INSERT INTO database table, from form not working. SQL

Question

lets get straight to my problem, the code I have written here does not write to my database and I cannot figue out why. At the moment I am simply trying to get to grips with php and sql so there is no point to this form other than learning. Here is the error i am getting(the first sentence 'connected to database' is from my if statement):

"Connected to databaseError: You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near ''test' ('name') VALUES ('daniel')' at line 1"

The code I have may look a little confusing as some of it is from w3schools and some is from a friend. I cannot figure out why this code isn't working, I have tried many variations of the syntax based on loads of articles I have found online and on stackoverflow but none seem to work. I fear that maybe I am not even connectec to the database, although my if statement tells me otherwise, so that could be a problem?

Hopefully if this gets solved this question will clarify database connection and writing to a database from a form in one hit. Thanks in advance guys and here's my code.

HTML

<form action="insert.php" method="post">
Name: <input type="text" name="namefield" />
<input type="submit" />
</form>

PHP (insert.php)

<?php
$dbhost  = 'localhost';
$dbname  = 'carbon_db';
$dbuser  = 'username';
$dbpass  = 'password'; 

$con = mysql_connect($dbhost, $dbuser, $dbpass);

if($con == FALSE)
{
    echo 'Cannot connect to database' . mysql_error();
}
else
{
    echo 'Connected to database';
}

mysql_select_db($dbname, $con);


$sql="INSERT INTO 'test' ('name') 
VALUES ('$_POST[namefield]')";

if (!mysql_query($sql, $con))
{
    die('Error: ' . mysql_error());
}
echo "1 record added";

mysql_close($con)
?>

codaddict · Accepted Answer · 2011-08-18 09:47:18Z

6

Drop the quotes around the table name or change them to back ticks:

Change:

$sql="INSERT INTO 'test' ('name') VALUES ('$_POST[namefield]')";

To:

$sql="INSERT INTO test ('name') VALUES ('$_POST[namefield]')";

Or

$sql="INSERT INTO `test` ('name') VALUES ('$_POST[namefield]')";

answered Aug 18, 2011 at 9:47

codaddict

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1 Comment

J0HN Over a year ago

Or use proper quotes `` - it's a backticks actually. SO uses them for code highliting, so can't show how it wokrs :)

Mihai Iorga · Accepted Answer · 2011-08-18 09:50:05Z

4

It's often best to use backticks for MySQL as like any other storage engines it has it's own reserved names and it's own reserved insert practices.

try with

$sql = "INSERT INTO `test` (`name`) VALUES ('".$_POST['namefield']."')";

answered Aug 18, 2011 at 9:50

Mihai Iorga

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Comments

DaveRandom · Accepted Answer · 2011-08-18 09:49:05Z

3

Change the single quotes surrounding the table name and the column name to backticks. Or get rid of them all together.

$sql="INSERT INTO `test` (`name`)  VALUES ('{$_POST['namefield']}')";

Also, don't reference associative arrays ($_POST) directly in a string without using {} syntax or breaking up the string - what you have done there issues an E_NOTICE and should be avoided.

Read this thoroughly - you'd be amazed what you can (and can't) legally do in PHP strings...

answered Aug 18, 2011 at 9:49

DaveRandom

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3 Comments

daniel blythe Over a year ago

Perfect works like a charm, thanks a lot mate. Although I do have one problem now, I don't have backticks on my keyboard, think its because I using UK keyboard. Does anyone know how to get around this? or a shortcut to get them on my keyboard? " <- those quote didn't work anywhere.

DaveRandom Over a year ago

My UK keyboard has backticks on the top left key - below escape, above tab, to the left of number '1'.

daniel blythe Over a year ago

Ahh thank you, I found it. Well this has been an invaluable half hour. Thanks for your help mate.

Sleeperson · Accepted Answer · 2011-08-18 09:48:10Z

2

try using ` instead of ' when refering to table/column names

$sql="INSERT INTO `test` (`name`) 
VALUES ('$_POST[namefield]')";

answered Aug 18, 2011 at 9:48

Sleeperson

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Comments

Andreas Ågren · Accepted Answer · 2011-08-18 09:48:36Z

1

Remove the single quotes around your sql statement and replace with back-tics (not sure even they are necessary):

$sql="INSERT INTO `test` ('name') 
VALUES ('$_POST[namefield]')";

answered Aug 18, 2011 at 9:48

Andreas Ågren

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