];
}
else
{
$old_password=null;
}
if (isset($_POST['initial']))
{
$initial=$_POST['initial'];
}
else
{
$initial=null;
}
$date=date('y-m-d');

$con=mysql_connect("localhost","root","j3000");
if (!$con)
{
die ('could not connect: ' .mysql_error());
}
mysql_select_db("partners",$con);

if (isset($actualusername))
{
$data=mysql_query("select * from partners where username='$actualusername'");
$row = mysql_fetch_array($data);

$access_level=$row['acces_level'];
$actualusername=$row['username'];
$password_change=$row['password_change'];
$actual_old_password=$row['password'];
}

if (isset($username))
{
$data=mysql_query("select * from partners where username='$username'");
$row = mysql_fetch_array($data);

$access_level=$row['acces_level'];
$actualusername=$row['username'];
$password_change=$row['password_change'];
$actual_old_password=$row['password'];
}
?>

.
.
.
<?php 
if ($password_change == 0)
	{
	echo "To activate your account you must change your password";
	echo "<br>";
	?>
	<form action='partnersPasswordChange.php' method='POST' />
	<table width="500" border="1">
          <tr>
            <td width="200"><label for="name">Old Password:</label></td>
            <td width="300"><input type='password' id="textinput" name='old_password' class="textinput"/></td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td><label for="name">New Password:</label></td>
            <td width="300"><input type='password' id="textinput" name='new_password1' class="textinput"/></td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td><label for="name">Reapeat New Password:</label></td>
            <td width="300"><input type='password' id="textinput" name='new_password2' class="textinput"/></td>
          </tr>
        </table>
	<input type='hidden' name='actualusername' value='<?php echo ($username);?>'>
	<input type='hidden' name='initial' value=1>
	<input type='submit' class="buttonSubmit" value="Submit"/><br><br>
	</form>
      	<?php 
	if ($initial==1)
		{
			echo $actual_old_password;
			echo " ";
			echo $old_password;
			$counter=0;
			if($new_password1=="" || $new_password2=="" || $old_password="")
			{
			echo "Please fill in every field";
			echo "<br>";
			$counter++;
			}
			if($new_password1 != $new_password2)
			{
			echo "The new password you enter does not match";
			echo "<br>";
			$counter++;
			}
			if($old_password != $actual_old_password)
			{
			echo "The old password does not match";
			echo "<br>";
			$counter++;
			}
			if(strlen($new_password1) < 4 || strlen($new_password2) < 4)
			{
			echo "Password Must be longer than 4 characters";
			echo "<br>";
			$counter++;
			}
			if ($counter==0)
	 		{
			$upload=mysql_query("update partners set password='new_password1', password_change=1, password_change_date='$date' where username='$actualusername'");
			}
		}
	}
else
	{
	echo "This account has already been validated";
	}
	?>

 

Sry its soo big, I though most of it is relevant :|

[mpharo]

Which line specifically are you getting a result from where they are not equal? or lines??

[steelmanronald06]

sometimes i find that IF statements have to hold each rule in (). You have:

 

if($new_password1=="" || $new_password2=="" || $old_password="")

 

try going like this:

 

if((!isset($new_password1)) || (!isset($new_password1))  || (!isset($new_password1)) 

 

See how I included each rule in it's own set of ()'s ??  Also, I went ahead and cleaned up the code.  It normally isn't best to check a varialbe like you was, because it doesn't always catch like you want it to.  Instead you use isset($variable) to see if the variable is set.  If you want to see if the variable isn't set you go:  !isset($variable)  reading, litterally, if isn't set variable then do { }

 

Anyways, like mpharo said, we need the exact error with line number. i'm just stabbing in the dark, but that is one of the things I seen wrong with your code.

[dexter_sherban]

Thank you for your answers. My problem was with this IF statement

 

if ( $old_password !=  $actual_old_password )
			{
				echo "The old password does not match";
				echo "<br>";
				$counter++;
			}

 

 

The REALY wierd thing is, ive tried setting both variables just before the if statement.

 

$actual_old_password="eeee";
$old_password="eeee";

 

So know I know it doesnt have to do with variable types. But I still get them as not equal. Tried casting both to string, tried almost everything...

[monk.e.boy]

I think you need to use strcmp or stricmp

 

PHP is comparing the location of the string in memory, so if you did:

 

$a = 'a';

$b = $a;

 

 

Then I think ($a == $b) == true, but ($b == 'a') == false, because $b points to a location of a string that holds 'a' which is not the same location as the 'a' in the expression.

 

this is pretty obvious if you code in c or c++...

 

monk.e.boy

[MadTechie]

Try

 

<?
if ( $old_password !=  $actual_old_password )
{
echo "The old password does not match";
echo "<br>";
$counter++;
echo "-Not same-<br>";
echo "OLD=[$old_password]<br>";
echo "actualOLD=[$actual_old_password]";
}else{
echo "-same-<br>";
echo "OLD=[$old_password]<br>";
echo "actualOLD=[$actual_old_password]";
}
die;
?>

[dexter_sherban]

OMG. two days of figuring it out...

 

if($new_password1=="" || $new_password2=="" || $old_password="")

 

$old_password=""....one equal...well its solved

[MadTechie]

lol wanna click solved

[monk.e.boy]

OMG. two days of figuring it out...

 

if($new_password1=="" || $new_password2=="" || $old_password="")

 

$old_password=""....one equal...well its solved

 

Heh. Why does PHP allow you to assign inside an IF statement. Madness. The parser should check this. Python checks and throws and error if you try this.

 

monk.e.boy

[steelmanronald06]

I've seen a loop once that required a variable to be set in the actual if statement. I don't remember it off hand, but I know that it had to be set there.  I think some scripts can be made to depend on it.  :-\