POST checkbox value to email? - php

Question

I have a simple example of check box's which remember what has been selected after the form has been submitted and there is an error.
That part works great... but, I would like to post the resultant 'checked' boxes to my forms mail function.
What I have now only reports if its checked or unchecked I would prefer to have the checked box's 'value' without the unchecked box even registering.
<?php
$CB_1 = 'unchecked';
$CB_2 = 'unchecked';
$CB_3 = 'unchecked';
$CB_4 = 'unchecked';
$CB_5 = 'unchecked';
if (isset($_POST['submit'])) {
if (isset($_POST['CB_1'])) {$CB_1 = $_POST['CB_1'];
if ($CB_1 == 'item_01') {$CB_1 = 'checked';}
}
if (isset($_POST['CB_2'])) {$CB_2 = $_POST['CB_2'];
if ($CB_2 == 'item_02') {$CB_2 = 'checked';}
}
if (isset($_POST['CB_3'])) {$CB_3 = $_POST['CB_3'];
if ($CB_3 == 'item_03') {$CB_3 = 'checked';}
}
if (isset($_POST['CB_4'])) {$CB_4 = $_POST['CB_4'];
if ($CB_4 == 'item_04') {$CB_4 = 'checked';}
}
if (isset($_POST['CB_5'])) {$CB_5 = $_POST['CB_5'];
if ($CB_5 == 'item_05') {$CB_5 = 'checked';}
}
}
if (isset($_POST['submit'])) {
$error = "";
if (!empty($_POST['email'])) {
$email = $_POST['email'];
if (!preg_match("/^[a-z0-9]+(\.[_a-z0-9-]+)*#[a-z0-9-]+(\.[a-z0-9-]+)*(\.[a-z]{2,3})$/i", $email)){
$error .= "E-mail address not valid.";
}
} else {
$error .= "E-mail address is required.";
}
if (empty($error)) {
$from = 'From: '. #TEST .' <'. $email .'>';
$to = "someone#company.com";
$subject = "CHECKBOX TEST";
$content = "
checkbox selections:
check box 01: $CB_1
check box 02: $CB_2
check box 03: $CB_3
check box 04: $CB_4
check box 05: $CB_5
";
$success = mail($to,$subject,$content,$from);
}
}
?>
<form action="<?php echo htmlentities($_SERVER['PHP_SELF']); ?>" method="post">
<?php if (!empty($error)) echo $error ?>
<br><br><br>
e-mail: <input type="text" name="email" value="<?php if (isset ($_POST {'email'})) { echo $_POST['email']; } ?>" />
<P>
<input type="checkbox" name="CB_1" value="item_01" <?PHP echo $CB_1; ?> /> Item 01
<input type="checkbox" name="CB_2" value="item_02" <?PHP echo $CB_2; ?> /> Item 02
<input type="checkbox" name="CB_3" value="item_03" <?PHP echo $CB_3; ?> /> Item 03
<input type="checkbox" name="CB_4" value="item_04" <?PHP echo $CB_4; ?> /> Item 04
<input type="checkbox" name="CB_5" value="item_05" <?PHP echo $CB_5; ?> /> Item 05
<P>
<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Submit"></input>
</form>

Answer 1

I know this may not necessarily answer the question but a way you could make your code more efficiant is do this.
for($i=1; $i<=5;$i++)
{
if(isset($_POST['submit'])&& isset($_POST['CB_'.$i]) && $CB_.$i=='item_0'.$i)
{
$CB_.$i = $_POST['CB_'.$i];
$CB_.$i = 'checked';
}
}
If you fix it that way it may also make it easier for us to debug.

Answer 2

okay, I found a way to do what I wanted but I'm fairly sure it's not the way someone who has real experience with PHP would do it. Any suggestions?
redelman431, thanks for your suggestion but it was really too advanced for my skill level.
<?php
if(isset($_POST['item_01'])) {$item_01 = 'Item 01';}
if(isset($_POST['item_02'])) {$item_02 = 'Item 02';}
if(isset($_POST['item_03'])) {$item_03 = 'Item 03';}
if(isset($_POST['item_04'])) {$item_04 = 'Item 04';}
if(isset($_POST['item_05'])) {$item_05 = 'Item 05';}
if (isset($_POST['submit'])) {
$error = "";
if (!empty($_POST['email'])) {
$email = $_POST['email'];
if (!preg_match("/^[a-z0-9]+(\.[_a-z0-9-]+)*#[a-z0-9-]+(\.[a-z0-9-]+)*(\.[a-z]{2,3})$/i", $email)){
$error .= "E-mail address not valid.";
}
} else {
$error .= "E-mail address is required.";
}
if (empty($error)) {
$from = 'From: '. #TEST .' <'. $email .'>';
$to = "someone#company.com";
$subject = "CHECKBOX TEST";
$content = "
checkbox selections:
checked box's: $item_01 $item_02 $item_03 $item_04 $item_05
";
$success = mail($to,$subject,$content,$from);
}
}
?>
<form action="<?php echo htmlentities($_SERVER['PHP_SELF']); ?>" method="post">
<span style="color: red;"><?php if (!empty($error)) echo $error ?></span>
<br><br><br>
e-mail: <input type="text" name="email" value="<?php if (isset ($_POST {'email'})) { echo $_POST['email']; } ?>" />
<P>
<input type="checkbox" name="item_01" value="Item 01"
<?php if(isset($_POST['item_01'])) { echo 'checked'; } ?> /> Item 01
<input type="checkbox" name="item_02" value="Item 02"
<?php if(isset($_POST['item_02'])) { echo 'checked'; } ?> /> Item 02
<input type="checkbox" name="item_03" value="Item 03"
<?php if(isset($_POST['item_03'])) { echo 'checked'; } ?> /> Item 03
<input type="checkbox" name="item_04" value="Item 04"
<?php if(isset($_POST['item_04'])) { echo 'checked'; } ?> /> Item 04
<input type="checkbox" name="item_05" value="Item 05"
<?php if(isset($_POST['item_05'])) { echo 'checked'; } ?> /> Item 05
<P>
<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Submit"></input>
</form>

Answer 3

I found what I was looking for I suppose in the way of an array which I think 'redelman431' was trying to get me to do but it didn't make any sense to me at the time.
I then stumbled onto another array by 'David Bélanger' that for some reason made more sense to me so I used it into my check box's and it works fabulously.
the new problem is that I cant get the check box's that have been checked to remember that if there is an error elsewhere on the page which is a disaster as my final form has a ton of them.
Any ideas?
<?php
# Default Vars
$_group_01 = '';
if(isset($group_01) === TRUE){
# Is Array ?
if(is_array($group_01) === TRUE){
# Count
$c = count($group_01);
# Loop
for($i=0; $i < $c; $i++){
$_group_01.= (isset($group_01[$i]) === TRUE ? $group_01[$i] : '').($i == ($c-1) ? '' : ($i == $c-2 ? ' and ' : ', '));
}
}
}
if (isset($_POST['submit'])) {
$error = "";
if (!empty($_POST['email'])) {
$email = $_POST['email'];
if (!preg_match("/^[a-z0-9]+(\.[_a-z0-9-]+)*#[a-z0-9-]+(\.[a-z0-9-]+)*(\.[a-z]{2,3})$/i", $email)){
$error .= "E-mail address not valid.";
}
} else {
$error .= "E-mail address is required.";
}
if (empty($error)) {
$from = 'From: '. TEST .' <'. $email .'>';
$to = "someone#company.com";
$subject = "CHECKBOX TEST";
$content = "
checkbox selections:
Items Checked: $_group_01
";
$success = mail($to,$subject,$content,$from);
}
}
?>
<form action="<?php echo htmlentities($_SERVER['PHP_SELF']); ?>" method="post">
<span style="color: red;"><?php if (!empty($error)) echo $error ?></span>
<br><br><br>
e-mail: <input type="text" name="email" value="<?php if (isset ($_POST {'email'})) { echo $_POST['email']; } ?>" />
<P>
<input type="checkbox" name="group_01[]" value="Item 01"
<?php if(isset($_POST['group_01'])) { echo 'checked'; } ?> />Item 01
<input type="checkbox" name="group_01[]" value="Item 02"
<?php if(isset($_POST['group_01'])) { echo 'checked'; } ?> />Item 02
<input type="checkbox" name="group_01[]" value="Item 03"
<?php if(isset($_POST['group_01'])) { echo 'checked'; } ?> />Item 03
<input type="checkbox" name="group_01[]" value="Item 04"
<?php if(isset($_POST['group_01'])) { echo 'checked'; } ?> />Item 04
<input type="checkbox" name="group_01[]" value="Item 05"
<?php if(isset($_POST['group_01'])) { echo 'checked'; } ?> />Item 05
<P>
<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Submit"></input>
</form>