updating names not values

[forgot]

  > Hi guys, I blinked and got lost. All I want to do is copy Payfile to Pmtfile and then update records in 
Payfile that have been paid(amtpaid !=''). The update doesn't happen and the insert-note comments at botom of post.

 <?php
$link = mysqli_connect("localhost", "root", "", "prerentdb"); 
// Check connection
if($link === false){ die("ERROR: Could not connect. " . mysqli_connect_error()); } 

 $id = ' ';
     $tenant = 'tenant';
     $unit = 'unit';
     $amtdue = 'amtdue';
     $amtpaid = 'amtpaid';          
     $dueday = 'dueday';
     $late = 'late';
     $prevbal = 'prevbal'; 
     $latechg = 'latechg';
     $secdep = 'secdep';
     $damage = 'damage'; 
     $courtcost = 'courtcost';
     $nsf = 'nsf';
     $chgmoyr = 'chgmoyr';
     $hudpay = 'hudpay';
     $datepaid = 'datepaid';
     $paidsum = 'paidsum';
     $comments = 'comments';
     $phone = 'phone';
     $cell = 'cell';

// Attempt select query execution
$result = mysqli_query($link,"SELECT * FROM payfile");
 while($row = mysqli_fetch_array($result))  {

//
//MySqli Insert Query *** inserts strings, not values ***
 $sql = "INSERT INTO pmthist (tenant, unit, amtdue, amtpaid, dueday, late, hudpay, paidsum, 
 datepaid, prevbal, latechg, secdep, damage, courtcost, nsf, chgmoyr, comments, phone, cell) 
VALUES('$tenant', '$unit', '$amtdue', '$amtpaid', '$dueday', '$late',  '$hudpay', '$paidsum', 
'$datepaid', '$prevbal', '$latechg', '$secdep', '$damage', '$courtcost', '$nsf', '$chgmoyr',
'$comments', '$phone', '$cell')"; 
if ($link->query($sql) === TRUE) { echo "New records created"; } 
else { echo "Error: " . $sql . "<br>" . $link->error; }

// Perform a query  *** doesn't update ***
$sql = "UPDATE payfile set 
amtpaid = '', late ='', hudpay ='',  paidsum ='', datepaid ='', 
latechg = '', secdep = '', damage = '', courtcost = '', nsf = '', chgmoyr = ' ', comments =' '  
WHERE amtpaid =!''";
if ($link->query($sql) === TRUE) { echo "payfile refreshed"; } 
else { echo "Error: " . $sql . "<br>" . $link->error; }
}
?>
      > This is a record that was supposed to be inserted followed by what was inserted:
1   tenant1 apt1 530.00  530.00    
44 tenant unit  0.00  0.00

[patk570]

$sql = "UPDATE payfile set 
amtpaid = '', late ='', hudpay ='',  paidsum ='',      datepaid ='', 
 latechg = '', secdep = '', damage = '',     courtcost = '', nsf = '', chgmoyr = ' ', comments    =' '  
 WHERE amtpaid =!''";

This is all blank quotes, so nothing is going to be updated

[forgot]

why doesn't it insert the other fields?

[patk570]

Echo $sql in your first statement and see what values are being submitted. See if any are null or not being converted to strings that is unrecognizable.