Question

I am running a website based on php on a server run by a large host. My goal is very simple. Include link on my site to google search where I dynamically give the search term.

Starting with the url that appears in the address bar, I’ve narrowed the syntax down to

http://www.google.com/search?q=test

This works when I type it into the address bar. However, when I launch from the server, it redirects to:

www.google.com/webhp...lots of characters

There are references on the web to webhp being related to a virus but I’m pretty sure my host does not have any viruses on its servers.

Does anyone know proper way to launch simple google search from a link? Is a straight link forbidden? I am Willing to use JS to push link to client if necessary (which I use for google maps at Google’s recommendation due to usage limits) but want to keep things as simple as possible. This link is just to save people a few clicks.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Answer 1

Simply use the urlencode Method

<?php
echo '<a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=', urlencode($userinput), '">';
?>

If you wish to do it with Javascript the answer is here: Encode URL in JavaScript?

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Try to track down the “Url Rewriting”, I think its a virus you need to remove: http://www.ehow.com/how_8728291_rid-webhp.html

WebHP is a computer virus that automatically sets your homepage to a
fake Google site, known as Google.com/WebHP. This virus will also
randomly open windows or tabs to load this website, as well as
generate pop-ups and fake errors. Also installed with this virus is a
rootkit which can disable your PC’s firewall and other methods of
security. If left untreated, the WebHP virus allows hackers to
remotely access your computer and steal personal information, such as
credit card numbers and email passwords.