How can I get this to work?

[harleyquinn]

I really need some help, it's probably a very simple fix, but I just can't seem to wrap my head around php -- feeling very stupid right now. 

 

This is my problem: I have a simple Tell A Friend form and it works fine, but what I can't figure out is how to add some text above the form when a user initially goes to the page where the form lives and then change depending on their actions. Right now the errors show up just fine, its the text I want to show initally that I can't get to work. And if you look at my code below, if I added my desired text right above where the form tags are, it sort of works, but then my errors appear above my text, I want the text to be above the errors -- am I making any sense?

 

So for instance, when one would first go to the page, it would say something like:

<h1>Send this page to a Friend Form</h1>

<p>some other text here</p>

Form here

 

Then if there is an error, the text would change to:

<h1>Send this page to a Friend Form</h1>

<p>Error(s) : </p>

Form here

 

But if there are no errors, it would just say:

<h1>Thanks for telling a friend<h1>

<p>some other text here</p>

(no form)

 

this is the code:

<?php
if (empty($params['emailsubject'])){
	echo '<div class="formError">An email subject must be specified in order to use this plugin, using the format emailsubject="Your subject here"</div>';
	return;
}else{
	$subject = $params['emailsubject'];
          $canned = $params['cannedtext'];
}





$style = true; // Use default styles
if (FALSE == empty($params['style']) && $params['style'] === "false" ) $style = false; // Except if "false" given in params

// Default styles
$inputStyle = 'style="width:100%;border: 1px solid black; margin:0 0 5px 0;"'; // input boxes
$taStyle = 'style="word-wrap:break-word; overflow-x:hidden; overflow-y:auto; width:100%; border: 1px solid black; margin:0 0 5px 0; font-size:.8em; font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"'; // TextArea boxes
$formStyle = 'style="width:300px; line-height:90%;"'; // form
$errorsStyle = 'style="color: white; background-color: red; font-weight: bold; border: 3px solid black; margin: 5px;"'; // Errors box (div)
        $labelStyle = 'style="display:block; font-size:.8em; font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"';
        $buttonStyle = 'style="float:left; width:50%;"';
        $fieldsetStyle = 'style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #999999; text-align:left;"';
        $captchaStyle = 'style="margin-bottom:5px; text-align: center;"';

$errors=$to=$name=$email=$message = '';


$pageURL = "\r\n\r\nhttp";
if ($_SERVER["HTTPS"] == "on") {$pageURL .= "s";}
$pageURL .= "://";
if ($_SERVER["SERVER_PORT"] != "80") {
  $pageURL .= $_SERVER["SERVER_NAME"].":".$_SERVER["SERVER_PORT"].$_SERVER["REQUEST_URI"];
} else {
  $pageURL .= $_SERVER["SERVER_NAME"].$_SERVER["REQUEST_URI"];
}

$message = $canned . $pageURL ;


if($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD']=='POST'){
	if (!empty($_POST['subject'])) $subject = tafsanitize($_POST['subject']);
	if (!empty($_POST['to'])) $to = tafsanitize($_POST['to']);
	if (!empty($_POST['name'])) $name = tafsanitize($_POST['name']);
	if (!empty($_POST['email'])) $email = tafsanitize($_POST['email']);
	if (!empty($_POST['canned'])) $canned = $_POST['canned'];
	if (!empty($_POST['message'])) $message = $_POST['message'];

	if (FALSE == empty($params['captcha']) && $params['captcha'] && isset($gCms->modules['Captcha'])) 
	{
	    if (!empty($_POST['captcha_resp'])) { $captcha_resp = $_POST['captcha_resp']; }
	}






	//Mail headers
	$extra = "From: $name <$email>\r\n";
	$charset = isset($gCms->config['default_encoding']) && $gCms->config['default_encoding'] != '' ? $gCms->config['default_encoding'] : 'utf-8';
	$extra .= "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=" . $charset . "\r\n";

	if (empty($name)) $errors .= "\t\t<li>" . 'Please enter your Name' . "</li>\n";
	if (empty($email)) $errors .= "\t\t<li>" . 'Please enter your Email Address' . "</li>\n";
	elseif (!tafvalidEmail($email)) $errors .= "\t\t<li>" . 'Your Email Address is not valid' . "</li>\n";
	if (empty($to)) $errors .= "\t\t<li>" . 'Please enter your Friend\'s Email Address' . "</li>\n";
	elseif (!tafvalidtoEmail($to)) $errors .= "\t\t<li>" . 'Your Friend\'s Email Address is not valid' . "</li>\n";
	if (empty($message)) $errors .= "\t\t<li>" . 'Please Enter a Message' . "</li>\n";
	if (FALSE == empty($params['captcha']) && $params['captcha'] && isset($gCms->modules['Captcha']))
	{
	    if (empty($captcha_resp)) $errors .= "\t\t<li>" . 'Please enter the text in the image' . "</li>\n";
	    elseif (! ($captcha->checkCaptcha($captcha_resp))) $errors .= "\t\t<li>" . 'The text from the image was not entered correctly' . "</li>\n";
	}

	if (!empty($errors)) {
		echo '<div class="formError" ' . (($style) ? $errorsStyle:'') . '>' . "\n";
		echo '<p>Error(s) : </p>' . "\n";
		echo "\t<ul>\n";
		echo $errors;
		echo "\t</ul>\n";
		echo "</div>";
	}
	elseif (@mail($to, $subject, $message, $extra)) {
		echo '<div class="formMessage">Your message was successfully sent.</div>' . "\n";
		return;
	}
	else {
		echo '<div class="formError" ' . (($style) ? $errorsStyle:'') . '>Sorry, the message was not sent. Please try again in a few moments.</div>' . "\n";
		return;
	}
}

    if (isset($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'])) 
    {
$action = $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'];
    }
    else
    {
$action = isset($_SERVER['PHP_SELF']) ? $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'] : '';
if (isset($_SERVER['QUERY_STRING']) && $_SERVER['QUERY_STRING'] != '') 
{
    $action .= '?'.$_SERVER['QUERY_STRING'];
}
    }
?>

<!-- TELLAFRIEND_FORM -->
<form action="<?php echo $action ?>" class="tellafriendform" method="post" <?php echo ($style) ? $formStyle:''; ?>>
                 <fieldset <?php echo ($style) ? $fieldsetStyle:''; ?>>
                        
		<label for="name" <?php echo ($style) ? $labelStyle:''; ?> >Your name :</label>
		<input type="text" id="name" name="name" value="<?php echo htmlspecialchars($name); ?>" <?php echo ($style) ? $inputStyle:''; ?>/>

		<label for="email" <?php echo ($style) ? $labelStyle:''; ?> >Your email address : </label>
		<input type="text" id="email" name="email" value="<?php echo htmlspecialchars($email); ?>" <?php echo ($style) ? $inputStyle:''; ?>/>

		<label for="to" <?php echo ($style) ? $labelStyle:''; ?> >Your friend's email address : </label>
		<input type="text" id="to" name="to" value="<?php echo htmlspecialchars($to); ?>" <?php echo ($style) ? $inputStyle:''; ?>/>

		<label for="message" <?php echo ($style) ? $labelStyle:''; ?> >Message : </label>
		<textarea id="message" name="message" rows="5" cols="48" <?php echo ($style) ? $taStyle:''; ?>><?php echo $message; ?></textarea>

<?php
if (FALSE == empty($params['captcha']) && $params['captcha'] && isset($gCms->modules['Captcha'])) 
{
?>
		<label for="captcha_resp" <?php echo ($style) ? $labelStyle:''; ?> >Enter the text from the image below : </label>
		<input type="text" id="captcha_resp" name="captcha_resp" value="" <?php echo ($style) ? $inputStyle:''; ?>/>

<?php
    echo "<div $captchaStyle>" . $captcha->getCaptcha() . '</div>';
}
?>

	        <input type="submit" class="button" value="Send!" <?php echo ($style) ? $buttonStyle: ''; ?> /> 
                        <input type="reset"  class="button" value="Reset" <?php echo ($style) ? $buttonStyle: ''; ?> />
                 </fieldset>
</form>
<!-- END of TELLAFRIEND_FORM -->

 

Can someone please help?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Yesideez]

Instead of echo'ing the error to the browser, store it in a variable instead. Then where you want the error to appear show the contents of the variable.

 

Something like this to store the error:

$err='This is an error message';

 

Then to show the error:

<?=$err?>

 

Which is exactly the same as

<?php echo $err; ?>

[harleyquinn]

That was a speedy reply! Thanks.

My errors are displaying ok. Its the initial text one sees when they first get to the page that I want to show which would then be replaced by the errors or thank you message depending on the submit results.

Any other ideas?

[Yesideez]

At the very start of the script assign $err your intro message.

 

Next woukld be your checking routines giving $err an error message if something went wrong.

 

Next you'd simply dump the contents of $err to the browser as described above.

 

Result?

 

When the script is run for the first time you'll be setting your $err variable to your intro message. As no submit has been clicked and no checks are being made on the data no error messages will beshown. Once the user clicks a submit button the errors (if generated) would overwrite the defualt intro message.

[Yesideez]

Example:

<?php
  $msg='Please enter your name';
  if ($_POST['subsend']) {
    $name=$_POST['name'];
    if (empty($name)) {
      $msg='You did not enter anything';
    } else {
      //everything is ok
    }
  }
?>
<html>
<body>
<?=$msg?><br /><br />
<form action="" method="post">
Name: <input type="text" name="name" />
</form>
</body>
</html>

 

Should explain it a bit better.

[harleyquinn]

I tried your suggestion, but it still kept that intro text below the error messages - I want it to go above the error message.

 

Here's a link to my test page to show exactly what's happening: http://www.ecosimplify.com/form/. Just hit the send button and you will see what I mean.