sql connecting two forms to a database - php

Question

I'm a beginner when it comes to the topic. I've followed this tutorial to connect one form to a database and it worked well. Now I'd like to add another form and my questions are:
do I create separate function in connection.php?
do I create a separate table in the same database?
how do I generate a separate thank you message?
The other form is a contact form.
connection.php:
<?php
function Connect()
{
$dbhost = "localhost";
$dbuser = "root";
$dbpass = "root";
$dbname = "responses";
// Create connection
$conn = new mysqli($dbhost, $dbuser, $dbpass, $dbname) or die($conn->connect_error);
return $conn;
}
?>
thankyou.php
<?php
require 'connection.php';
$conn = Connect();
$email = $conn->real_escape_string($_POST['u_email']);
$query = "INSERT into newsletter (email) VALUES('" . $email . "')";
$success = $conn->query($query);
if (!$success) {
die("Couldn't enter data: ".$conn->error);
}
echo $_GET["form"];
echo "Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. <br>";
$conn->close();
?>
The second form would look like this:
$name = $conn->real_escape_string($_POST['name']);
$email = $conn->real_escape_string($_POST['email']);
$message = $conn->real_escape_string($_POST['message']);
$query = "INSERT into contactForm (name,email,message) VALUES('" . $name . "','" . $email . "','" . $message . "')";
$success = $conn->query($query);
I've created two tables: newsletter and contactForm. Now, how do I direct form input to the right table?

Answer 1

1 - You can "require"/"include" the same connection.php wherever it suit you / need it
2 - you can create on the same Database a new table and do action on this new on your query example:
$query = "INSERT into newsletter (email) VALUES('" . $email . "')";
$success = $conn->query($query);
$query = "INSERT into newsletter_schedule (email,schedule_date) VALUES('" . $email . "', NOW())";
$success = $conn->query($query);
or you can create in a different db and change db name connected(more complex but sometimes needed)
3 - you can do in separate static file and redirect to using (PHP function)
header("location: tankyou.html");//put your file name/must be the first output, even a space before can throw a error
leave more details about the 3rd if is not what you are looking for

Answer 2

Unfortunately, your question, "How do I...?" is a bit broad in this case. Any number of ways. The only real way to get a sense for these things is to try a number of times. You may fail, but that's where the most learning happenings.
Your specific questions:
do I create separate function in connection.php?
Depends on what you need. I might include a 'CloseConnection' or 'TearDown' function, but doing so is not strictly necessary in PHP. (PHP does it's best to close down and stop using any resources you still have open at the end of your script.)
However, if you want to edge toward better practices, get in the habit now of always cleaning up after yourself. What you learned in kindergarten applies: if you opened it, close it. If you created it, dispose of it. If you allocated it, deallocate it. etc.
do I create a separate table in the same database?
Yes. This question is related to schema design, and again, you will just have to try things out and see what works for your situation and thought processes. You will know that things are not right when the logic gets really convoluted. But knowing that comes with nothing other than experience.
how do I generate a separate thank you message?
The same way you generate any other HTML. Some version of echo, print, or include/require. Given your current setup, I might create a separate function for this logic.
One thing which is not what you asked for, but which I feel compelled to point out: heavily consider prepared statements for your SQL, rather than string interpolation. That is ...
BAD:
$query = "INSERT into newsletter (email) VALUES('" . $email . "')";
$success = $conn->query($query);
BETTER/GOOD:
$sql = "INSERT INTO newsletter (email) VALUE ( ? )";
$statement = $conn->prepare( $sql );
$statement->bind_param('s', $email);
$statement->execute();
This is perhaps slightly more complicated, but also precludes any need for sanitization like real_escape_string.
For more information, read the documentation and google prepared statements, but the gist is this: for security reasons now, and higher performance later. By telling the database what will be coming, you preclude someone from injecting something you didn't expect or want.