I can get all $_POST data except for one - php

Question

I'm trying to input a record into my database. I can get all data except for one ['inputPicture'](which is the picture file name)
I've already tried using var_dum($_POST) and print_r($_POST) so I am sure that I cannot get anything from 'inputPicture'
This is what I get from both of them:
Array ( [inputFirstName] => Charlie [inputLastName] => Horse [inputContactNumber] => 09154447896 [inputAddress] => Candy Mountain [inputEmailAddress] => charlie#candymountain.com [action] => )
Here is my view code:
<form class="form-horizontal" role="form" method="POST" action="<?php echo base_url('Contacts/addcontact'); ?>" enctype="multipart/form-data">
<div class="form-group">
<label for="usr">First Name</label>
<input type="text" class="form-control" name="inputFirstName" placeholder="First Name">
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="usr">Last Name</label>
<input type="text" class="form-control" name="inputLastName" placeholder="Last Name">
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="usr">Contact Number</label>
<input type="text" class="form-control" name="inputContactNumber" placeholder="Contact Number">
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="usr">Address:</label>
<input type="text" class="form-control" name="inputAddress" placeholder="Address">
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="usr">Email Address:</label>
<input type="text" class="form-control" name="inputEmailAddress" placeholder="Email Address">
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="usr">Picture:</label>
<input type="file" class="form-control" name="inputPicture"></br>
</div>
<div class="modal-footer">
<button type="button" class="btn btn-default" data-dismiss="modal">Close</button>
<button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary" name="action">Add</button>
</div>
</form>
Here is my controller code:
public function addcontact(){
$first_name = $this->input->post('inputFirstName');
$last_name = $this->input->post('inputLastName');
$contact_number = $this->input->post('inputContactNumber');
$address = $this->input->post('inputAddress');
$email_address = $this->input->post('inputEmailAddress');
$image_url = $this->input->post('inputImage');
$this->form_validation->set_rules('inputFirstName', 'First Name', 'required|max_length[35]');
$this->form_validation->set_rules('inputLastName', 'Last Name', 'required|max_length[35]');
$this->form_validation->set_rules('inputContactNumber', 'Contact Number', 'required|exact_length[11]|numeric');
$this->form_validation->set_rules('inputAddress', 'Address', 'required|min_length[5]|max_length[255]');
$this->form_validation->set_rules('inputEmailAddress', 'Email Address', 'required|min_length[10]|max_length[255]|valid_email');
if($this->form_validation->run() == FALSE){
$data['title'] = 'Address Book';
$data['contacts_info'] = $this->contacts_model->getContacts();
$this->load->view('home', $data);
redirect();
}
else{
if(!isset($_POST['inputImage'])){
$this->contacts_model->addContactsNoPic($first_name, $last_name, $contact_number, $address, $email_address);
}
else{
$image = 'assets/images/' . $image_url;
$this->contacts_model->addContacts($first_name, $last_name, $contact_number, $address, $email_address, $image);
}
$data['title'] = 'Address Book';
$data['contacts_info'] = $this->contacts_model->getContacts();
$this->load->view('home', $data);
redirect();
}
}
I have a similar method which is 'update'. It works perfectly fine. I tried copy pasting my code from the update to my addContact method but it still doesnt work.
Here is my view code for Update:
<form class="form-horizontal" role="form" method="POST" action="<?php echo base_url('Contacts/update'); ?>" enctype="multipart/form-data">
<div class="form-group hidden">
<label for="usr">ID</label>
<input type="text" class="form-control" name="inputID" id="id">
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="usr">First Name</label>
<input type="text" class="form-control" name="inputFirstName" id="firstname">
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="usr">Last Name</label>
<input type="text" class="form-control" name="inputLastName" id="lastname">
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="usr">Contact Number</label>
<input type="text" class="form-control" name="inputContactNumber" id="contactnumber">
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="usr">Address:</label>
<input type="text" class="form-control" name="inputAddress" id="address">
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="usr">Email Address:</label>
<input type="text" class="form-control" name="inputEmailAddress" id="emailaddress">
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="usr">Picture:</label>
<input type="file" class="form-control" name="inputPicture" id="picture"></br>
</div>
<div class="modal-footer">
<button type="button" class="btn btn-default" data-dismiss="modal">Close</button>
<button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary" name="action">Update</button>
</div>
</form>
and here is my controller
public function update(){
$first_name = $this->input->post('inputFirstName');
$last_name = $this->input->post('inputLastName');
$contact_number = $this->input->post('inputContactNumber');
$address = $this->input->post('inputAddress');
$email_address = $this->input->post('inputEmailAddress');
$image_url = $this->input->post('inputPicture');
$id = $this->input->post('inputID');
var_dump($_POST);exit;
$this->form_validation->set_rules('inputFirstName', 'First Name', 'required|max_length[35]');
$this->form_validation->set_rules('inputLastName', 'Last Name', 'required|max_length[35]');
$this->form_validation->set_rules('inputContactNumber', 'Contact Number', 'required|exact_length[11]|numeric');
$this->form_validation->set_rules('inputAddress', 'Address', 'required|min_length[5]|max_length[255]');
$this->form_validation->set_rules('inputEmailAddress', 'Email Address', 'required|min_length[10]|max_length[255]|valid_email');
if($this->form_validation->run() == FALSE){
$data['title'] = 'Address Book';
$data['contacts_info'] = $this->contacts_model->getContacts();
$this->load->view('home', $data);
redirect();
}
else{
if(!isset($_POST['inputPicture'])){
$this->contacts_model->updateContactNoPic($id, $first_name, $last_name, $contact_number, $address, $email_address);
}
else{
$image = 'assets/images/' . $image_url;
$this->contacts_model->updateContact($id, $first_name, $last_name, $contact_number, $address, $email_address, $image);
}
$data['title'] = 'Address Book';
$data['contacts_info'] = $this->contacts_model->getContacts();
$this->load->view('home', $data);
redirect();
}
}

Answer 1

That's because contents of input type=file sent by GET/POST methods from HTML to PHP are stored inside the superglobal variable $_FILES and not $_POST (unless you don't define enctype property of the form tag as "multipart/form-data", which then causes the filename to be passed as a string to GET/POST).
If you var_dump($_FILES)/print_r($_FILES) you'll see an array like this:
Array
(
[file] => Array
(
[name] => test.pdf
[type] => application/pdf
[tmp_name] => C:\Windows\Temp\php1485.tmp
[error] => 0
[size] => 1073054
)
)
OBS: be sure to have enctype="multipart/form-data" as property of your form and file_uploads set to on in your php.ini file.

Answer 2

use $_FILES['inputPicture']
public function update(){
$first_name = $this->input->post('inputFirstName');
$last_name = $this->input->post('inputLastName');
$contact_number = $this->input->post('inputContactNumber');
$address = $this->input->post('inputAddress');
$email_address = $this->input->post('inputEmailAddress');
//$image_url = $this->input->post('inputPicture');
$image_url = $_FILES['inputPicture'];
$id = $this->input->post('inputID');
var_dump($_POST);exit;
$this->form_validation->set_rules('inputFirstName', 'First Name', 'required|max_length[35]');
$this->form_validation->set_rules('inputLastName', 'Last Name', 'required|max_length[35]');
$this->form_validation->set_rules('inputContactNumber', 'Contact Number', 'required|exact_length[11]|numeric');
$this->form_validation->set_rules('inputAddress', 'Address', 'required|min_length[5]|max_length[255]');
$this->form_validation->set_rules('inputEmailAddress', 'Email Address', 'required|min_length[10]|max_length[255]|valid_email');
if($this->form_validation->run() == FALSE){
$data['title'] = 'Address Book';
$data['contacts_info'] = $this->contacts_model->getContacts();
$this->load->view('home', $data);
redirect();
}
else{
if(!isset($_FILES['inputPicture'])){
$this->contacts_model->updateContactNoPic($id, $first_name, $last_name, $contact_number, $address, $email_address);
}
else{
$image = 'assets/images/' . $image_url;
$this->contacts_model->updateContact($id, $first_name, $last_name, $contact_number, $address, $email_address, $image);
}
$data['title'] = 'Address Book';
$data['contacts_info'] = $this->contacts_model->getContacts();
$this->load->view('home', $data);
redirect();
}
}