My PhP file is not picking up the variables from my HTML form

Question

i have created a form with a PHP file, this is for a booking request and the aim is to get the variables sent to an email address. But for some reason the variables.

Below is the code for my html arm:

<form action="form.php" method="post">
        <fieldset>
            <legend>Book your Journey</legend>
            <label for ="name">Name:</label>
            <input type="text" id="name" name="name">
            <label for="number">Phone Number</label>
            <input type="number" id="number" name="number">
            </fieldset>
            <fieldset>
            <label for="email">Email:</label>
            <input type="email" id="email" name="user_email">
            <label for="pickup">Pick Me Up From</label>
            <input type="text" id="pickup" name="pickup">
            <label for="date">Date</label>
            <input type="text" id="datepicker" name="date">
            <label>Time:</label>
            <select>
                <option>--HR--</option>
                <option value="1">01</option>
                <option value="2">02</option>
                <option value="3">03</option>
                <option value="4">04</option>
                <option value="5">05</option>
                <option value="6">06</option>
                <option value="7">07</option>
                <option value="8">08</option>
                <option value="9">09</option>
                <option value="10">10</option>
                <option value="11">11</option>
                <option value="12">12</option>
            </select>
            <label>:</label>
            <select>
                <option>--MIN--</option>
                <option value="00">00</option>
                <option value="15">15</option>
                <option value="30">30</option>
                <option value="45">45</option>
            </select>
            <select>
                <option value="am">am</option>
                <option value="pm">pm</option>
            </select>
        </fieldset>
        <fieldset>
            <label for="destination"> Destination Postal Code </label>
            <input type="text" id="destination" name="destination">
        </fieldset>
        <button>Submit</button>
    </form>

and now my php code for this form is as follows

<?php

$to = 'test@gmail.com';
$subject = 'Booking';

$name = $_POST['name'];
$email = $_POST['email'];
$pickup = $_POST['pickup'];
$destination = $_POST['destination'];
$date = $_POST['date'];


$message = <<<Eod
Hi, please pick up $name from $pickup and drop to $destination
Eod;

$header = $email;

mail($to, $subject, $message, $header);


echo "Message Sent";

?>

Now, when i receive the email i can see only $destination gets picked up. Have i done something wrong in my html, it looks fine to me. Also, how do i get my select elements as a variable.

@GerritLuimstra [The button element's default type is submit](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/button) — j08691, Jul 19 '17 at 20:39
Side note: Your `$header` doesn't do anything really. It just echos an email and will be rejected and fail. — Funk Forty Niner, Jul 19 '17 at 20:42
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/19887112/simple-form-not-sending-data-via-post — Nimish, Jul 19 '17 at 20:45
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/17765629/submitted-form-not-posting-data-except-for-submit-submit — Nimish, Jul 19 '17 at 20:45
`mail($to, $subject, $message, $header);` is interpreted as `mail($to, $subject, $message, email@example.com);`. I'm surprised nobody didn't pick up on that (yet). No idea if you even read these or anybody else, given the answers so far. — Funk Forty Niner, Jul 19 '17 at 20:47
@Fred-ii- I read every single comment and i really appreciate the help i get on Stack Overflow — Yasser Hussain, Jul 20 '17 at 00:49

j08691 · Answer 1 · 2017-07-19T20:43:09.013

0

The form fields you want to capture the value of must all have name attributes and they should match what you use in PHP. For example $_POST['user_email'] not $_POST['email']. Note that none of your <select> elements have the name attribute.

edited Jul 19 '17 at 20:43

answered Jul 19 '17 at 20:38

j08691

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But `name` and `pickup` elements are in the form. – u_mulder Jul 19 '17 at 20:40
did you check my comments under their question? – Funk Forty Niner Jul 19 '17 at 20:55
@Fred-ii- Yeah there are a few inconsistencies in the OP's question. Sigh – j08691 Jul 19 '17 at 20:59
@j08691 Seems like *cat got the OP's tongue* or is AWOL. – Funk Forty Niner Jul 19 '17 at 21:04

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 19 '17 at 20:42

If destination already gets through, you do most likely have some mistake in the naming of the name attribute. Make sure it matches 1:1 the names you try to get in your PHP.

Secondary, regarding your select, you can get the value via the name attribute the same way you get all the text elements. Inputs, in whatever form (except of files), are just strings which do get through the protocol. It does not make any difference for PHP if the UI is different.

Parker Dell · Answer 3 · 2017-07-19T21:02:00.090

<select class="form-control" name="hour">
   <option>--HR--</option>
   <option value="1">01</option>
   <option value="2">02</option>
   <option value="3">03</option>

</select>
<label>:</label>
<select class="form-control" name="minutes">
   <option>--MIN--</option>
   <option value="00">00</option>
   <option value="15">15</option>
   <option value="30">30</option>
   <option value="45">45</option>
</select>
<select class="form-control" name="time_of_day">
   <option value="am">am</option>
   <option value="pm">pm</option>
</select>

in php:

//grab the value the user select for hour from the $_POST, which is an array which stores all values submitted via the post method 

$hour = $_POST['hour'];
$minutes = $_POST['minutes'];
$time_of_day = $_POST['time_of_day'];
//concate your variable to output what the user selected so it would out put something like 4:30 pm
$time = $hour.':'.$minutes.''.$time_of_day;

Essentially, you are adding the name attribute to the select statement like what you did for you inputs and you are accessing them the same way via php. if you do die(var_dump($_POST)); you will see have thing that has been submitted. If you do not see it in the dump then you either know you need to revisit the code

score 0 · Answer 4 · edited Jul 19 '17 at 21:01

HTML

You omitted the name attributes in the select options. I added hour, min and periods. Also you had user_email value in the name attribute for email input field.

In the PHP code, i've assigned concatenated and assigned the POST values for the time and updated the message

 <form action="<?php echo htmlspecialchars($_SERVER["PHP_SELF"]); ?>" method="post">
        <fieldset>
            <legend>Book your Journey</legend>
            <label for ="name">Name:</label>
            <input type="text" id="name" name="name">
            <label for="number">Phone Number</label>
            <input type="number" id="number" name="number">
            </fieldset>
            <fieldset>
            <label for="email">Email:</label>
            <input type="email" id="email" name="user_email">
            <label for="pickup">Pick Me Up From</label>
            <input type="text" id="pickup" name="pickup">
            <label for="date">Date</label>
            <input type="text" id="datepicker" name="date">
            <label>Time:</label>
            <select name="hour">
                <option>--HR--</option>
                <option value="1">01</option>
                <option value="2">02</option>
                <option value="3">03</option>
                <option value="4">04</option>
                <option value="5">05</option>
                <option value="6">06</option>
                <option value="7">07</option>
                <option value="8">08</option>
                <option value="9">09</option>
                <option value="10">10</option>
                <option value="11">11</option>
                <option value="12">12</option>
            </select>
            <label>:</label>
            <select name="min">
                <option>--MIN--</option>
                <option value="00">00</option>
                <option value="15">15</option>
                <option value="30">30</option>
                <option value="45">45</option>
            </select>
            <select name="period">
                <option value="am">am</option>
                <option value="pm">pm</option>
            </select>
        </fieldset>
        <fieldset>
            <label for="destination"> Destination Postal Code </label>
            <input type="text" id="destination" name="destination">
        </fieldset>
        <button>Submit</button>
    </form>

PHP

<?php
        $to = 'test@gmail.com';
    $subject = 'Booking';

    $name = $_POST['name'];
    $phone = $_POST['number'];
    $email = $_POST['user_email'];
    $pickup = $_POST['pickup'];
    $destination = $_POST['destination'];
    $date = $_POST['date'];
    $time = $_POST['hour'].':'.$_POST['min'].''.$_POST['period'];
echo "Message Sent";

?>

Hope this helps

My PhP file is not picking up the variables from my HTML form

4 Answers4