Paginate results from a multi variable query mysql database - php

Question

I have a mysql database and use a multi variable search page, find.php, to input variables. The results come out correctly (count is correct and so is page 1 of the results) but when I try and go to the next page I get an error :: Undefined index: term1 line 60 ::Undefined index: term2 line 61 and so on.
Search2.php is as set below:
<?php
include "db.inc.php";
if (isset($_GET["page"])) { $page = $_GET["page"]; } else { $page=1; };
$start_from = ($page-1) * 15;
$term1 = $_POST['term1'];
$term2 = $_POST['term2'];
$term3 = $_POST['term3'];
$term4 = $_POST['term4'];
$sql ="SELECT * FROM cdrequests WHERE pname LIKE '%$term1%' AND date LIKE '%$term2%' AND date LIKE '%$term3%' AND dept LIKE '%$term4%' LIMIT $start_from, 15";
$rs_result = mysql_query ($sql);
$num_rows = mysql_num_rows($rs_result);
$query = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM cdrequests WHERE pname LIKE '%$term1%' AND date LIKE '%$term2%' AND date LIKE '%$term3%' AND dept LIKE '%$term4%'");
$number=mysql_num_rows($query);
print "<font size=\"5\" color=white><b>CD Requests</b></font> </P>";
?>
pagination structure
<?php
$sql = "SELECT COUNT(id) FROM cdrequests WHERE pname LIKE '%$term1%' AND date LIKE '%$term2%' AND date LIKE '%$term3%' AND dept LIKE '%$term4%'";
$rs_result = mysql_query($sql);
$row = mysql_fetch_row($rs_result);
$total_records = $row[0];
$total_pages = ceil($total_records / 15);
/****** build the pagination links ******/
// range of num links to show
$range = 3;
// if not on page 1, don't show back links
if ($page > 1) {
// show << link to go back to page 1
echo " <a href='search2.php?page=1'><b>First</b></a> ";
// get previous page num
$prev = $page - 1;
// show < link to go back to 1 page
echo " <a href='search2.php?page=$prev'><b>«</b></a> ";
} // end if
// loop to show links to range of pages around current page
for ($x = ($page - $range); $x < (($page + $range) + 1); $x++) {
// if it's a valid page number...
if (($x > 0) && ($x <= $total_pages)) {
// if we're on current page...
if ($x == $page) {
// 'highlight' it but don't make a link
echo " <font size='5' color=yellow><b> $x </b></font> ";
// if not current page...
} else {
// make it a link
echo " <a href='search2.php?page=$x'>$x</a> ";
} // end else
} // end if
} // end for
// if not on last page, show forward and last page links
if ($page != $total_pages) {
// get next page
$next = $page + 1;
// echo forward link for next page
echo " <a href='search2.php?page=$next'><b>»</b></a> ";
// echo forward link for lastpage
echo " <a href='search2.php?page=$total_pages'><b>Last</b></a> ";
} // end if
/****** end build pagination links ******/
echo '</table>';
?>
Somehow going to page 2 fails to carry over proper info of variable term 1, term2 etc.
Any idea/help appreciated

Answer 1

Your page links do not pass term1, term2, etc. back to the server. Also if you are going to pass them in the link then you need to check $_REQUEST['term1'], $_REQUEST['term2'], etc. to cover both GET and POST requests.
The code of the links should be like this:
echo " <a href='search2.php?page=$next".
"&term1=".urlencode($term1).
"&term2=".urlencode($term2).
"&term3=".urlencode($term3).
"&term4=".urlencode($term4)"'><b>»</b></a> ";
If you have too many parameters to pass to the server then you should probably consider sending POST requests when clicking on the links using JavaScript.