Why does this "if" statement get triggered? - php

Question

I've been working for the past 5 hours on why does this if get triggered...
Let me show you the code and explain you :
<?php
require_once "ConnectDB.php";
$link2 = $link;
$key = $posthwid = "";
$err = "";
if($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST"){
if(empty($_POST["key"])){
$err = "Thanks for the ip (" .$_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR']. "), have a good day! (1)";
}
else{
$key = trim($_POST["key"]);
}
$hwid = $_POST["hwid"];
if(empty($err)){
$sql = "SELECT hwid, idkey, length, created_at FROM money WHERE idkey = '" .$key. "'";
$row = mysqli_query($link, $sql);
if(mysqli_num_rows($row) < 2){
while($result = mysqli_fetch_assoc($row)) {
if($result["idkey"] == $key)
{
$err = "key";
if($result["hwid"] == "")
{
$err = "nohwid";
$sql2 = "UPDATE IceCold SET hwid = '" .$hwid. "' WHERE idkey = '" .$key. "'";
if(mysqli_query($link2, $sql2)){
$hwid = $result["hwid"];
mysqli_close($link2);
echo "debug";
}
else {
$err = "Oops! Something went wrong. Contact the support.";
}
}
if ($hwid !== $result["hwid"]) {
$err = "Contact the support";
}
elseif($_SESSION["admin"] == true) {
//Do special stuff
}
else {
///do other checks
if($created_at > $date){
$err = $hwid;
} else {
$err = "The key date is too old, buy a new one.";
}
}
}
else{
$err = "The key you entered was not valid.";
}
} mysqli_close($link);
} else {
$err = "multiple entry, contact support";
}
}
} else {
$err = "Thanks for the ip (" .$_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR']. "), have a good day! (3)";
}
echo $err;
?>
So basically, I have this Connect DB file with a mysqli_connect called $link and I'm designing a liscence API for my program. My program will send a request with the "idkey" and "hwid" and is waiting for the hwid to come back. I have an entry in my sql databse with only a key registered and I've trying to make my program wotk by generating POST request with the id and a random hwid but I've found no success. If variables are weirdly moved around, It's because of the debugging.
Right now, with my current setup, I get the Contact the support response which I don't understand why?!? The request and the key are correct if I'm able to get this awnser.
It's probably a stupid mistake but I jsut can't figure it out...
Thanks in advance for your help
Edit: the if statement I'm referring to is this:
if($hwid !== $result["hwid"])
There was a typo in the code that I fixed but it wasn't the issue,
as for the elseif, that would destroy the order of execution of the code and destroy the logic behind it(If that made sense).
Weirdly, after some tests, I found out that the second SQL request I send doesn't want to be executed ($sql2) and there is no error in httpd logs... Can you execute two requests? I tried to create $link2 but it doesn't change anything
EDIT : Found solution
if($result["hwid"] == "")
{
$sql2 = "UPDATE money SET hwid = '" .$_POST["hwid"]. "' WHERE idkey = '" .$key. "'";
if(mysqli_query($link2, $sql2)) {
$newhwid = $_POST["hwid"];
mysqli_close($link2);
}
else {
$err = "Oops! Something went wrong. Contact the support.";
}
}
elseif ($_POST["hwid"] != $result["hwid"]) {
$err = "Contact the support";
}
if($_POST["hwid"] == $newhwid || $_POST["hwid"] == $result["hwid"] ) {
/// do other checks
}

Answer 1

The condition before that one, if($row['hwid'] = ""), is an assignment. This code is changing the value of $row['hwid'] to an empty string, causing the condition after it to be true. I assume you meant to write == to test if $row['hwid'] is empty; otherwise it doesn't make sense to write this as an if statement.
By the way, it's not clear whether this if statement shouldn't be an else if. The rest of the branches here are else if (or elseif, which is the same in PHP), so you should consider whether you have missed out an else on this one too.