Retrieving Submitted Data

Example 11-1 is only one part of the multipart form handling process. If you enter a name and click on the Submit Query button, absolutely nothing will happen other than the form being redisplayed. So, now it’s time to add some PHP code to process the data submitted by the form.

Example 11-2 expands on the previous program to include data processing. Type it in (or modify formtest.php by adding in the new lines), save it as formtest2.php, and try the program for yourself. The result of running this program and entering a name can be seen in Figure 11-2.

Example 11-2. Updated version of formtest.php
<?php // formtest2.php
if (isset($_POST['name'])) $name = $_POST['name'];
else $name = "(Not entered)";

echo <<<_END
<html>
    <head>
        <title>Form Test</title>
    </head>
    <body>
    Your name is: $name<br />
    <form method="post" action="formtest2.php">
        What is your name?
        <input type="text" name="name" />
        <input type="submit" />
    </form>
    </body>
</html>
_END;
?>

The only changes are a couple of lines at the start that check the $_POST associative array for the field name submitted. The previous chapter introduced the $_POST associative array, which contains an element for each field in an HTML form. In Example 11-2, the input name used was name and the form method was POST, so element name of the $_POST array contains the value in $_POST['name'].

The PHP isset function is used to test whether $_POST['name'] has been assigned a value. If nothing was posted, the program assigns the ...

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