Help urgently needed - bogus (?) error message

[Donny Bahama]

Please disregard this post. I found the problem.



This is a production page that I've somehow broken. (It was semi-working before, but cookies were not being set properly. The error message it's now throwing is "Parse error: syntax error, unexpected ',' in X:\Documents\webdev\localhost\dhs57\postcomment.ph p on line 209"

Line 209 in the code below is the first "setcookie" line.
If I comment out line 209, the error changes to read 210. If I comment out 209 and 210, the error still says 210. I don't see anything wrong with 209, 210 or anything before or after but I must be missing something. Hopefully someone here will see it.

PHP: Select all

$query = "INSERT INTO `comments` ( `ID` , `eventID` , `name` , `comment` ) ".
     "VALUES (NULL , '".$eventid."', '".$postname."', '".$postmsg."')";
    #echo $bdo."PC236<br>query=$query".$edo;
    #echo $bdo."PC237 - This is where we run the insert query".$edo;
    $result = mysql_query($query,$dblink) or die(mysql_error());
    if ($result) {
        #echo $bdo."PC238 - comments posted successfully".$edo;
        unset($_SESSION['eventid']);
        unset($_SESSION['postmsg']);
        if ($eventid < 20000) {
            $cmid = $eventid - 10000;
            $query = "SELECT Email FROM alumni WHERE ID = '".$cmid."'";
            $result = mysql_query($query,$dblink) or die(mysql_error());
            $rec = mysql_fetch_array($result);
            $sendto = $rec['Email'];
            if (strpos($sendto,"@") > 0) {
                $headers = "From: webmaster@dhs57.com";
                $subject = $postname.' has "signed your yearbook"!';
                $msgtext = $postname.' has "signed your yearbook" on DHS57.com. Check it out at http://www.dhs57.com - click on Classmates, then click on your name to see what your classmate had to say!';
                $sent = mail($sendto, $subject, $msgtext, $headers);
            } 
        } 
        setcookie("UserID", $_SESSION['userid'], time()+86400*180), "/", "dhs57.stickpuppy.com");  /* expire in 180 days */
        setcookie("postname", $_SESSION['postname'], time()+86400*180), "/", "dhs57.stickpuppy.com");  /* expire in 180 days */
        echo "<p>Your comment has been posted. Please <a href='".$return2."'>click here</a> or use your browser's 'Back' button to return to where you were.</p>";
    } else {
        #echo $bdo."PC239 - comment could not be posted".$edo;
        echo "An unknown error has occurred. Your comment could not be posted. Please ".
             "<a href='contact.php?msgid=57121'>notify the webmaster</a>.";
    }
}
?> 

[Donny Bahama]

OK - a bit of the info above is incorrect...

I went back to the page with the form and started over (as opposed to using F5 or Ctrl+F5 to test changes) and reposted the form and it stops giving the error if I comment out both setcookie lines.

So what the heck is wrong with my setcookie lines?

[Donny Bahama]

I found the problem. I'm missing an open parenthesis right after "time()+"

PHP: Select all

setcookie("UserID", $_SESSION['userid'], time()+86400*180), "/", "dhs57.stickpuppy.com");  /* expire in 180 days */
        setcookie("postname", $_SESSION['postname'], time()+86400*180), "/", "dhs57.stickpuppy.com");  /* expire in 180 days */
        echo "<p>Your comment has been posted. Please <a href='".$return2."'>click here</a> or use your browser's 'Back' button to return to where you were.</p>";
    } else {
        #echo $bdo."PC239 - comment could not be posted".$edo;
        echo "An unknown error has occurred. Your comment could not be posted. Please ".
             "<a href='contact.php?msgid=57121'>notify the webmaster</a>.";
    }
}
?> 

[/quote]

[masonbarge]

Bah, should have read to the bottom before I looked for the problem. Glad you found it.

You know, you don't need to concat and backtick PHP queries (at least in PHP 5 and later mysql 4, you might have to test it on your config):

PHP: Select all

$query = "INSERT INTO `comments` ( `ID` , `eventID` , `name` , `comment` ) " . "VALUES (NULL , '".$eventid."', '".$postname."', '".$postmsg."')"; 

SQL will read the variable values even if they are in single quotes

PHP: Select all

$query = "INSERT INTO comments ( ID,eventID,name,
comment) VALUES (NULL,'$eventid','$postname','$postmsg')"; 

Also, when you're posting code on the forum, it's a gazillion times easier to read if you use the Enter key to break up long lines and eliminate that horizontal scrollbar.

[Donny Bahama]

Originally Posted by masonbarge

Bah, should have read to the bottom before I looked for the problem. Glad you found it.

Really sorry to have wasted your time, Mason. I've updated the first post so this won't happen again.

You know, you don't need to concat and backtick PHP queries

I do know. The concatenation is a preference and the backticks are there from when I craft a query in phpMyAdmin then copy and paste.

Also, when you're posting code on the forum, it's a gazillion times easier to read if you use the Enter key to break up long lines and eliminate that horizontal scrollbar.

Thanks. I'll be sure to do that in the future.