PHP cannot insert data - php

Question

When I using the following code I cannot insert data. It shows the following error message:
[An error occured while inserting your data. Please try again later.You have an error in your SQL syntax: check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near ')' at line 10]
if($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] != 'POST')
{
$sql = "SELECT
cat_id,
cat_name,
cat_description
FROM
categories";
$result = mysql_query($sql);
if(!$result)
{
echo 'Error while selecting from database. Please try again later.';
}
else
{
if(mysql_num_rows($result) == 0)
{
//there are no categories, so a topic can't be posted
if($_SESSION['userlevel'] == 1)
{
echo 'You have not created categories yet.';
}
else
{
echo 'Before you can post a topic, you must wait for an admin to create some categories.';
}
}
else
{
echo '<form method="post" action="">
Subject: <input type="text" name="topic_subject" />
Category:';
echo '<select name="topic_cat">';
while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result))
{
echo '<option value="' . $row['cat_id'] . '">' . $row['cat_name'] . '</option>';
}
echo '</select>';
echo 'Message: <textarea name="post_content" /></textarea>
<input type="submit" value="Create topic" />
</form>';
}
}
}
else
{
//start the transaction
$query = "BEGIN WORK;";
$result = mysql_query($query);
if(!$result)
{
//Damn! the query failed, quit
echo 'An error occured while creating your topic. Please try again later.';
}
else
{
//the form has been posted, so save it
//insert the topic into the topics table first, then we'll save the post into the posts table
$sql = "INSERT INTO
topics(topic_subject,
topic_date,
topic_cat,
topic_by)
VALUES('" . mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['topic_subject']) . "',
NOW(),
" . mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['topic_cat']) . ",
" . $_SESSION['userid'] . "
)";
$result = mysql_query($sql);
if(!$result)
{
//something went wrong, display the error
echo 'An error occured while inserting your data. Please try again later.' . mysql_error();
$sql = "ROLLBACK;";
$result = mysql_query($sql);
}
else
{
//the first query worked, now start the second, posts query
//retrieve the id of the freshly created topic for usage in the posts query
$topicid = mysql_insert_id();
$sql = "INSERT INTO
posts(post_content,
post_date,
post_topic,
post_by)
VALUES
('" . mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['post_content']) . "',
NOW(),
" . $topicid . ",
" . $_SESSION['userid'] . "
)";
$result = mysql_query($sql);
if(!$result)
{
//something went wrong, display the error
echo 'An error occured while inserting your post. Please try again later.' . mysql_error();
$sql = "ROLLBACK;";
$result = mysql_query($sql);
}
else
{
$sql = "COMMIT;";
$result = mysql_query($sql);
//after a lot of work, the query succeeded!
echo 'You have successfully created your new topic.';
}
}
}
}
`

Answer 1

You missed to add quotes around each string:
$sql = "INSERT INTO
topics(topic_subject,
topic_date,
topic_cat,
topic_by)
VALUES('" . mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['topic_subject']) . "',
NOW(),
'" . mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['topic_cat']) . "',
'" . $_SESSION['userid'] . "'
)";
You have to add single quotes around your second mysql_real_escape_string. (And also around your $_SESSION['userid'] if it contains a string.)

Answer 2

<pre>
<?php
$con = mysql_connect( 'localhost', 'root','' );
if (!$con)
{
die( 'Could not connect: ' . mysql_error() );
}
mysql_select_db( "stack",$con );
$_SESSION['userlevel']= 1;
if($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] != 'POST')
{
$sql = "SELECT
cat_id,
cat_name,
cat_description
FROM
categories";
$result = mysql_query($sql);
if(!$result)
{
echo 'Error while selecting from database. Please try again later.';
}
else
{
if(mysql_num_rows($result) == 0)
{
//there are no categories, so a topic can't be posted
if($_SESSION['userlevel'] == 1)
{
echo 'You have not created categories yet.';
}
else
{
echo 'Before you can post a topic, you must wait for an admin to create some categories.';
}
}
else
{
echo '<form method="post" action="">
Subject: <input type="text" name="topic_subject" />
Category:';
echo '<select name="topic_cat">';
while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result))
{
echo '<option value="' . $row['cat_id'] . '">' . $row['cat_name'] . '</option>';
}
echo '</select>';
echo 'Message: <textarea name="post_content" /></textarea>
<input type="submit" value="Create topic" />
</form>';
}
}
}
else
{
//start the transaction
$query = "BEGIN WORK;";
$result = mysql_query($query);
if(!$result)
{
//Damn! the query failed, quit
echo 'An error occured while creating your topic. Please try again later.';
}
else
{
$user =1;
//the form has been posted, so save it
//insert the topic into the topics table first, then we'll save the post into the posts table
$sql = "INSERT INTO
topics(topic_subject,
topic_date,
topic_cat,
topic_by)
VALUES('" . mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['topic_subject']) . "',
NOW(),
" . mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['topic_cat']) . ", ". $user. "
)";
$result = mysql_query($sql);
if(!$result)
{
//something went wrong, display the error
echo 'An error occured while inserting your data. Please try again later.' . mysql_error();
$sql = "ROLLBACK;";
$result = mysql_query($sql);
}
else
{
//the first query worked, now start the second, posts query
//retrieve the id of the freshly created topic for usage in the posts query
$topicid = mysql_insert_id();
$sql = "INSERT INTO
posts(post_content,
post_date,
post_topic,
post_by)
VALUES
('" . mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['post_content']) . "',
NOW(),
" . $topicid . ",1
)";
$result = mysql_query($sql);
if(!$result)
{
//something went wrong, display the error
echo 'An error occured while inserting your post. Please try again later.' . mysql_error();
$sql = "ROLLBACK;";
$result = mysql_query($sql);
}
else
{
$sql = "COMMIT;";
$result = mysql_query($sql);
//after a lot of work, the query succeeded!
echo 'You have successfully created your new topic.';
}
}
}
}
?>
</pre>
i am using same script and it is working. please check your session if it creates

Answer 3

Your sql query is breaking here enclose your string and date values with "'"
VALUES('" . mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['topic_subject']) . "',
NOW(), <--- enclose with ."'"