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Now that you have a means to connect to a database, you can start replacing and upgrading some of the placeholder code you used in the previous chapter’s examples. Rather than using static arrays to house information on names within the database, you can get an up-to-date listing of all names in the database on the fly by merely including your database connection script (containing the PHP code to connect to the database) and performing a query to scour the user table for all name instances. Two files are in need of some dire code replacement, autocomp.php and validator.php.

<?php
//autocomp.php
//Add in our database connector.
require_once ("dbconnector.php");
//And open a database connection.
$db = opendatabase();
$foundarr = array ();
//Set up the dynamic query string.
$querystr = "SELECT name FROM user WHERE name LIKE ➥
LOWER('%" . mysql_real_escape_string ($_GET['sstring']) . "%') ORDER BY name ASC";
if ($userquery = mysql_query ($querystr)){
while ($userdata = mysql_fetch_array ($userquery)){
if (!get_magic_quotes_gpc()){
$foundarr[] = stripslashes ($userdata['name']);
} else {
$foundarr[] = $userdata['name'];
}
}
} else {
echo mysql_error();
}
//If we have any matches, then we can go through and display them.
if (count ($foundarr) > 0){
?>
<div style="background: #CCCCCC; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px;➥
border-color: #000000;">
<?php
for ($i = 0; $i < count ($foundarr); $i++){
?><div style="padding: 4px; height: 14px;" onmouseover=➥
"this.style.background = '#EEEEEE'" onmouseout=➥
"this.style.background = '#CCCCCC'" onclick=➥
"setvalue ('<?php echo $foundarr[$i]; ?>')"><?php echo $foundarr[$i]; ?></div><?php
}
?>
</div>
<?php
}
?>

Notice how the preceding code affects your autocomp.php file. Now, rather than referencing an array to check for name matches, the system actually checks within the database for any matches, using the LIKE operator. This works far better by allowing the system to check dynamically for any new names that may be in the database.
Similarly, your validator.php file now does much the same validation checking as your autocomp.php file. This time, however, rather than checking for an exact match against an array of names, the system now checks for an actual database match for the name in question. Again, this is far superior, as you now have a means to properly store information on saved names. Note that the code flow is largely the same, but now it is done properly via a real data storage model, and the result is a nicely validated form

<?php
//validator.php
//Add in our database connector.
require_once ("dbconnector.php");
//And open a database connection.
$db = opendatabase();
//Set up the dynamic query string.
$querystr = "SELECT userid FROM user WHERE name = ➥
LOWER('" . mysql_real_escape_string ( $_GET['sstring']) . "')";
if ($userquery = mysql_query ($querystr)){
if (mysql_num_rows ($userquery) == 0){
//Then return with an error.
?><span style="color: #FF0000;">Name not found...</span>>?php
} else {
//At this point we would go to the processing script.
?><span style="color: #FF0000;">Form would now submit...</span><?php
}
} else {
echo mysql_error();
}
?>