Question

I am trying to submit form to database using ajax. I have sucessfully managed to post to database using AJAX. But not the trouble is I am not sure how to check if the submitted value already exist in database.

I already have php that does so, But I am trying to use AJAX. I am using jquery validate plugin Following is the code.

$('#subscribeForm').validate({
  errorElement: "p",
  errorPlacement: function(error, element) {
  $('.status').html(error);
},

rules: {
  email: {
    required: true,
    email: true,
    remote: {
        url: 'index.php',
        type: 'post',
        data: {
            email: function(){
            // not sure how to check this
        }
    }
}
}
},

messages: {
email: {
required: "Please enter your email.",
email: "Please enter a valid email.",
// remote: jQuery.format("{0} is already in use")  // doesnt work
}
},

submitHandler: function(form) {
var btn = $(".submit_button");
btn.attr("value", "Submitting..");

$(form).ajaxSubmit({
    success: function(){
        btn.attr("value", "Submitted");
    }
});
return false;
}
});

This is my PHP:

if(isset($_REQUEST['subscribeForm'])){
$email = trim($_POST['email']);

if(empty($email) || !valid_email($email)){
    $status = 'Please provide valid email address.';
} else {
    if(email_exist($email)){
        $status = 'You are already subscribed.';
    } else {
        add_email($email);
        $status = 'Thank you for subscribing.';
    }
   }
 } 

EDIT

This is what I have tried but again with fail.

if(isset($_REQUEST['subscribeForm'])){
$email = trim($_POST['email']);

if(empty($email) || !valid_email($email)){
    $status = 'Please provide valid email address.';
} else {
    if(email_exist($email)){
        $status = 'You are already subscribed.';
        echo false;
    } else {
        add_email($email);
        $status = 'Thank you for subscribing.';
        echo true;
    }
}
} 

And my Javascript

rules: {
email: {
required: true,
email: true,
remote: {
  url: 'index.php',
  type: 'post'
   }
}
},

messages: {
 email: {
required: "Please enter your email.",
email: "Please enter a valid email.",
remote: "You are already subscribed."
   }
 },

Answer 1

You should do something in your JS to do success function on return of “Thank you for subscribing” echo.

Try;

Javascript

messages: {
email: {
required: "Please enter your email.",
email: "Please enter a valid email.",
success: "Thank you for subscribing.",
// remote: jQuery.format("{0} is already in use")  // doesnt work
}
},

PHP

if(isset($_REQUEST['subscribeForm'])){
$email = trim($_POST['email']);

if(empty($email) || !valid_email($email)){
    $status = 'false';
} else {
    if(email_exist($email)){
        $status = 'false';
    } else {
        add_email($email);
        $status = 'true';
    }
   }
 }
echo $status;