$_POST - What does it mean?
 

Hi guys,

I have been looking at various form processing scripts, bascially to gain some understanding of how they work.

I have managed to work through one section apart from one bit. I keep seeing the following:

$_POST

I was just wondering what this was. I am using Dreamweaver MX and it changes the colour of every $_POST. So it doesnt look like a variable.

Can someone explain what it is and what it does - or is it just a variable for something?

Thanks,
JameZ ;)

Re: $_POST - What does it mean?
 

I think i know what this is now....is it a replacement for the $HTTP_POST_VARS function?

Basically it stores the data from a form that has been submitted with the post action. Is that right?

J

Re: $_POST - What does it mean?
 

Yup. its a way to pass data from one page to another. you could call it a variable but as you say its moved around by HTTP rather than php scripts temselves.
and yes it is a replacement for HTTP_POST_VARS .. somewhat shorter and easier to remember dont you think :)

Re: $_POST - What does it mean?
 

hehehe....yeah a lot easier to remember. Its just i have 2 EXCELLENT books that i have learnt PHP from but neither of them mention $_POST....when i found out that it was a replacement for HTTP... i found it in one of them immediately!

You said its a way to pass data from one page to another....how exactly? Is it JUST a way to pass info from an HTML form to a php script? Or can you pass php variable data from a php script to another php script?

JameZ

Re: $_POST - What does it mean?
 

Well yes because its passed using the HTTP headers you can use it for anything from php to ASP to javascript etc.
When requesting a page page.html for example. the header requests it using the URL http://www.domain.com/page.html .
If you pass data in the '$_POST' http variables it is also sent in the header in the form of a string (9 think POST is invisible and GET is visible, i forget which way round that is though) eg. http://www.domain.com/page.html?vari...something_else and so on
You can then call this information for use in say and email script or whatever use you may have for it.