Forms coming through blank

[jhatter]

Hi,

I'm trying to create a website 'Contact' form using PHP for the first time. I found a free form online that I have adapted for my own purposes.

So to verify, I have my contact.html file and another called contactengine.php.

When I upload these files to my server and test it online, I get the form message, but the info I typed-in does not show - it is blank.

Please can anyone make any suggestions why this maybe?

Thanks in anticipation of your replies!

<div id="formcontainer"> 
   <form id="comments_form" action="contactengine.php"> 
<fieldset> 
  <legend>Contact:</legend> 
  <p> 
  <label for="Name">Name: </label> 
  <input type="text" name="Name" id="Name" /> 
  </p> 
  
  <p> 
  <label for="Email">Email Address: </label> 
   <input type="text" name="Email" id="Email" /> 
  </p> 
  
  <p> 
  <label for="Message">Message:</label> 
<textarea name="Message" rows="10" cols="20" id="Message"> 
</textarea> 
  </p> 
  
  <div> 
<input type="submit" name="Submit" id="Submit" value="Submit" class="btn" /> 
</div> 
  
</fieldset> 

</form>    
 </div>

<?php 

$EmailFrom = "johnhathwayatwaitrose.com"; 
$EmailTo = "johnatjohnhathway.co.uk"; 
$Subject = "A Message From Your Website"; 
$Name = Trim(stripslashes($_POST['Name'])); 
$Tel = Trim(stripslashes($_POST['Tel'])); 
$Email = Trim(stripslashes($_POST['Email'])); 
$Message = Trim(stripslashes($_POST['Message'])); 

// validation 
$validationOK=true; 
if (!$validationOK) { 
  print "<meta http-equiv=\"refresh\" content=\"0;URL=error.htm\">"; 
  exit; 
} 

// prepare email body text 
$Body = ""; 
$Body .= "Name: "; 
$Body .= $Name; 
$Body .= "\n"; 
$Body .= "Tel: "; 
$Body .= $Tel; 
$Body .= "\n"; 
$Body .= "Email: "; 
$Body .= $Email; 
$Body .= "\n"; 
$Body .= "Message: "; 
$Body .= $Message; 
$Body .= "\n"; 

// send email 
$success = mail($EmailTo, $Subject, $Body, "From: <$EmailFrom>"); 

// redirect to success page 
if ($success){ 
  print "<meta http-equiv=\"refresh\" content=\"0;URL=contactthanks.php\">"; 
} 
else{ 
  print "<meta http-equiv=\"refresh\" content=\"0;URL=error.htm\">"; 
} 
?>

[fileserverdirect]

Before you test the php code, try adding this to your <form> tag:

<form id="comments_form" action="contactengine.php" method="post">

If that doesn't work, comment out your redirection script and just put echo $Name; somewhere just to check if it is going through...

[Schmoopy]

By default the form will come through in the $_GET array, but it's best to go with the post option. You could also try using the $_REQUEST array if you still don't get any data, as this should give the greatest chance of pulling something through.

I imagine changing the method to "post" will solve this though.

[jhatter]

Hi,

Thanks for your replies.

I changed it to the following and now it works OK

<form method="Post" action="contactengine.php">

But..... I generated a second form utilising this one once we got it working, I created two new fields - one of them works OK but the other is still coming through blank.

The 'Journal' field comes through blank.

One interesting thing: the 'Tel' field was originally called 'Telephone' and it didn't work, but then I shortened it to 'Tel' and it worked OK!?!?

Do you guys have any suggestions please?

<div id="formcontainer">
   <form method="Post" action="pressengine.php">

<fieldset>
  <legend>For press and media requests, please fill in the the form below.</legend>
  <p>
  <label for="Name">Name: </label>
  <input type="text" name="Name" id="Name" />
  </p>
  
   <p>
  <label for="Journal">Journal: </label>
  <input type="text" name="Journal" id="Journal" />
  </p>
  
  <p>
  <label for="Email">Email Address: </label>
	<input type="text" name="Email" id="Email" />
  </p>
  
  <p>
  <label for="Tel">Tel:</label>
	<input type="text" name="Tel" id="Tel" />
  </p>
  
  <p>
  <label for="Message">Message:</label>
<textarea name="Message" rows="10" cols="20" id="Message">
  </textarea>
  </p>
  
  <div>
<input type="Submit" name="Submit" id="Submit" value="Submit" class="btn" />
</div>
  
</fieldset>

</form>   
 </div>

pressengine.php:

<?php

$EmailFrom = "johnhathway@waitrose.com";
$EmailTo = "john@johnhathway.co.uk";
$Subject = "A Press Enquiry";
$Name = Trim(stripslashes($_POST['Name']));
$Email = Trim(stripslashes($_POST['Journal'])); 
$Email = Trim(stripslashes($_POST['Email'])); 
 $Tel = Trim(stripslashes($_POST['Tel'])); 
$Message = Trim(stripslashes($_POST['Message'])); 

// validation
$validationOK=true;
if (!$validationOK) {
  print "<meta http-equiv=\"refresh\" content=\"0;URL=error.htm\">";
  exit;
}

// prepare email body text
$Body = "";
$Body .= "Name: ";
$Body .= $Name;
$Body .= "\n";
$Body .= "Journal: ";
$Body .= $Journal;
$Body .= "\n";
$Body .= "Email: ";
$Body .= $Email;
$Body .= "\n";
$Body .= "Tel: ";
$Body .= $Tel;
$Body .= "\n";
$Body .= "Message: ";
$Body .= $Message;
$Body .= "\n";

// send email 
$success = mail($EmailTo, $Subject, $Body, "From: <$EmailFrom>");

// redirect to success page 
if ($success){
  print "<meta http-equiv=\"refresh\" content=\"0;URL=pressthanks.php\">";
}
else{
  print "<meta http-equiv=\"refresh\" content=\"0;URL=error.htm\">";
}
?>

[Schmoopy]

This is caused by a simple mistake where you have changed the same variable twice. Look closely here:

$Email = Trim(stripslashes($_POST['Journal'])); 
$Email = Trim(stripslashes($_POST['Email'])); 

$_POST['Journal'] is being assigned to the $email variable, and then the $email variable is changed to hold a different value on the next line, that is why you don't see the $Journal variable coming through.

Change to:

$Journal = Trim(stripslashes($_POST['Journal'])); 
$Email = Trim(stripslashes($_POST['Email'])); 

And you should be sorted.

You may also want to set your error reporting to a higher level, as it would have warned you about this:

Notice: Undefined variable: Journal in "YOUR FILE HERE"  on line X 

[jhatter]

Thanks Schmoopy, it's good to have people like you around. Everything is working now!