Send html form data to sql database via php - php

Question

I'm attempting to insert the data collected on the form into a mysql database. I'm able to make a successful connection but the data is not inserted. I've read many similar questions but have been unsuccessful so far.
sqldatabase.php
<?php
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "USER";
$password = "PASS";
$dbname = "DATABASE";
// Create connection
$conn = mysqli_connect($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);
// Check connection
if (!$conn) {
die("Connection failed: " . mysqli_connect_error());
}
$first_name = $_POST['first_name'];
$last_name = $_POST['last_name'];
$first_spouse = $_POST['first_spouse'];
$last_spouse = $_POST['last_spouse'];
$address = $_POST['address'];
$city = $_POST['city'];
$state = $_POST['state'];
$zip = $_POST['zip'];
$phonehome = $_POST['phonehome'];
$phonecell = $_POST['phonecell'];
$email = $_POST['email'];
$dob = $_POST['dob'];
$occupation = $_POST['occupation'];
$shirt_size = $_POST['shirt_size'];
$cap_size = $_POST['cap_size'];
$shirtnum1 = $_POST['shirtnum1'];
$shirtnum2 = $_POST['shirtnum2'];
$desc = $_POST['desc'];
$bylaws_rules = $_POST['bylaws_rules'];
$umpires = $_POST['umpires'];
$alcohol = $_POST['alcohol'];
$waiver = $_POST['waiver'];
$sql="INSERT INTO 'softball_reg_2016' (first_name, last_name, first_spouse, last_spouse,
address, city, state, zip, phonehome, phonecell, email, dob, occupation, shirt_size,
cap_size, shirtnum1, shirtnum2, desc, bylaws_rules, umpires, alcohol, waiver)
VALUES ('$_POST[first_name]', '$_POST[last_name]', '$_POST[first_spouse]', '$_POST[last_spouse]',
'$_POST[address]', '$_POST[city]', '$_POST[city]', '$_POST[state]', '$_POST[zip]',
'$_POST[phonehome]', '$_POST[phonecell]', '$_POST[email]', '$_POST[dob]', '$_POST[occupation]',
'$_POST[shirt_size]', '$_POST[cap_size]', '$_POST[shirtnum1]', '$_POST[shirtnum2]',
'$_POST[desc]', '$_POST[bylaws_rules]', '$_POST[umpires]', '$_POST[alcohol]', '$_POST[waiver]')";
echo "Connected successfully";
mysqli_close($conn);
?>
My html
<form action="/php/sqldatabase.php" method="POST" id="registration">
<h2>Registration for 2016 Summer Season (April-September)</h2>
<p>
<label for="name">Name:</label>
<input type="text" id="first_name" name="first_name" placeholder="First Name" autofocus="" />
<input type="text" id="last_name" name="last_name" placeholder="Last Name" />
</p>
<p>
<label for="spouse">Name of Spouse<i>(Optional)</i>:</label>
<input type="text" id="first_spouse" name="first_spouse" placeholder="First Name" />
<input type="text" id="last_spouse" name="last_spouse" placeholder="Last Name" />
</p>
<p>
<label for="address1">Address:</label>
<input type="text" id="address" name="address" placeholder="Street Address" />
<input type="text" id="city" name="city" placeholder="City" />
</p>
<p>
<label for="address2"></label>
<input type="text" id="state" name="state" placeholder="State" />
<input type="number" id="zip" name="zip" placeholder="Zip Code" />
</p>
<p>
<label for="phone">Phone:</label>
<input type="tel" id="phonehome" name="phone" placeholder="Home Phone" />
<input type="tel" id="phonecell" name="phone" placeholder="Work/Cell Phone" />
</p>
<p>
<label for="phone">Email:</label>
<input type="email" id="email" name="email" />
</p>
<p>
<label for="dob">Date of Birth:</label>
<input type="date" id="dob" name="dob" />
</p>
<p>
<label for="occupation">Occupation (Former, if retired):</label>
<input type="text" id="occupation" name="occupation" />
</p>
<div id="shirt">
<p>
<label for="size">Uniform:</label>
<select name="shirt_size" id="shirt_size">
<option value="">Shirt Size</option>
<option value="medium">Medium</option>
<option value="large">Large</option>
<option value="XL">XL</option>
<option value="2XL">2XL</option>
<option value="3XL">3XL</option>
</select>
<select name"cap_size" id="cap_size">
<option value="">Cap Size</option>
<option value="XS/S">XS/S</option>
<option value="S/M">S/M</option>
<option value="M/L">M/L</option>
<option value="L/XL">L/XL</option>
</select>
</p>
<p>
<label for="shirtnum">Shirt Number:</label>
<input type="number" id="shirtnum1" name="shirtnum1" placeholder="1st Choice" min="0" max="99" />
<input type="number" id="shirtnum2" name="shirtnum2" placeholder="2nd Choice" min="0" max="99" />
</p>
</div>
<div id="describe">
<p>
<span class="describe1">
<b>Describe any information you deem important regarding your ability and/or availability or any other information you deem important to the season.</b>
<textarea name="description" id="desc" cols="30" rows="10"></textarea>
</span>
</p>
</div>
<div id="ethics">
<h2>Code of Ethics</h2>
<p>
<span class="ethics1">
<input type="checkbox" id="bylaws_rules" name="bylaws_rules" />
I agree to abide by the Bylaws and decisions of the Club and Club Officials.
</span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="ethics1">
<input type="checkbox" id="umpires" name="umpires" />
I agree to accept the decisions of the Umpires and Team Managers.
</span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="ethics1">
<input type="checkbox" id="alcohol" name="alcohol" />
I agree to abstain from alcoholic beverages prior to a game.
</span>
</p>
</div>
<div id="waiver">
<h2>Release of Liability</h2>
<p>
<b>I agree to hold harmless the club.</b>
</p>
<input type="checkbox" id="waiver" name="waiver" />
</div>
<ol class="requires">
<li>Dues are $95 and should be received by April 6, 2016</li>
<li>If you decline to play after being drafted, your registration fee will not be refunded.</li>
<li>All members must be at least 50 years old by December 31, 2016</li>
<li>The deadline for receipt of registrations is April 6, 2016. Registrations received after this date will
not be processed for the player drat. Assignments to teams will then be made according to League guidelines
regarding late registering players.</li>
<li>Registrations received without the correct fee will not be considered as received and will not be valid until the correct fee is received.</li>
</ol>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
<button type="submit" id="register">Register!</button>
</p>
</form>
Thank you for any help!

Answer 1

Posting as a community wiki.
There are a few things wrong here.
First, you never executed the query.
You never check for empty() fields, which might insert empty rows on the table.
Consult the manual:
http://php.net/manual/en/mysqli.query.php
Object oriented style
mixed mysqli::query ( string $query [, int $resultmode = MYSQLI_STORE_RESULT ] )
Procedural style
mixed mysqli_query ( mysqli $link , string $query [, int $resultmode = MYSQLI_STORE_RESULT ] )
Then you're using the wrong identifier qualifiers for your table:
INSERT INTO 'softball_reg_2016'
^ ^
being regular single quotes, where it should be ticks or no quotes at all:
INSERT INTO `softball_reg_2016`
and that alone would have thrown you a syntax error.
Read up on identifier qualifiers:
http://dev.mysql.com/doc/en/identifier-qualifiers.html
Then you're using desc as a column name which is a MySQL reserved word. That also would have thrown you an error about it. So, either you rename it to something else, or wrap it in ticks.
`desc`
Reference:
https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.5/en/keywords.html
Also check for errors:
http://php.net/manual/en/mysqli.error.php
http://php.net/manual/en/function.error-reporting.php
Plus, your present code is open to SQL injection. Use mysqli_* with prepared statements, or PDO with prepared statements.
Also, since you already declared variables to your POST arrays, why put the POST arrays in the query? Just used the variables. You're using more code for nothing really.
And as noted in comments:
"You also have two input fields with same name: phone. Is that intended or just the copy/paste usual problem? – FirstOne"

Answer 2

You need to execute the query. You have just taken the string.
Here is what you are missing. Put
mysqli_query($conn,$sql);
before the success message.

Answer 3

You didn't excute the query
you have to do
mysqli_query($conn,$query);
before closing the connection