Cleaning Up PHP Code

[Nynex]

Greetings All,

Im new to the forum and to PHP. The script i have written works just fine for now but i would like to try to "clean it up" a bit. Im sure since im new to this i will be writing bloated code for a while.

This script pulls information from a mysql DB and populates to a <select> dropdown menu.

Here is a snip of the code and some of the html.

<?php
$db = mysql_connect("");
mysql_select_db("admin", $db);
$StatusSql ="SELECT Status FROM ticket_status";
$StatusResult=mysql_query($StatusSql);
$options="";
while ($StatusRow=mysql_fetch_array($StatusResult)) {
$StatusThing=$StatusRow["Status"];
$StatusOptions.="<OPTION VALUE=\"$id\">".$StatusThing;
}
?>

<?php
mysql_select_db("admin", $db);
$CatSql ="SELECT Category FROM ticket_category";
$CatResult=mysql_query($CatSql);
$Catoptions="";
while ($CatRow=mysql_fetch_array($CatResult)) {
$CatThing=$CatRow["Category"];
$CatOptions.="<OPTION VALUE=\"$id\">".$CatThing;
}
?>
<?php
mysql_select_db("admin", $db);
$PriSql ="SELECT Priority FROM ticket_priority";
$PriResult=mysql_query($PriSql);
$Prioptions="";
while ($PriRow=mysql_fetch_array($PriResult)) {
$PriThing=$PriRow["Priority"];
$PriOptions.="<OPTION VALUE=\"$id\">".$PriThing;
}
?>
<?php
mysql_select_db("admin", $db);
$MethSql ="SELECT ContactMethod FROM ticket_contact";
$MethResult=mysql_query($MethSql);
$Methoptions="";
while ($MethRow=mysql_fetch_array($MethResult)) {
$MethThing=$MethRow["ContactMethod"];
$MethOptions.="<OPTION VALUE=\"$id\">".$MethThing;
}
?>

HTML

<SELECT NAME=Status>
<OPTION VALUE=0>Status
<?=$StatusOptions?>
</SELECT>

<SELECT NAME=Priority>
<OPTION VALUE=0>Priority
<?=$PriOptions?>
</SELECT>

<SELECT NAME=Method>
<OPTION VALUE=0>Method
<?=$MethOptions?>
</SELECT>

[bcarl314]

Well you might want to create a function...

Something like...

function getDBData($sql, $dbName="dbName", $dbUser="userName", $dbPass="Password") {
    //include generic varables for access to the database;
    //define result set to be returned from function
    $linkID = mysql_connect("localhost","$dbUser", "$dbPass");
    //connect to database
    if ($linkID != FALSE) {
        //if good connection, select the database
        mysql_select_db("$dbName", $linkID);
        $resultID = mysql_query("$sql", $linkID);
        //execute query
        if($resultID) {
            //if results, assign to result set
            $rs=$resultID;
        }
        else {
            die ("An error occured");
            //kill the program no results
        }
    }
    //close the database connection
    return $rs;
    mysql_close($linkID);
} 

Then just call it like this...

$sql = "SELECT * FROM TABLE";
$rs = getDBData($sql);
while($r = mysql_fetch_assoc($rs)) {
    //do something
}
mysql_free_result($rs); 

[Nynex]

Ok ive done something way wrong here.

I am using Nusphere PhpED to write this in. when i run it in the local environment all works perfectly when uploaded to the webserver i get several errors.

the page can be viewed at
http://nynex.cyberspeed.us/Tickets/addticket.php

here is the code ive included all the code. here are the errors:

<ERRORS>
Notice: Undefined variable: StatusOptions in C:\Inetpub\nynex_cyberspeed_us\Tickets\addticket.php on line 9

Notice: Undefined variable: id in C:\Inetpub\nynex_cyberspeed_us\Tickets\addticket.php on line 20

Notice: Undefined variable: CatOptions in C:\Inetpub\nynex_cyberspeed_us\Tickets\addticket.php on line 20

Notice: Undefined variable: id in C:\Inetpub\nynex_cyberspeed_us\Tickets\addticket.php on line 20

Notice: Undefined variable: id in C:\Inetpub\nynex_cyberspeed_us\Tickets\addticket.php on line 20

Notice: Undefined variable: PriOptions in C:\Inetpub\nynex_cyberspeed_us\Tickets\addticket.php on line 30

Notice: Undefined variable: id in C:\Inetpub\nynex_cyberspeed_us\Tickets\addticket.php on line 40

Notice: Undefined variable: MethOptions in C:\Inetpub\nynex_cyberspeed_us\Tickets\addticket.php on line 40

Notice: Undefined variable: id in C:\Inetpub\nynex_cyberspeed_us\Tickets\addticket.php on line 40

Notice: Undefined variable: id in C:\Inetpub\nynex_cyberspeed_us\Tickets\addticket.php on line 40
</Errors>

<?php
$db = mysql_connect("", "", "");
mysql_select_db("admin", $db);
$StatusSql ="SELECT Status FROM ticket_status";
$StatusResult=mysql_query($StatusSql);
$options="";
while ($StatusRow==mysql_fetch_array($StatusResult)) {
$StatusThing=$StatusRow["Status"];
$StatusOptions.="<OPTION VALUE=\"\">".$StatusThing;
}
?>

<?php
mysql_select_db("admin", $db);
$CatSql ="SELECT Category FROM ticket_category";
$CatResult=mysql_query($CatSql);
$Catoptions="";
while ($CatRow==mysql_fetch_array($CatResult)) {
$CatThing=$CatRow["Category"];
$CatOptions.="<OPTION VALUE=\"$id\">".$CatThing;
}
?>
<?php
mysql_select_db("admin", $db);
$PriSql ="SELECT Priority FROM ticket_priority";
$PriResult=mysql_query($PriSql);
$Prioptions="";
while ($PriRow==mysql_fetch_array($PriResult)) {
$PriThing=$PriRow["Priority"];
$PriOptions.="<OPTION VALUE=\"\">".$PriThing;
}
?>
<?php
mysql_select_db("admin", $db);
$MethSql ="SELECT ContactMethod FROM ticket_contact";
$MethResult=mysql_query($MethSql);
$Methoptions="";
while ($MethRow==mysql_fetch_array($MethResult)) {
$MethThing=$MethRow["ContactMethod"];
$MethOptions.="<OPTION VALUE=\"$id\">".$MethThing;
}
?>
<html>
<head>
</head>
<body>
<strong><font size="2">Ticket Entry</strong></font>
<br>
<form method="post" name="addticket" action="addticket.php">
<form type="hidden" name="CustomerID" value="<!-- need to insert php code here !-->">
<table width="600" border="1" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bordercolor="cccccc">
<tr bgcolor="#F3F3F3">
<td width="800" colspan="2">
<table width="725" height="312" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1">
<tr>
<td width="11%" height="18">
<div align="right">User: </div>
</td>
<td width="18%" valign="middle">&nbsp;<b><!-- crete a script that will auto insert a cust id into field from previous page !--></b></td>
<td width="15%">
<div align="right">Quoted Hours:&nbsp;</div>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<input type="text" name="Quoted" class="txtbox">
</td>
<td width="19%">
<div align="right">Tickets This Month:&nbsp;</div>
</td>
<td width="21%"> <!-- create a script to count total tickets for user this month !--></td>
</tr>
<% end if %>
<tr>
<td width="11%" height="18">
<div align="right">Assigned To:&nbsp;</div>
</td>
<td width="18%" valign="middle">
<select name="AssignedTo">
<!-- Need to write a script to select from admin users table !-->
</select>
&nbsp; </td>
<td width="15%">
<div align="right">Time Spent:&nbsp;</div>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<input type="text" name="TimeSpent" class="txtbox">
</td>
<td width="19%">
<div align="right">Total Tickets:&nbsp;</div>
</td>
<td width="21%"> <!-- create a script yo display current total tickets !--></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="17" width="11%">
<div align="right">Status:&nbsp; </div>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<SELECT NAME=Status>
<OPTION VALUE=0>Status
<?=$StatusOptions?>
</SELECT>
</td>
<td height="16" width="15%">
<div align="right">Billable:&nbsp;</div>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<input type="checkbox" name="Billable">
</td>
<td width="19%">
<div align="right">Created:&nbsp;</div>
</td>
<td width="21%"><!-- create script to insert date and time !--></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="11%">
<div align="right">Category:&nbsp;</div>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<SELECT NAME=Category>
<OPTION VALUE=0>Category
<?=$CatOptions?>
</SELECT>
</td>
<td height="16" width="15%">
<div align="right">Billed:&nbsp;</div>
</td>
<td width="16%">
<input type="checkbox" name="Billed">
</td>
<td width="19%">
<div align="right">Opened By:&nbsp;</div>
</td>
<td width="21%"><!-- create a script to auto insert creator of ticket from the login id !--></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="17" width="11%">
<div align="right">Priority:&nbsp;</div>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<SELECT NAME=Priority>
<OPTION VALUE=0>Priority
<?=$PriOptions?>
</SELECT>
</td>
<td height="4" width="15%">
<div align="right">E-mail User:&nbsp;</div>
</td>
<td height="4" width="16%">
<input type="checkbox" name="E-mailUser" value="checkbox">
</td>
<td width="19%">
<div align="right">Customer Name: </div>
</td>
<td width="21%">&nbsp;<!-- create script to select from customer table field comapny name so company name is display here !--></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="17" width="11%">
<div align="right">Contact By:&nbsp;</div>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<SELECT NAME=Method>
<OPTION VALUE=0>Method
<?=$MethOptions?>
</SELECT>
</td>
<td height="2" width="15%">
<div align="right">E-mail Assigned To: </div>
</td>
<td height="2" width="16%">
<input type="checkbox" name="emailadmin" checked><!-- if checked will send email to assigned to !-->
</td>
<td width="19%">
<div align="right">Phone Number: </div>
</td>
<td width="21%">&nbsp;<!-- create a script to get phone number from customer table !--></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="11%">
<div align="right">Due Date:&nbsp;</div>
</td>
<td width="18%">
<input type="text" name="CompleteBy" value="" class="txtbox">
</td>
<td height="2" width="15%">
<div align="right">Show To Customer:&nbsp;</div>
</td>
<td height="2" width="16%">
<input type="checkbox" name="showtocustomer" ><!-- if true set "ShowToCustomer" to 1 !-->
</td>
<td width="19%">
<div align="right">Add to Knowledge Base:&nbsp;</div>
</td>
<td width="21%">
<input type="checkbox" name="KnowledgeBase"><!-- if true set "PubKB" to 1 !-->
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="6"> Subject:<br>
<input type="text" name="Subject" value="" size="100" >
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="6"> Description:<br>
<textarea name="Description" rows="5" cols="100" ></textarea>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="10" colspan="6"> Resolution:<br>
<textarea name="Resolution" rows="5" width=5 cols="100"></textarea>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="10" colspan="6"> Internal Notes:<br>
<textarea name="HiddenResolution" rows="5" width=5 cols="100"></textarea>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<div align="right">

<input type="image" src="../images/save.jpg" width="50" height="17" border="0">
<a href="#" onClick="if (confirm('Nynex Admin:\nAre you sure you want to reset the form\?')) {document.forms[0].reset()};"><img src="../images/reset.jpg" width="50" height="17" border="0"></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
</div></td>
</tr>
</table>
</form>
</body>
</html>

[mordred]

Your local environment and the server may have different configuration settings. Check the values with phpinfo() and look what's different. In your case, the server has error_reporting set at a more verbose level. It's reporting the use of undefined variables, and that's a good thing - it's showing where something fuzzy is going on in your code so you can take a closer look and fix it.

You need to initialize a variable first before you use the assignment operator on it. This will throw an error:

$foo .= "bar";

but this is ok

$foo = "";
$foo .= "bar";

Further, the variable $id seems to be nowhere defined. I can't see where it should come from, you need to tell us.

P.S: You need to read the Posting Guidelines, especially point 4.