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PHP Form Input

This document provides an overview of PHP form handling. It discusses how forms are created in HTML and submitted to PHP. Upon form submission, PHP automatically populates the $_POST and $_REQUEST arrays with the form data. The document outlines creating a single PHP page to both display the form and handle form submission. It recommends validating user input and redisplaying the form with errors if invalid. Libraries exist to help with form creation, validation and client-side checking.

Uploaded by

Adrian Trent
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
55 views

PHP Form Input

This document provides an overview of PHP form handling. It discusses how forms are created in HTML and submitted to PHP. Upon form submission, PHP automatically populates the $_POST and $_REQUEST arrays with the form data. The document outlines creating a single PHP page to both display the form and handle form submission. It recommends validating user input and redisplaying the form with errors if invalid. Libraries exist to help with form creation, validation and client-side checking.

Uploaded by

Adrian Trent
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PHP Form Handling

Prof. Jim Whitehead CMPS 183 Spring 2006 May 3, 2006

Importance
A web application receives input from the user via form input Handling form input is the cornerstone of a successful web application everything else builds on it

Overview
The browser interprets the HTML source for a particular page
Result is a combination of text, images, and entry fields Each entry field has a specific name

User fills in these fields, (with potentially some client-side input checking via JavaScript) and then selects a submission button The browser reads the input fields, and creates a message that is sent to the server
A series of name, value pairs

HTML Form Creation


FORM
Encloses all input fields Defines where and how to submit the form data

INPUT
Defines a specific input field

TEXTAREA
Creates a free-form text fill-in box

SELECT
Creates a menu OPTION defines options within the menu

FORM
FORM attributes
action
URL of the resource that receives the filled-in form This is the URL of your PHP code that receives the input

method
Choices are get or post you should choose post

enctype
MIME type used to send results. By default is application/xww-form-urlencoded Would use multipart/form-data if submitting a file (INPUT, type=file)

<FORM action=MyHandler.php method=post>

INPUT
INPUT attributes
type: the kind of user input control name: the name of the control
This gets passed through to the handling code In PHP: $_POST[name]

value: initial value of the control size: initial width of the control
in pixels, except for text and password controls

maxlength: for text/password, maximum number of characters allowed checked: for radio/checkbox, specifies that button is on src: for image types, specifies location of image used to decorate input button

INPUT Control Types


text: single input line password: single input line, with input characters obfuscated checkbox: creates a check list radio: creates a radio button list (checkbox, where inputs are mutually exclusive only one input at a time) button: push button hidden: a hidden control. No input field is visible, but value is submitted as part of the form

INPUT control types


Special buttons
submit: the submit button. Causes input to be sent to the server for processing reset: the reset button. Causes all input fields to be reset to their initial values

File upload
file: creates a file upload control

Example
From HTML 4.1 specification
<FORM action="http://people.ucsc.edu/~ejw/m yhandler.php" method="post"> <P> First name: <INPUT type="text" name="firstname"><BR> Last name: <INPUT type="text" name="lastname"><BR> email: <INPUT type="text" name="email"><BR> <INPUT type="radio" name="sex" value="Male"> Male<BR> <INPUT type="radio" name="sex" value="Female"> Female<BR> <INPUT type="submit" value="Send"> <INPUT type="reset"> </P> </FORM>

Receiving form input in PHP


Upon receiving a form submission, PHP automatically creates and populates two arrays with the form input data
Either: _POST[] or _GET[], depending on the FORM method type (post or get)
Also: HTTP_POST_VARS[] or HTTP_GET_VARS[] Also: $name
Requires register_globals option, and is generally a bad idea due to cross-site attacks

Additionally, _REQUEST[] is also created

The array indicies are the names of the form variables (INPUT name=) The array value is the user entry data

Validating Data
All web applications must validate user input data
Ensure the data is syntactically correct, and meets input constraints

Ideally want one PHP page to create form, validate input, and handle correct input
This is a little tricky

All-in-one Input Handling Page


Overall logic:
If first time displaying page Then
Create form with initial default values

Else have just received user input Then


Validate input If input not valid Then
Redisplay page, with just-received user input data as default values (so as not to lose the users input)

Else
Handle the input (typically by writing it to a database) Proceed to next screen in the web application

How to determine if first time


Can check if the $_POST[] array is empty
Will be empty first time through
if (empty($_POST)) { create initial form } if (!empty($_POST)) { validate input }

All-in-one structure
Functions for input validation Function(s) that creates form
Default values set from contents of _POST[]

HTML preamble Create initial form Validate input Recreate form Code to handle valid input HTML end

Libraries
There are many libraries that exist for handling input, and performing validation These libraries can also create client-side Javascript for client-side value checking PEAR HTML_quickform is one example

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