PHP $_GET with jQuery $.get call - php

Question

I am currently learning jQuery and php.
So I have this php file that gets called with a jQuery function (there is another call somewhere else in the script where a=chkPw):
$.get("checkName.php?a=chkUser&user=" + rqUser, function(data) { ... });
My problem is that the php script doesn't seem to get in the if(isset($_GET)) { } block. I have debugged the value that it returns (1), so I don't understand what's wrong! I have also debugged the value for $_GET['a'] and it is indeed 'chkUser'.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
<?php
$users = array('bill' => 'ore', 'ted' => 'wood');
if (isset($_GET)) {
if ($_GET['a'] == 'chkUser') {
if (!array_key_exists($_GET['user'], $users)) {
echo 'okay';
} else {
echo 'denied';
}
} elseif ($_GET['a'] == 'checkPw') {
$user = $_GET['user'];
$pw = $_GET['pw'];
$i = 0;
// get username id
foreach (array_keys($users) as $value) {
if ($value == $user) {
$user = $users[i];
}
i++;
}
// match pw
if ($pw == $user) {
echo 'okay';
} else {
echo 'denied'
}
}
}
?>

Answer 1

Hey it seems to me that this is working:
<script src="//ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.8.0/jquery.min.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
$.get("checkNames.php?a=chkUser&user=bill", function(data) { console.log(data) });
$.get("checkNames.php?a=chkPass&user=bill&pw=ore", function(data) { console.log(data) });
</script>
<?php
$users = array('bill' => 'ore', 'ted' => 'wood');
if (isset($_GET["a"])) {
if ($_GET["a"] == 'chkUser') {
if (!array_key_exists($_GET['user'], $users)) {
echo 'okay';
} else {
echo 'denied';
}
} elseif ($_GET["a"] == 'chkPass') {
$user = $_GET['user'];
$pw = $_GET['pw'];
if(array_key_exists($user, $users))
{
if($users[$user] == $pw)
{
echo "okay";
}
else
{
echo "denied";
}
}
else
{
echo "denied";
}
}
}
?>

Answer 2

Try this if statement instead of current
if (count($_GET) > 0) {
// existing code
}
Hope this will help you.

Answer 3

With a url like www.something.com/index.html?a=1 This code does in fact work on testing:
$users = array('bill' => 'ore', 'ted' => 'wood');
if (isset($_GET)) {
echo 'something';
}
Try commenting it down further to let us know if it is the whole whole elseif or just a part of it

Answer 4

You could try this:
<?php
if(!empty($_GET)){
...
}
?>
To be sure about the GET payload use var_dump($_GET)