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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-05-22T20:18:41+00:00

Possible Duplicate: PHP: Notice: Undefined variable and Notice: Undefined index I am just learning

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Possible Duplicate:
PHP: “Notice: Undefined variable” and “Notice: Undefined index”

I am just learning PHP and I keep getting an Undefined Index error. The book I’m learning from has an HTML form and a PHP page that processes the form, using the following format:

<!-- The form fields are all set up something like this -->
<input type="text" id="howlong" name="howlong" /><br />

// The PHP starts with one line like this for each of the form fields in the HTML
$how_long = $_POST ['howlong'];

// And there is one line for each one like this to output the form data: 
echo ' and were gone for ' . $how_long . '<br />';

The example I’m working with has about 12 form fields.

What’s odd is that not all of the variables throw this error, but I can’t see a pattern to it.

I’ve checked that all HTML fieldnames match up with the PHP $_POST variable name I entered, and I’ve made certain that when I fill out the form and submit it that all fields are filled in with something. Interestingly, the completed code that can be downloaded for the book also throws this error.

I realize this code may not reflect best practices, it’s from the first chapter of the book and obviously I am a noob 🙂

In case it makes a difference, I am using PHP 5.3.5 on XAMPP 1.7.4 with Windows 7 Home Premium.

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    Remember to set the method to POST on the form tag…

    heres the code i used to try yours, and it worked to me:

    in a file named test.php:

    <html>
  <body>
    <form method="POST" action="testProc.php">
      <input type="text" id="howlong" name="howlong" /><br/>
      <input type="submit" value="submit"/>
    </form>
  </body>
</html>

    and in testProc.php:

    <?php
if (isset($_POST)) {
  if (isset($_POST["howlong"])){
    $howlong = $_POST['howlong'];
    echo ' and were gone for ' . $howlong . '<br />';
  }
}
?>

    Just as an advise, to make display manipulation with stylesheets i recommend to put forms within a table, like this:

    <html>
  <body>
    <form method="POST" action="testProc.php">
      <table>
        <tbody>
          <tr>
            <th>
              <label for="howlong">How long? :</label>
            </th>
            <td>
              <input type="text" id="howlong" name="howlong" />
            </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <input type="submit" value="submit"/>
          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>
    </form>
  </body>
</html>

    Hope you can use this…

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