Trouble with PHP validating select box array [closed] - php

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I am adding some new validation to a current form, I have three separate arrays that I have built for select boxes and I need to be sure that the user is making at least one of the selections. At this point when the user fills our the form, it will submit and send, but the "Required" shows next to an empty select box in the form even through the notice says it has been sent and the form will send even if the user hasn't made a selection. I have tried searching everywhere for a solution, hoping to get a second set of eyes on this issue. Thank you in advance for your time!
The select box within the form -
<?php echo $monthMessage; ?>
<select name="mm" class="select-form-style">
<option>
- Select Month -
</option>
<?php
foreach ($months as $month) {
$selected = (!empty($mm) && $mm == $month) ? 'selected="selected"' : '';
?>
<option value="<?php echo $month;?>" <?php echo $selected;?>>
<?php echo $month;?>
</option>
<?php
}
?>
The PHP form validation
<?php #Registration
$months = array('January', 'February', 'March', 'April', 'May', 'June', 'July', 'August',
'September', 'October', 'November', 'December');
$season = array('Fall 2014', 'Winter 2014', 'Spring 2015', 'Summer 2015');
$locations = array('Priest River', 'Sandpoint', 'Online');
function makeSafe($value) {
return stripslashes(trim($value));
}
//if the form was subitted
if (!empty($_POST['submit'])) {
//form submitted through post, do validation
$authorization = (!empty($_POST['authorization'])) ? makeSafe($_POST['authorization']) : '';
$signature = (!empty($_POST['signature'])) ? makeSafe($_POST['signature']) : '';
$cc = makeSafe($_POST['cc']);
$ll = makeSafe($_POST['ll']);
$fname = makeSafe($_POST['fname']);
$mname = makeSafe($_POST['mname']);
$lname = makeSafe($_POST['lname']);
$mm = makeSafe($_POST['mm']);
$day = makeSafe($_POST['day']);
$year = makeSafe($_POST['year']);
$age = makeSafe($_POST['age']);
$school = makeSafe($_POST['school']);
$address = makeSafe($_POST['address']);
$city = makeSafe($_POST['city']);
$state = makeSafe($_POST['state']);
$zip = makeSafe($_POST['zip']);
$gender = makeSafe($_POST['gender']);
$email = makeSafe($_POST['email']);
$phone = makeSafe($_POST['phone']);
$altph = makeSafe($_POST['altph']);
$hp = makeSafe($_POST['hp']);
$packet = (!empty($_POST['signature'])) ? makeSafe($_POST['packet']) : '';
$message = '';
$problem = FALSE;
if(!empty($_POST['mm']))
{
$monthMessage .= '<p class="errorClass">Required</p>';
}
if(!empty($_POST['cc']))
{
$seasonMessage .= '<p class="errorClass">Required</p>';
}
if(!empty($_POST['ll']))
{
$locationMessage .= '<p class="errorClass">Required</p>';
}
if($_POST['authorizaton']!="1" AND $_POST['packet']!="1"){
$problem = TRUE;
$parentMessage .= '<p class="errorClass parentMsg">Please read and check the boxes below
</p>';
}
if($_POST['signature']!="1"){
$problem = TRUE;
$signatureMessage .= '<p class="errorClass">Required</p>';
}
//Check First Name
if (!eregi ('^[[:alpha:]\.\' \-]{2,}$',$fname)) {
$problem = TRUE;
$fnameMessage .= '<p class="errorClass">Required</p>';
}
if (!eregi ('^[[:alpha:]\.\' \-]{2,}$',$lname)) {
$problem = TRUE;
$lnameMessage .= '<p class="errorClass">Required</p>';
}
if (!eregi ('^[[:alnum:]\.\' \-]{4,}$', $school)) {
$problem = TRUE;
$schoolMessage .= '<p class="errorClass">Required</p>';
}
if (!eregi ('^[[:alnum:]\.\' \#\-]{4,}$', $address)) {
$problem = TRUE;
$addyMessage .= '<p class="errorClass">Required</p>';
}
if (!eregi ('^[[:alpha:]\.\' \-]{4,}$', $city)) {
$problem = TRUE;
$cityMessage .= '<p class="errorClass">Required</p>';
}
if (!eregi ('^[[:alpha:]\.\' \-]{2,2}$', $state)) {
$problem = TRUE;
$stateMessage .= '<p class="errorClass">Required</p>';
}
if (!eregi ('^[[:alnum:]][a-zA-Z0-9._-]+#[a-zA-Z0-9._-]+\.([a-zA-Z]{2,4})$',$email)) {
$problem = TRUE;
$emailMessage .= '<p class="errorClass">Required</p>';
}
if (!eregi ('^[0-9]{5}(\-[0-9]{4})?$',$zip)) {
$problem = TRUE;
$zipMessage .= '<p class="errorClass">Required</p>';
}
if (!eregi ('^[0-9.\(\)\-\ ]{10,14}$', $phone)) {
$problem = TRUE;
$phoneMessage .= '<p class="errorClass">Required</p>';
}
if(!eregi('^[0-9]{2}$',$age)) {
$problem = TRUE;
$ageMessage .= '<p class="errorClass">Required</p>';
}
if(!eregi('^[0-9]{2,4}$',$year)) {
$problem = TRUE;
$yearMessage .= '<p class="errorClass">Required</p>';
}
if(!eregi('^[0-9]{1,2}$',$day)) {
$problem = TRUE;
$dayMessage .= '<p class="errorClass">Required</p>';
}
if ($problem == TRUE) {//Something went wrong
echo $message;
echo '';
}
else{
$to = "webangel119#yahoo.com";
$subject = "Buckle-Up New Student Registration";
$headers = 'From: jen.byron83#gmail.com' . "\r\n" .'X-Mailer: PHP/' . phpversion();
$msg .= "PLAIN TEXT EMAIL\n\n";
$msg .= "Location: $ll Class: $cc\n\n";
$msg .= "Name: $fname $mname $lname\n\n";
$msg .= "Birthday: $mm $day $year Age: $age Gender: $gender\n\n";
$msg .= "School: $school\n\n";
$msg .= "Address: $address\n\n";
$msg .= "City: $city State: $state Zip Code: $zip\n\n";
$msg .= "Phone: $phone Alternate Contact: $altph\n\n";
$msg .= "Email: $email\n\n";
if(mail($to, $subject, $msg, $headers) == false){
// Email failed
echo '<p>An error occured while trying to process your request</p>';
}
else {
echo '<p>Thank you for registering with Buckle-Up Driving School!</p>';
$authorization = '';
$ll = '';
$cc = '';
$fname = '';
$mname = '';
$lname = '';
$mm = '';
$day = '';
$year = '';
$age = '';
$school = '';
$address = '';
$city = '';
$state = '';
$zip = '';
$gender = '';
$email = '';
$phone = '';
$altph = '';
$hp = '';
$signature = '';
$packet = '';
}
}
}
?>

Answer 1

I'm not sure if i understood the problem, but if i follow my feeling about this, my answer will be :
Your mistake is up there :
if(!empty($_POST['mm']))
{
$monthMessage .= '<p class="errorClass">Required</p>';
}
So, if $_POST['mm'] is not empty, then "Required" will be shown. But you have a probleme, this value will never be empty :)
Even if no month is selected ("- Select Month -" selected), the navigator will send the content of the option tag as the value of select ;)
So you have $_POST['mm'] = "- Select Month -"
You have to do this test :
// if mm sent and is not empty
if(isset($_POST['mm']) && !empty($_POST['mm']))
{
// if mm is in $months array
if(in_array($_POST['mm'], $months))
{
// this value is not accepted or "- Select Month -" selected
}
else
{
// seems a month is selected and into your $months list
}
}
else
{
// this case happens if don't send "mm" in post
// or if the value of mm is empty
}
Btw, a value will never be sure by doing stripslashes(trim($val)); care with this.
Btw2, you can apply makeSafe() to your whole $_POST array by doing this :
foreach($_POST as $k => $v)
{
$P[$k] = makeSafe($v);
}
then call your data like $P['mm']
Hope it helped !