php email validation (filter_validate_email) Not Working

StackOverflow https://stackoverflow.com/questions/20631374

Question

I know there are numerous questions about this however I just can not seem to pick the error with my coding. I know it is something simple but I can not see it.

I have to create a form which when it is submitted the data will be inputted into MySQL database however the data needs to be validated first. I have 2 issues with this, the first being my email validation is not working using: (filter_var($email, filter_validate_email))

The problem is that when I submit the form it returns true regardless of if the email is valid or not. If I put (!filter_var($email, filter_validate_email)) it returns false regardless of the input.

The second problem is that when loading the page it initially adds a blank entry into the SQL database and it adds entries that aren’t valid. i.e. if I don’t enter a name when the form is submitted the validation runs and I get the error message “name is required” but it still creates an entry in the table with a blank name.

I am using PHP version 5.3.27

This is for my tafe course i am doing however they are on holidays at the moment so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Coding from file 1:

<body>
<?php

// define variables and set to empty values
$nameErr;
$Name = $Address = $Phone = $Mobile = $Email="example@example.com";

if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST")
{

if (empty($_POST["Name"]))
{$nameErr = "Name is required"; }

else {$Name = test_input($_POST["Name"]);}

if (empty($_POST["Address"]))
 {$Address = "";}
else
 {$Address = test_input($_POST["Address"]);}

if (empty($_POST["Phone"]))
 {$Phone = "";}
else
 {$Phone = test_input($_POST["Phone"]);}

if (empty($_POST["Mobile"]))
 {$Mobile = "";}
else
 {$Mobile = test_input($_POST["Mobile"]);}  


if(filter_var($Email, FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL)){ 
 echo"Valid Email";
 }
else{ 
echo "Not a Valid Email";    
}
echo phpinfo();
}

function test_input($data)
{
$data = trim($data);
$data = stripslashes($data);
$data = htmlspecialchars($data);
return $data;
}

?>

<form name="addcontact" method="post" action= "<?php echo htmlspecialchars($_SERVER["PHP_SELF"]);?>", "add-contact.php">

<table border="1" cellpadding="2">
<caption> Add New Caption </caption>
<tr>
<td><label for="Name">Name</label></td>
<td><input type="text" name="Name" size="30" maxlenght="50" tabindex="1"/> <span class="error">*<?php echo $nameErr;?></span>
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><label for="Address">Address</label></td>
<td><textarea name="Address" cols="45" rows="5" tabindex="2"></textarea></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><label for="Phone">Phone</label></td>
<td><input type="text" name="Phone" size="20" maxlenght="20" tabindex="3" /> </td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><label for="Mobile">Mobile</label></td>
<td><input type="text" name="Mobile" size="20" maxlenght="20" tabindex="4" /> </td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><label for="Email">Email</label></td>
<td><input type="text" name="Email" size="30" maxlenght="50" tabindex="5" /></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td colspan"2" align="center"><input type="Submit" name="Submit" value="Submit" tabindex="6"/>      
</td>
</tr>


</table>
</form>

<?php 
include("add-contact.php");
?>


</body>
</html>`

And coding from file 2:


<body>
<?php 
$Name = $_POST["Name"];
$Address = $_POST["Address"];
$Phone = $_POST["Phone"];
$Mobile = $_POST["Mobile"];
$Email = $_POST["Email"];


$dbc = mysql_connect("localhost:3306", "root", "webbm01");
if (!$dbc)
die ('Could not connect: ' .mysql_error());


$db_selected = mysql_select_db("tafe", $dbc );
if (!$db_selected)
die ('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());

$qry
 = "INSERT INTO contacts (Name, Address, Phone, Mobile, Email) VALUES ('" . addslashes($Name) . "', '" . addslashes($Address) . "', '" . addslashes($Phone) . "', '" . addslashes($Mobile). "', '" . addslashes($Email) . "')";

$rst = mysql_query($qry, $dbc);

if ($rst)
{
echo "<b><font color='green'>The contact has been added.</font></b>";
}
else 
{
echo "<b><font color='red'>Error: ". mysql_error($dbc) . ". The contact could not be added.</font></b>";
}

mysql_free_result($rst);


?>
</body>
</html>
Was it helpful?

Solution

check this code for email validation etc :

<body> <?php

// define variables and set to empty values


if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST") {

if (empty($_POST["Name"])) {$nameErr = "Name is required"; }else {$Name = htmlspecialchars($_POST["Name"]);}

if (empty($_POST["Address"]))  {$Address = "";}else{$Address = htmlspecialchars($_POST["Address"]);}

if (empty($_POST["Phone"]))  {$Phone = "";}else {$Phone = htmlspecialchars($_POST["Phone"]);}

if (empty($_POST["Mobile"]))  {$Mobile = "";}else {$Mobile = htmlspecialchars($_POST["Mobile"]);}  


if(filter_var($_POST['Email'], FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL)){   echo"Valid Email";  }else{ echo "Not a Valid Email"; }

}

?>

<form name="addcontact" method="post" action= "<?php echo $_SERVER["PHP_SELF"];?>">

<table border="1" cellpadding="2"> <caption> Add New Caption </caption> <tr> <td><label for="Name">Name</label></td> <td><input type="text" name="Name" size="30" maxlenght="50" tabindex="1"/> <span class="error">*<?php echo $nameErr;?></span> </td> </tr>

<tr> <td><label for="Address">Address</label></td> <td><textarea name="Address" cols="45" rows="5" tabindex="2"></textarea></td> </tr>

<tr> <td><label for="Phone">Phone</label></td> <td><input type="text" name="Phone" size="20" maxlenght="20" tabindex="3" /> </td> </tr>

<tr> <td><label for="Mobile">Mobile</label></td> <td><input type="text" name="Mobile" size="20" maxlenght="20" tabindex="4" /> </td> </tr> <tr> <td><label for="Email">Email</label></td> <td><input type="text" name="Email" size="30" maxlenght="50" tabindex="5" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan"2" align="center"><input type="Submit" name="Submit" value="Submit" tabindex="6"/>       </td> </tr> </table> </form>

</body> </html>`

OTHER TIPS

The validation should happen in the file:

'add-contact.php'

Since this is what the from action is calling on submit.

The initial validators are meaningless since the $_POST array is not initialized.

The reason for the empty SQL insert statement is because you decide to do:

include("add-contact.php");

In the first file and it is running without valid $_POST initialization on each load of the page.

Remove the line include("add-contact.php");

This will stop the blank insertion in the database. Also remove the action 

<?php echo htmlspecialchars($_SERVER["PHP_SELF"]);?>

Just try action="add-contact.php". Email validation is working fine for me.

Licensed under: CC-BY-SA with attribution
Not affiliated with StackOverflow
scroll top