More than one input to a form question - how to process?

[smithster]

<?php

if(isset($_POST['submit'])){

$names = array($_POST['names']);

foreach($names as $value)
{
echo 'Hi '.$value.' <br />';
}
}
else
{
echo '<form method = "POST" action = "">';
echo '<p>Names</p>';
echo '<p><textarea rows="10" name="names" cols="37"></textarea></p>';
echo '<p><input type="submit" value="Submit" name="submit"></p>';
echo '</form>';
}
?>

the user is asked to enter some names (just for this example) and they can enter as many as they like.

Example....
Input - Paul Gina Emma John

Output....

Hi Paul Gina Emma John

But...

What I want is the following...

Hi Paul
Hi Gina
Hi Emma
Hi John

I have a perfectly good reason for wanting to know how to do this. I don't often post real scripts anymore as I found myself just relying on others to fix the script and then I wouldn't learn anything. So I think up an example to use which needs fixing and then I learn from that!!

Hoping someone can spot the mistake here and can help me to fix this.

Thanks in advance.

Smithster.

[Jas]

Try

if(isset($_POST['submit'])){ 

$names = preg_split("/ /",$_POST['names']); 

foreach($names as $value) 
{ 
echo 'Hi '.$value.' <br />'; 
} 
}

or I thing explode() would work too.

[smithster]

Thanks Jas, unfortunately it just gives the same output. Hi once, with all names on the same line.

[Jas]

Are you sure? It just worked for me. Your code gave the error you described, but mine output

Hi dave
Hi joe
Hi john

Try pasting this:

<?php 

if(isset($_POST['submit'])){ 

$names = preg_split("/ /",$_POST['names']); 

foreach($names as $value) 
{ 
echo 'Hi '.$value.' <br />'; 
} 
} 
else 
{ 
echo '<form method = "POST" action = "">'; 
echo '<p>Names</p>'; 
echo '<p><textarea rows="10" name="names" cols="37"></textarea></p>'; 
echo '<p><input type="submit" value="Submit" name="submit"></p>'; 
echo '</form>'; 
} 
?>

[smithster]

lol that is very strange! It is still doing exactly the same thing for me!! I even tried changing the file name to see if it was a refresh problem. Still outputs it in the same way for me!! All on one line!!

Tried it again on another webserver, same output also. :|

[Jas]

Post your code, maybe there is a typo. . . unlikely if you pasted it, but might as well check. This is very stange. What version of PHP? It is PHP 5, right?

[smithster]

well, it's PHP5.22 on my local web server, but where the real thing is to be hosted, that is 4.44.

<?php

if(isset($_POST['submit'])){

$names = preg_split("/ /",$_POST['names']);

foreach($names as $value)

{
echo 'Hi '.$value.' <br />';
}
}
else
{
echo '<form method = "POST" action = "">';
echo '<p>Names</p>';
echo '<p><textarea rows="10" name="names" cols="37"></textarea></p>';
echo '<p><input type="submit" value="Submit" name="submit"></p>';
echo '</form>';
}
?>

Coppied and pasted so yes unlikely!! But it does happen!!

[Jas]

Are you running this script on PHP5 or PHP4?

[smithster]

All testing is done on local webserver which runs PHP 5.22

Having said that, any script I have ever written on local server, then uploaded to online server, even with different versions of PHP, I have never had compatibility issues.

[Jas]

Okay, it's not the PHP parser. Maybe the browser? Try another one and check the generated source code.

EDIT: or try this code:

<?php 

if(isset($_POST['submit'])){ 

$names = preg_split("/ /",$_POST['names']); 

for($i=0; $i<count($names); $i++) 
{ 
echo 'Hi '.$names[$i].' <br>'; 
} 
} 
else 
{ 
echo '<form method = "POST" action = "">'; 
echo '<p>Names</p>'; 
echo '<p><textarea rows="10" name="names" cols="37"></textarea></p>'; 
echo '<p><input type="submit" value="Submit" name="submit"></p>'; 
echo '</form>'; 
} 
?>