Rearrange my password recovery file so HTML output is below Header - php

Question

I am slowly getting to grips with PHP, however struggle with breaking up a my if statements so my header functions work. I have done a few but they didn't involve as many conditions as my password recovery file does. Could somebody show me how I can go about doing this?
<?php
include ("storescripts/init.php");
logged_in_redirect();
include ("includes/overall/head.php");?>
<?php include ("includes/overall/template_header.php");?>
<div id="mainDivShort">
<h1>Recover</h1>
<div id="divBreak"></div>
<?php include ("includes/overall/column_left.php");?>
<div id="middleContent">
<?php
if(isset($_GET['success']) === true && empty($_GET['success']) === true){
?>
<p>Thanks, we've emailed you.</p>
<?php
} else {
$mode_allowed = array('mem_password');
if (isset($_GET['mode']) === true && in_array($_GET['mode'], $mode_allowed) === true) {
if(isset($_POST['mem_email']) === true && empty($_POST['mem_email']) === false) {
if (email_exists($_POST['mem_email']) === true) {
recover($_GET['mode'], $_POST['mem_email']);
header('Location: recover.php?success');
exit();
} else {
echo '<p>Oops, we couldn\'t find that email in the system</p>';
}
}
?>
<form action="" method="post">
<ul>
<li>Please enter your email address:<br> <input type="text"
name="mem_email">
</li>
<li><input type="submit" value="Recover"></li>
</ul>
</form>
<?php
} else {
header('Location: index.php');
exit();
}
}
?>
</div>
<?php include ("includes/overall/column_right.php");?>
</div>
<?php include ("includes/overall/template_footer.php");?>
The header statements need to be above my includes head.php as this includes HTML output. I have tried the buffering however this didn't work for me! Thank you!

Answer 1

<?php
ob_start(); // We start the buffer
include ("storescripts/init.php");
logged_in_redirect();
include ("includes/overall/head.php");?>
<?php include ("includes/overall/template_header.php");?>
<div id="mainDivShort">
<h1>Recover</h1>
<div id="divBreak"></div>
<?php include ("includes/overall/column_left.php");?>
<div id="middleContent">
<?php
if(isset($_GET['success']) === true && empty($_GET['success']) === true){
?>
<p>Thanks, we've emailed you.</p>
<?php
} else {
$mode_allowed = array('mem_password');
if (isset($_GET['mode']) === true && in_array($_GET['mode'], $mode_allowed) === true) {
if(isset($_POST['mem_email']) === true && empty($_POST['mem_email']) === false) {
if (email_exists($_POST['mem_email']) === true) {
ob_clean(); // Clean the buffer and make the redirect
recover($_GET['mode'], $_POST['mem_email']);
header('Location: recover.php?success');
exit();
} else {
echo '<p>Oops, we couldn\'t find that email in the system</p>';
}
}
?>
<form action="" method="post">
<ul>
<li>Please enter your email address:<br> <input type="text"
name="mem_email">
</li>
<li><input type="submit" value="Recover"></li>
</ul>
</form>
<?php
} else {
ob_clean();// Clean the buffer and make the redirect
header('Location: index.php');
exit();
}
}
?>
</div>
<?php include ("includes/overall/column_right.php");?>
</div>
<?php include ("includes/overall/template_footer.php");?>

Answer 2

What you may not be aware of is that php sends a header as soon as the first character is echoed out... That first character can even be white space like a lf or tab or cr. etc.
Once that first header goes out, your other headers that you are planning to send will no longer count... So your mixing of text html and use of tags is probably going to hurt you. as the first bit of white space outside of a php tag will generate a header and your planned headers will no longer count.
I could go further and recommend that you start using a templating system to separate code from content.

Answer 3

<?php
$msg = "";
if (!empty($_GET)) //check if form has been submitted
{
if(isset($_GET['success']) === true && empty($_GET['success']) === true)
{
$msg = "Thanks, we've emailed you.";
}
else
{
$mode_allowed = array('mem_password');
if (isset($_GET['mode']) === true && in_array($_GET['mode'], $mode_allowed) === true)
{
if(isset($_POST['mem_email']) === true && empty($_POST['mem_email']) === false)
{
if (email_exists($_POST['mem_email']) === true)
{
recover($_GET['mode'], $_POST['mem_email']);
header('Location: recover.php?success');
exit();
}
else
{
$msg = "<p>Oops, we couldn\'t find that email in the system</p>";
}
}
}
else
{
header('Location: index.php');
exit();
}
}
}
include 'storescripts/init.php';
logged_in_redirect();
include 'includes/overall/head.php';
include 'includes/overall/template_header.php';
?>
<div id="mainDivShort">
<h1>Recover</h1>
<div id="divBreak"></div>
<?php include ("includes/overall/column_left.php");?>
<div id="middleContent">
<?php echo $msg; ?>
<form action="" method="post">
<ul>
<li>Please enter your email address:<br> <input type="text"
name="mem_email">
</li>
<li><input type="submit" value="Recover"></li>
</ul>
</form>
</div>
<?php include ("includes/overall/column_right.php");?>
</div>
<?php include ("includes/overall/template_footer.php");?>
Didn't you solve this already here? Rearranging PHP page so header is before HTML