checking if a user has already posted

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January 9th, 2003, 07:01 AM

Vasarab69

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checking if a user has already posted

hi....ive integrated a simple script into my site (and databases) so that if a user would like to add his/her websites link, then they can do it through a form... when the user clicks the submit button, the script trims it of extraneous space in the beginning of each field and then enters it into a table called links (in the db)... ive also made it so that the have to be logged in, in order to add a link and everythng works fine...but how would i make it so that the user is only allowed to add one link...?

the below is a snippet of the "process" action, to which the form is posted...

PHP Code:


		
			
<?php

    elseif($action=="process") {

        if(verify()) {

        global $forums;

        // trim incoming data

            $Array["address"] = trim($Array["address"]);

            $Array["title"] = trim($Array["title"]);

            $Array["description"] = trim($Array["description"]);

        

        $tempname    =    $forums->member['name'];

        

        $Link = mysql_connect ($Host, $User, $Password);

        $Query = "INSERT into $TableName VALUES ('0', '$Array[address]', '$Array[title]', '$Array[description]', '$tempname', '1')";

        

        if (mysql_db_query($DBName, $Query, $Link)) {



            print    ("<center>");

            print    ("Your website's link has successfully been added to our databases.\n");

            print    ("Return to the links section by clicking <a href=\"index.php?page=links\">here</a>.  Otherwise

                        please use the navigation bar to your left.  Thank you.\n");

            print    ("</center>");



        mysql_close($Link);

        } // END mysql db query

        } else { ?><body onload="where='index.php?page=links&action=addlink'; setTimeout('document.location.href=where',10000);">

        <?php

            print    ('<center>');

            print    ('There was a problem with your input.  Please use the link below to return to the form.  Thank you.');

            print    ('<br>');

            print    ('Click <a href='. $PHP_SELF .'?page=links&action=addlink>here</a> to return to the links page.');

            print    ('<br>');

            print    ('If you do not click the link, you will automatically be redirected in 10 seconds.');

            print    ('</center>');

            ?></body><?php

            } // END if db query was executed statement

        } // END elseif statement

?>

the form the db table follows is:

"id", "address", "title", "description", "username", "posted"

the "posted" column is either a 1, or a 0...if its a 0 then they have not posted however i think i can just get rid of that entire column if someone could enlighten me as to how to check if its a duplicate entry for the username column... thanks--

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-Alexander

January 9th, 2003, 07:47 AM

Taelo

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set a cookie,...or

add an extra field to your users table

added_link ENUM 'Y','N'

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-- Jason

January 9th, 2003, 02:53 PM

Vasarab69

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cant i just connect to the database, check if the users username is in the table and if it is display a message telling the user that they have posted already, if not then submit the info to the database...yes yes...but how??

January 9th, 2003, 03:55 PM

Taelo

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If they are already a user, then add another field type ENUM values = 'Y','N'

then when they submit,...change that value from N to Y

January 10th, 2003, 06:00 AM

Vasarab69

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okay, i see what you are saying, but wouldn't it just be easier to check if their username has already been input on the links table...keep in mind i'm not using the same tables here...ive got one tables thats got the users data when they registered (usernames, md5 passes, etc.) and then one that holds the links...so if there is a match between the username that the user is logged in as, and one on the links table, they shouldn't be allowed to post...my question is how do i accomplish this?

January 10th, 2003, 09:59 AM

Taelo

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ohhh I see,....

PHP Code:


		
			
 $sqlQ = select userID  from users left join links on links.FKuserID = users.userID where users.userID = '{$_SESSION['userID']}'

January 10th, 2003, 02:38 PM

Vasarab69

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i cant understand that...but im sure if/when i get it, it will help, thanks--

January 10th, 2003, 05:26 PM

Taelo

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heres what that is doing.

You know the user ID, either by a cookie or session. so you query your user table and the links table looking for a match in userID.

Make sense?

If a match exists in that query

PHP Code:


		
			
if(mysql_num_rows($sqlQ) == 1)

Then you know what to do there.

make sense?

Last edited by Taelo : January 10th, 2003 at 06:51 PM.

January 10th, 2003, 06:07 PM

kylie

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Its actually quite simple fellas. Firstly add a field called userId to your links table. When a user adds a link, also store there user Id in that table.

Then to make sure that they can post again, you do the following

PHP Code:


		
			
 $result = mysql_query("SELECT count(*) FROM $tableName WHERE userId = '$userId'");



$post = (mysql_result($result, 0, 0) == 0 ? true : false)



if($post)

//run insert query here

else

//already posted

as simple as that.

#10

January 11th, 2003, 02:23 AM

Vasarab69

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Join Date: Nov 2002

Posts: 71

Time spent in forums: 5 m 25 sec
Reputation Power: 6

genuis...

thanks kylie and taelo for the help

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