PHP access all $_POST[] variables into an array?

Question

how to capture all fields in the $_POST VARIABLE? into an array?

$email = $_POST;
$emails = array_keys($email);
foreach($emails as $email) {
        echo '$' . nl2br($email);
}
$emailadd = new email_save;
$emailadd->insert_email_into_database("POST VARIABLES GO HERE)

I'm trying to make an email list, name and email address, how do I capture all the variables that where posted that can normal be accessed like $_POST['email'] into an array so i can add them to the arguments in my functions?

My form field has 5 fields. The method is POST.

Instead of writing,

$email = mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['email']);
$firstname = mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['firstname']);

I'm trying to access all the values in the $_POST[] array; So I can save time getting posted variables and add functions to those variables like mysql_real_escape_string();

Other security measures will be figured out.

I want to be able to add a reffrence of the array to a function so I can add them to the database.

I'm still not sure what your intentions are... Yould you try to rephrase the question? — Czechnology, Mar 17 '11 at 22:11
Although I'd have to say that this is **very** unsafe, as you don't even check any of those values in `$_POST` - or are you doing this in the `insert_email_into_database` function? — slhck, Mar 17 '11 at 22:11

score 16 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 17 '11 at 22:24

16

If you want to capture a list from a POSTed form, then use the array syntax trick instead of enumerated input field names:

<input type="email" name="emails[]">
<input type="email" name="emails[]">
<input type="email" name="emails[]">

This way you need no guessing in PHP, because emails[] becomes an array implicitely then:

print_r($_POST["emails"]);
foreach ($_POST["emails"] as $email) {

For database-escaping just use:

$db_emails = array_map("mysql_real_escape_string", $_POST["emails"]);
// that's an array too

answered Mar 17 '11 at 22:24

mario

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i'm also adding the names of the people? so with each time it posts I only add 1 of each.. – Aaron Mar 17 '11 at 22:26
Make the names an array too. `` If they are grouped together, then each field shows up with the same index. `foreach ($_POST["emails"] as $i=>$email) { echo $email, $_POST["firstname"][$i]; }` – mario Mar 17 '11 at 22:29

score 7 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 17 '11 at 22:27

7

$_POST is already an array. Why not just pass that?

answered Mar 17 '11 at 22:27

SimplyZ

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score 2 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 17 '11 at 22:18

Hmm...would something like this help?

<?php
// blank array to hold emails
$emails = array();

foreach ( $_POST as $key => $value )
{
    if ( preg_match('/email/', $key) )
    {
        $this_email = $value;
        // quick check to see if it is valid
        $this_email = filter_var($this_email, FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL);
        // also escape it to prevent SQL injections
        $this_email = $mysqli->real_escape_string($this_email);
        $emails[] = $this_email;
    }
}

// $emails is now a nice, clean array of email addresses
$emailadd->insert_email_into_database($emails);

echo '<pre>';
print_r($emails);
echo '</pre>';
?>

<form method="post" action="index.php">
    <input type="text" name="email1" /><br />
    <input type="text" name="email2" /><br />
    <input type="text" name="email3" /><br />
    <input type="submit" />
</form>

PHP access all $_POST[] variables into an array?

3 Answers3

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