Unable to insert data into mysql database using php form

Question

I am trying to learn some PHP using the book titled PHP for Absolute Beginners. I am trying to implement some blog design code given in the book using WAMP and editplus. When I try to insert the data using PHP form, all I get is NULL values in the database table. Here is a piece of code for inserting values into the DB.

<?php
if($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD']=='POST'
&& $_POST['submit']=='Save Entry'
&& !empty($_POST['title'])
&& !empty($_POST['entry']))
{
// Include database credentials and connect to the database
include_once 'db.inc.php';
$db = new PDO(DB_INFO, DB_USER, DB_PASS);

// Save the entry into the database
$sql = "INSERT INTO entries (title, entry) VALUES (?, ?)";
$stmt = $db->prepare($sql);
$stmt->execute(array($title, $entry));
$stmt->closeCursor();

// Get the ID of the entry we just saved
$id_obj = $db->query("SELECT LAST_INSERT_ID()");
$id = $id_obj->fetch();
$id_obj->closeCursor();

// Send the user to the new entry
header('Location: ../admin.php?id='.$id[0]);
exit;
}
// If both conditions aren't met, sends the user back to the main page
else
{
header('Location: ../admin.php');
exit;
}
?>

When I check the apache error log I see this:

[Sun May 27 19:21:24 2012] [error] [client 127.0.0.1] PHP Notice:  Undefined 
variable: title in C:\\wamp\\www\\examples\\simple_blog\\inc\\update.inc.php
on line 14, referer: http://localhost/examples/simple_blog/admin.php?id=8
[Sun May 27 19:21:24 2012] [error] [client 127.0.0.1] PHP Stack trace:, referer: 
http://localhost/examples/simple_blog/admin.php?id=8
[Sun May 27 19:21:24 2012] [error] [client 127.0.0.1] PHP   1. {main}() 
C:\\wamp\\www\\examples\\simple_blog\\inc\\update.inc.php:0, referer:    
http://localhost/examples/simple_blog/admin.php?id=8
[Sun May 27 19:21:24 2012] [error] [client 127.0.0.1] PHP Notice:  Undefined 
variable: entry in C:\\wamp\\www\\examples\\simple_blog\\inc\\update.inc.php 
on line 14, referer: http://localhost/examples/simple_blog/admin.php?id=8
[Sun May 27 19:21:24 2012] [error] [client 127.0.0.1] PHP Stack trace:, referer: 
http://localhost/examples/simple_blog/admin.php?id=8
[Sun May 27 19:21:24 2012] [error] [client 127.0.0.1] PHP   1. {main}() 
C:\\wamp\\www\\examples\\simple_blog\\inc\\update.inc.php:0, referer: 
http://localhost/examples/simple_blog/admin.php?id=8

I don't know what these errors are. Please help me.

You are using variables that you have not defined. $title does not exist, but $_POST['title'] does. You are already using the correct variables in your if conditional, so why not when executing the query? — knittl
– knittl, Commented May 27, 2012 at 14:16
You haven't defined $entry. I hope this book wasn't written with register_globals turned on. If it's that old, you should probably get a new book. — Ry-
– Ry- ♦, Commented May 27, 2012 at 14:16

Ruben · Accepted Answer · 2012-05-27 14:16:46Z

1

Possibly your server is configured so that $_POST['title'] is not automatically aliased as $title. Initialize $title = $_POST['title'] and same for other used $_POST items manually.

<?php
if($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD']=='POST'
&& $_POST['submit']=='Save Entry'
&& !empty($_POST['title'])
&& !empty($_POST['entry']))
{
    $title = $_POST['title'];
    $entry = $_POST['entry'];

...
}

answered May 27, 2012 at 14:16

Ruben

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5 Comments

Flukey Over a year ago

Why would $_POST['title'] ever be aliased as $title automatically?

knittl Over a year ago

@Flukey: PHP has (had?) an option register_globals, which made all variables from POST, GET and COOKIE available as global variables.

Flukey Over a year ago

It it not enabled by default and with good reason. This feature has been DEPRECATED as of PHP 5.3.0 and REMOVED as of PHP 5.4.0.

Ruben Over a year ago

Yes, but it seems, that code provided in question assumes that register_globals is on.

om sai Over a year ago

I think this book is a bit old so it might have been configured as register_globals as ON, so there was no need to declare the variables.

LeeR · Accepted Answer · 2012-05-27 14:18:09Z

0

PHP Notice: Undefined variable: title means that there isn't a variable called title. And looking at your code, you're almost there, but have just missed out two lines. YOu need to assign your $_POST data the variable. Add the follow lines just inside the if statement and you should be ok

$title=$_POST['title'];
$entry=$_POST['entry'];

answered May 27, 2012 at 14:18

LeeR

1,63411 silver badges29 bronze badges

Comments

Ja͢ck · Accepted Answer · 2012-05-27 14:32:16Z

0

The errors/warnings are pretty self explanatory; you must define variables before you can use them (most of the times):

$title = $_POST['title'];
$entry = $_POST['entry'];

Anywhere above line 14 will do.

PHP has a register_globals setting that would do this automatically for you, but because it's a configurations setting, you can't reliably use it. I believe that in the latest version of PHP it's no longer available.

edited May 27, 2012 at 14:32

answered May 27, 2012 at 14:16

Ja͢ck

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2 Comments

om sai Over a year ago

I thought $_POST['title']; will automatically get defined as $title so I never explicitly defined it. Thanks for your help.

Ja͢ck Over a year ago

@omsai some php configurations allow for this, but it's deprecated.

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