Homework #10: Changing a Database's Contents with PHP

• Remember to follow all the standard Homework Requirements.
  
  
• This assignment will demonstrate:
  • Receiving HTML form data into a PHP page.
  • Inserting the form data into a MySQL table using a SQL INSERT statement.
  
  
• Main steps in this assignment:
  1. Make the PHP code that is the action code for the HTML form that you made for the previous assignment, in your Products page. This action code will receive the form variables from the form, and will use a SQL Insert statement to add a row to the Products table.
  2. Upload the updated Products Page to your class Web site.
  3. Add at least 4 (more) records to your Products table, using your form and action code.
  
  
• HINTS:
  • The formatting specifier codes which you will need for your sprintf() statement are these:
    • %d -- for integer (whole) numbers (sometimes called "decimal" numbers)
    • %f -- for floating-point numbers, meaning numbers with a decimal point in them
    • %s -- for strings AND dates
    
    
  • If you want to see the complete list of formatting codes, there is a list on the reference page for sprintf( ) at php.net.
    
    
  • You can find some sample "insert" code in the e-handout section "Add", in the SQL Insert page, addnewtrans.php. But be careful: Not everything in there is needed for your code, and you need to add some code that isn't in there. In particular:
    • You don't need the require statement for "loginAndLogout.php".
      
      
    • You don't need the require statement for "includes/isSQLInject.php".
      
      
    • You don't need the require statement for "includes/CheckURLandFORMscope.php".
      
      
    • You don't need the "redirect" code, meaning you don't need the statement $filename = "checkbook.php"; and the following header() statements.
      
      
    • Since your "action" code is in the same page as the <form>, you will need to add a test to determine whether or not the form has been submitted. My favorite way of testing for the form's submission is to put in a hidden input field in the form, and then to test for the existence of this field in the $_POST variable. For instance, the <form> tag could contain this hidden input tag:

      <input type="hidden" name="formSubmitted" value="1">

      and the page could test for its existence with code like this:

      if (isset($_POST["formSubmitted"]))
      {
        // do the SQL insert here...
      }
      else
      {
        // display the <form> here...
      }