Here are the instructions on how to use this guestbook PHP script:
- Create a new database and a table called “guestbook” with the following columns: “id”, “name”, “email”, “message”, “date”.
- In the HTML file, update the form action to point to “add_entry.php” and make sure that it uses the method “post”
- In the PHP script, configure the database connection parameters with the appropriate host, username, password and database name.
- Upload all the files (HTML, PHP and CSS) to your web server.
- Access the HTML file in your browser and you should see a form where you can add a new entry.
- Once you submit the form, the PHP script will handle the data and insert it into the guestbook table in the database and also will redirect you to the index.php file.
- In the index.php file, the PHP script will retrieve all the entries from the guestbook table in the database and display them on the page.
- The CSS file is optional but it will make the guestbook look more visually appealing and easy on the eyes.
- You could also add some security features like checking the inputs for invalid characters, using prepared statements, or using a CAPTCHA to prevent automated submissions
- You could also add the ability to delete or edit entries, or add pagination to the guestbook to make it more functional.
<?php
if (isset($_POST['submit'])) {
// Connect to the database
$conn = mysqli_connect('host', 'username', 'password', 'database');
// Escape user inputs for security
$name = mysqli_real_escape_string($conn, $_POST['name']);
$email = mysqli_real_escape_string($conn, $_POST['email']);
$message = mysqli_real_escape_string($conn, $_POST['message']);
$date = date("Y-m-d H:i:s");
// Attempt insert query execution
$sql = "INSERT INTO guestbook (name, email, message, date) VALUES ('$name', '$email', '$message', '$date')";
if(mysqli_query($conn, $sql)){
echo "Records added successfully.";
} else{
echo "ERROR: Could not able to execute $sql. " . mysqli_error($conn);
}
// Close connection
mysqli_close($conn);
header("Location: guestbook.php");
?>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Guestbook</title>
<style>
.container {
width: 50%;
margin: 0 auto;
padding: 20px;
}
h1 {
text-align: center;
margin-bottom: 40px;
}
form {
text-align: center;
margin-bottom: 40px;
}
label {
display: block;
margin-bottom: 10px;
font-size: 18px;
}
input[type="text"], input[type="email"], textarea {
width: 100%;
padding: 12px 20px;
margin-bottom: 20px;
border: 1px solid #ccc;
border-radius: 4px;
box-sizing: border-box;
resize: vertical;
}
input[type="submit"] {
background-color: #4CAF50;
color: white;
padding: 12px 20px;
border: none;
border-radius: 4px;
cursor: pointer;
}
input[type="submit"]:hover {
background-color: #45a049;
}
.entry {
border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc;
padding: 20px 0;
}
.entry h2 {
margin-bottom: 5px;
}
.entry p {
margin-bottom: 10px;
font-size: 16px;
}
</head>
<body>
<div class="container">
<h1>Guestbook</h1>
<form action="guestbook.php" method="post">
<label for="name">Name:</label>
<input type="text" id="name" name="name" required>
<label for="email">Email:</label>
<input type="email" id="email" name="email">
<label for="message">Message:</label>
<textarea id="message" name="message" required></textarea>
<input type="submit" value="Add Entry">
</form>
<?php
// Connect to the database
$conn = mysqli_connect('host', 'username', 'password', 'database');
// Retrieve all entries from the database
$result = mysqli_query($conn, "SELECT * FROM guestbook ORDER BY id DESC");
while ($row = mysqli_fetch_array($result)) {
echo "<div class='entry'>";
echo "<h2>" . $row['name'] . "</h2>";
echo "<p>" . $row['email'] . "</p>";
echo "<p>" . $row['message'] . "</p>";
echo "<p>Date: " . $row['date'] . "</p>";
echo "</div>";
}
mysqli_close($conn);
?>
</div>
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</body>
</html>
