Question

I am using the header function to locate to another page based on certain conditions. I am monitoring a mailbox and the code redirects to another page based on the sender address. All headers are working except one. If the sender does not belongs to any existing group, I wanted to redirect it to new.php. But it is not redirecting. I am unable to figure out why. Please help me.

<?php 
session_start();

$server = '{server}INBOX';
$username = '[e-mail]';
$password = 'password';
require_once '../swift/lib/swift_required.php';
include('connection.php');


$connection  = imap_open($server,$username,$password) or die('Cannot connect to Gmail: ' .    imap_last_error());

$_SESSION['connection']=$connection;

$result = imap_search($connection,'UNSEEN');
if($result) {

    rsort($result);

    foreach($result as $email_number) 
    {         

        $header = imap_headerinfo($connection, $email_number);

        $fromaddr = $header->from[0]->mailbox . "@" . $header->from[0]->host;

        $query = "select * from usergroup where email='$fromaddr'";
        $_SESSION['fromaddr']=$fromaddr;

        $result1 = mysql_query($query) or die($query."<br/><br/>".mysql_error());


        while($line=mysql_fetch_array($result1,MYSQL_ASSOC))
        {
            $email=$line['email'];
            $group=$line['group'];

            if(mysql_num_rows($result1) == 1){

                if($group == 1){
                    header("Location: facilitator.php");
                }
                elseif($group == 2){
                    header("Location: learner.php");
                }

            }
            elseif (mysql_num_rows($result1) == 0) {
                header("Location: new.php");
            }

        }
    }

}
elseif (!$result)
{
     echo "No unread messages found";
}


?>

Answer 1

It appears as though you are nesting that redirection inside the while loop. Since there are no rows, the while condition mysql_fetch_array() will immediately return FALSE and skip the whole block, including the redirection you intended it to follow.

Move the test for mysql_num_rows() outside the while loop.

// Test for rows and redirect BEFORE entering the while loop.
if (mysql_num_rows($result1) === 0) {
  header("Location: new.php");
  // Always explicitly call exit() after a redirection header!
  exit();
}
// Otherwise, there are rows so loop them.
while($line=mysql_fetch_array($result1,MYSQL_ASSOC))
{
   $email=$line['email'];
   $group=$line['group'];

   if($group == 1){
     header("Location: facilitator.php");
   }
}

You actually may not need a while loop at all, depending on how many rows you are expecting to fetch. If you only expect one group per email, then forego the loop and just call $line = mysql_fetch_array() once. However, if you are expecting multiple rows but want to redirect on the first one encountered where $group == 1, then your logic works. In that case however, since you are only doing the redirection and no other action, you might as well just put that condition in your query:

// Test the group in your query in the first place.
$query = "select * from usergroup where email='$fromaddr' AND group = 1";
$result1 = mysql_query($query) or die($query."<br/><br/>".mysql_error());

if (mysql_num_rows($result1) === 0) {
  // you didn't match a row, redirect to new.php
} 
else {
  // you had a match, redirect to facilitator.php
}