blank screen when no requests!

[liamallan]

on my friends request screen, when i have no new friend requests, it echoes a blank screen, i have tried tirelessly to insert an 'else' statement to echo 'You have no new friend requests' but failed everytime.

i was wondering if u guys could help?
this is newfriends.php:

<?
include("include/session.php");
session_start(); // starts sessions
include "config.php"; // inlcudes config

if ($session->logged_in) { //checks user is logged in
switch ($_GET[friends]) { //allows multiple pages
default:
$get = mysql_query( "SELECT * FROM `friend_requests` WHERE `username` = '$session->username' "); //gets requests
while ($reqs = mysql_fetch_array($get))
{

echo ( "<font color='black' face='Arial'><u><b>Friend Requests</b></u></font><br><br>
<font color='#003399' face='Arial'><b>$reqs[by]</b></font><b></b> wants to be friends with you!<br>
[<a href='newfriends.php?friends=accept&user=$reqs[by]'>Accept</a>]
[<a href='newfriends.php?friends=delete&user=$reqs[by]'>Ignore</a>]
[<a href='userinfo.php?user=$reqs[by]' target='blank'>View Profile</a>]" ); //displays requests and shows accept delete links
}
break;


case 'accept': //accept page
if ($_GET[user]) { //get username

$add = mysql_query( "INSERT INTO `friends` (`friendname` , `username`) VALUES ('$_GET[user]' , '$session->username') "); // add to your friends list
$add2 = mysql_query( "INSERT INTO `friends` (`friendname` , `username`) VALUES ('$session->username' , '$_GET[user]') "); // fix friend bug
$delete = mysql_query( "DELETE FROM `friend_requests` WHERE `by` = '$_GET[user]'"); // deletes friend request
echo ( "$_GET[user] has been added as a friend! [<a href='userinfo.php?user=$reqs[by]' target='blank'>View Profile</a>] [<a href='newfriends.php'>More Requests?</a>] [<a href='index.php'>Home</a>]" ); // echos the completion
}
break; //ends accept page

case 'delete': // delete page
if ($_GET[user]) { //gets username
$delete = mysql_query( "DELETE FROM `friend_requests` WHERE `by` = '$_GET[user]' "); // deletes friend request
echo ( "$_GET[user]'s request has been Ignored!
[<a href='index.php'>Home</a>] " ); // echos completion
}
break; //ends delete page
} // ends switch
} else {
echo ( "You need to be logged in!" ); // not logged in
}
?>

any help would be appreciated! thanx

[djr33]

Is the "blank screen" due to no output or to an error?
Sometimes PHP will not reach the end of the code and not display ANYTHING.

Add to the end of your code echo 'it works'; so that you can see if it is working, or if there is a problem with the PHP. If it gets all the way to the end, then it is time to debug the script specifically; if not, there is a bigger problem.

[liamallan]

yeah, echoed 'it works' with no problem

[djr33]

What are all of these actions? I mean, what is $_GET['friends'] and in which case(s) is it not working? It's hard to fix a lot of code with little information.

Where do you want to insert "you have no friends"?


The switch statement is hard to read. Usually if statements are simpler and easier to use unless the switch is simple. Switches get VERY messy once there is a lot going on inside them.

Also, in a switch statement the default is supposed to go at the end of everything. Maybe that's part of it? I don't know if it must go at the end, but I know that it can go at the end-- case, case, ...., default

[liamallan]

the code works fine, only that there is nothing to echo 'no requests' if the user has no new requests. this section below echoes the friend request and accept, delete and view profile links:

while ($reqs = mysql_fetch_array($get))
{

echo ( "<font color='black' face='Arial'><u><b>Friend Requests</b></u></font><br><br>
<font color='#003399' face='Arial'><b>$reqs[by]</b></font><b></b> wants to be friends with you!<br>
[<a href='newfriends.php?friends=accept&user=$reqs[by]'>Accept</a>]
[<a href='newfriends.php?friends=delete&user=$reqs[by]'>Ignore</a>]
[<a href='userinfo.php?user=$reqs[by]' target='blank'>View Profile</a>]" ); //displays requests and shows accept delete links
}
break; 

i was thinking the else statement would be in this section of code, i dont know if it would be before the break or after.

[Nile]

Would mysql_num_rows work?

if(mysql_num_rows($query) <= 0) 

Or would it be
[php]

if(mysql_num_rows($query) <= -1) 

djr33 I need your help... haha

[djr33]

if (mysql_num_rows($query)==0)
http://www.php.net/manual/en/functio...l-num-rows.php

It returns false on failure. This means if == 0/False, so that should work. Alternatively, if (mysql_num_rows($query)>=1) or >0, depending on what you want to do.

[liamallan]

thanx for that guys it now echoes 'you have no new friend requests' if a user has none, but now i get a blank error screen if a user has a request.
this is the code i have now:

while ($reqs = mysql_fetch_array($get))

$get = mysql_query( "SELECT * FROM `friend_requests` WHERE `username` = '$session->username' ");
if (mysql_num_rows($get)==0){
    echo ("<font color='black' face='Arial'><u><b>Friend Requests</b></u></font><br><br>You have no new friend requests");
  }
else{
    echo ( "<font color='black' face='Arial'><u><b>Friend Requests</b></u></font><br><br>
<font color='#003399' face='Arial'><b>$reqs[by]</b></font><b></b> wants to be friends with you!<br>
[<a href='newfriends.php?friends=accept&user=$reqs[by]'>Accept</a>]
[<a href='newfriends.php?friends=delete&user=$reqs[by]'>Ignore</a>]
[<a href='userinfo.php?user=$reqs[by]' target='blank'>View Profile</a>]" ); //displays requests and shows accept delete links
}
break; 

considering what you said earlier daniel, there must be something wrong in the code between echoing 'you have no new friend requests' and echoing the actual friend request.
any ideas?

[djr33]

if (...) { //this works }
else { //this does not work }

That doesn't make sense. What if you replace the echo with echo 'test'; to be sure there is no problem with the contents of that echo.

[liamallan]

it cant be the echo, still getting blank error screen after changing to test.

this is the full code:

<?
if ($session->logged_in) { //checks user is logged in
switch ($_GET[friends]) { //allows multiple pages
default:
$get = mysql_query( "SELECT * FROM `friend_requests` WHERE `username` = '$session->username' "); //gets requests
while ($reqs = mysql_fetch_array($get))

$get = mysql_query( "SELECT * FROM `friend_requests` WHERE `username` = '$session->username' ");
if (mysql_num_rows($get)==0){
    echo ("<font color='black' face='Arial'><u><b>Friend Requests</b></u></font><br><br>You have no new friend requests");
  }
else{
    echo ( "<font color='black' face='Arial'><u><b>Friend Requests</b></u></font><br><br>
<font color='#003399' face='Arial'><b>$reqs[by]</b></font><b></b> wants to be friends with you!<br>
[<a href='newfriends.php?friends=accept&user=$reqs[by]'>Accept</a>]
[<a href='newfriends.php?friends=delete&user=$reqs[by]'>Ignore</a>]
[<a href='userinfo.php?user=$reqs[by]' target='blank'>View Profile</a>]" ); //displays requests and shows accept delete links
}
break;


case 'accept': //accept page
if ($_GET[user]) { //get username

$add = mysql_query( "INSERT INTO `friends` (`friendname` , `username`) VALUES ('$_GET[user]' , '$session->username') "); // add to your friends list
$add2 = mysql_query( "INSERT INTO `friends` (`friendname` , `username`) VALUES ('$session->username' , '$_GET[user]') "); // fix friend bug
$delete = mysql_query( "DELETE FROM `friend_requests` WHERE `by` = '$_GET[user]'"); // deletes friend request
echo ( "$_GET[user] has been added as a friend! [<a href='userinfo.php?user=$reqs[by]' target='blank'>View Profile</a>] [<a href='newfriends.php'>More Requests?</a>] [<a href='index.php'>Home</a>]" ); // echos the completion
}
break; //ends accept page

case 'delete': // delete page
if ($_GET[user]) { //gets username
$delete = mysql_query( "DELETE FROM `friend_requests` WHERE `by` = '$_GET[user]' "); // deletes friend request
echo ( "$_GET[user]'s request has been Ignored!
[<a href='index.php'>Home</a>] " ); // echos completion
}
break; //ends delete page
} // ends switch
} else {
echo ( "You need to be logged in!" ); // not logged in
}
?>