I've completed all the files in the Hotel Registration project including the change_booking_details.php file and am now testing from the beginning of the booking process. The correct booking shows up in confirm_booking.php but when I try to make a correction, I get this message:

Parse error: parse error, unexpected '[' in c:\program files\apache group\apache\htdocs\karen\dreamweaverhotel\booking s2\change_booking_details.php on line 50

My code looks like this:

  mysql_select_db($database_dreamweaverhotel, $dreamweaverhotel);
  $Result1 = mysql_query($updateSQL, $dreamweaverhotel) or die(mysql_error());

  $updateGoTo = "booking_updated.php? ID=" . HTTP_POST_VARS['bookingID'] . "&clientID=" . HTTP_POST_VARS['clientID'] . "";
  if (isset($_SERVER['QUERY_STRING'])) {
    $updateGoTo .= (strpos($updateGoTo, '?')) ? "&" : "?";
    $updateGoTo .= $_SERVER['QUERY_STRING'];
  }
  header(sprintf("Location: %s", $updateGoTo));
}
 with line 50 at the $updateGoTo.

The book on p. 145 has instructions for putting a submit button in the form but the illustration on the next page has a link. I've tried it both ways but still get the same error message.

My questions: What is going on here and do I need to make changes in the code that's offered in the book?

Thanks,

You're missing the dollar signs in front of your variable names (HTTP_POST_VARS)

Also, you should replace all instances of HTTP_xxx_VARS with their $_xxx counterparts:

$HTTP_POST_VARS => $_POST
$HTTP_GET_VARS => $_GET
  etc... for COOKIE, SESSION, ENV, SERVER


http://www.php.net/variables.predefined
http://www.php.net/reserved.variables

Take care,

Nik
http://www.bigaction.org/

Thank you, Nik! I typed in the update record parameters from the screenshot on p. 155 which doesn't have the $ in front of the variables. In the text the author does include the $, though.

I did not delete the $HTTP_ in front of my variables however. The page seems to be working just fine with them included. In fact, all the php files from Ch. 6 are working beautifully.

Now I'm going to really work on PHP basics -- Dreamweaver is ok but it seems to write buggy code lots of times.

Karen

I highly recommend you DO change $HTTP_xxxx_VARS to $_xxxx -- the old style variables ($HTTP_xxx_VARS) have been deprecated since PHP version 4.1.0, having been replaced by the $_xxxx versions.

By explicitly keeping the old-style variables in your code, you run the risk of having your code NOT work on future versions of PHP. PHP5 is just around the corner, and while the first versions might still support HTTP_xxx_VARS, the PHP guys aren't required to continue supporting it.


Take care,

Nik
http://www.bigaction.org/

i cannot get Chapter 6 code to work, regardless of what I do. Do you have the code, please, so I can reference mine. I'm using php 4.3.8 + am totally stuck. Help!!!!!!!

Nicolai,
I agree we should use the later style variables.
However we cant get the code working from the book with either version.

On page 203 the author says
"In the newest versions of PHP, 4.1 and above, these arrays have been deprecated in favor of the following arrays $_POST and $_GET. However, this syntax is not available on servers with older versions of the PHP scripting engine - SO WE WONT USE IT"

Can you help us contact the authors to advise us in this forum?

Regards



RinseBouy