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K
KathleenODell
Inspiring
June 1, 2018
Answered

PHP mail form help

  • June 1, 2018
  • 2 replies
  • 1073 views

I've cobbled together some php code to get a contact form together. Everything works but one thing. I'm trying to make the fields required and I must have missed a step. Right now the form just goes through even if you haven't filled anything out. Can anyone help? I've redacted a few bits for security purposes.

<?php

    function post_captcha($user_response) {

        $fields_string = '';

        $fields = array(

            'secret' => 'code goes here',

            'response' => $user_response

        );

        foreach($fields as $key=>$value)

        $fields_string .= $key . '=' . $value . '&';

        $fields_string = rtrim($fields_string, '&');

        $ch = curl_init();

        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, 'https://www.google.com........');

        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, count($fields));

        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $fields_string);

        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, True);

        $result = curl_exec($ch);

        curl_close($ch);

        return json_decode($result, true);

    }

    // Call the function post_captcha

    $res = post_captcha($_POST['g-recaptcha-response']);

    if (!$res['success']) {

        // What happens when the CAPTCHA wasn't checked

        echo '<p>Please go back and make sure you check the security CAPTCHA box.</p><br>';

    } else {

        // If CAPTCHA is successfully completed...

    $name = $_POST['name'];

    $email = $_POST['email'];

    $message = $_POST['message'];

    $from = 'From: localhost';

    $to = 'email@email.com';

    $subject = 'RMA Request';

$body = "From: $name\n E-Mail: $email\n Message:\n $message";

    if ($_POST['submit']) {

    if (mail ($to, $subject, $body, $from))

header('Location:www.whatevertheaddresswillbe.html');

} else {

        echo '<p>You need to fill in all required fields!!</p>';

    }

}

   

?>

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer osgood_

Okay I still must be missing something though. Or more likely just not understanding. Following along with the example on that site I added if else statements to the code. But the form still submits without having to fill everything in.

$name = $_POST['name'];

if (empty($_POST['name'])) {

$nameErr = "Missing";

}

else {

$name = $_POST['name'];

}

    $email = $_POST['email'];

if (empty($_POST['email'])) {

$nameErr = "Missing";

}

else {

$name = $_POST['email'];

}

    $message = $_POST['message'];

if (empty($_POST['message'])) {

$nameErr = "Missing";

}

else {

$name = $_POST['message'];

}

    $from = 'From: localhost';

    $to = 'email@email.com';

    $subject = 'RMA Request';

$body = "From: $name\n E-Mail: $email\n Message:\n $message";

    if ($_POST['submit']) {

    if (mail ($to, $subject, $body, $from))

header('Location:site address here');

} else {

        echo '<p>You need to fill in all required fields!!</p>';

    }

}


If your form fields are empty assign them to an error variable.

So instead of what you have now

$nameErr = "Missing";

Use

$error['name'] = "plesse provide your name";

Do this for each form field you want the user to fill in

Then instead of

if($_POST['submit']) {

Use

If(!$error) {

That says if no errors send the form data.

Or instead if you dont want to create an error array you can check the form fields are not empty instead of checking if the submit button has been clicked

If you use the error srray approach you can echo out the meesage beneath esch form field

<?php If(isset($error['name']) {

echo $error['name'];

}

?>

Depends how much eye vandy you want to include or just a basic form

2 replies

Nancy OShea
Community Expert
Nancy OSheaCommunity Expert
Community Expert
June 1, 2018

Add required attributes to all HTML5 form input fields that must not be left blank.

<form action="/action_script.php">
   Username: <input type="text" name="usrname" required><br>

   Email: <input type="email" name="email" required>
   <input type="submit">
</form>

Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
K
KathleenODellAuthor
Inspiring
June 1, 2018

I'll add that, thank you!

WolfShade
WolfShade
Legend
June 1, 2018

It's been a long time since I last worked with PHP, but I did a quick Google search and found:

https://www.sitepoint.com/form-validation-with-php/

It explains form validation in PHP quite well, I think.  Hope it helps.

V/r,

^ _ ^

K
KathleenODellAuthor
Inspiring
June 1, 2018

Thanks. I'll take a look at it and see if I can figure out what I did wrong. I know it's just because I had to Frankenstein a few things together that I've just overlooked something. Hopefully, someone might be able to spot my mistake before I pull all my hair out.

WolfShade
WolfShade
Legend
June 1, 2018

The "mistake" was not having form validation, nothing else.  The rest of your code seems fine, to me.  It's just an absence of form validation.  If, after you assign form values to variables (ie, "$name = $_POST['name'];"), you use if/else or switch/case conditionals to check and make sure something is actually filled in, then it should stop form submission and alert the user to make the correction.  Also, a good idea would be to trim() the values, so no one can enter just spaces and bypass the validation.

HTH,

^ _ ^

UPDATE: Also, you can use Regular Expressions to make sure that what is entered is proper (like email addresses, phone numbers, etc.)

UPDATE2:  Here is a link on how to validate an email address using PHP Regular Expression:

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/28399610/validate-email-in-php-using-regex

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