I found a new book for starting out to learn PHP/MySQL Web App
programming. I've begun exercises toward that end.

So far I've opened MySQL--I'm on a Macintosh PowerBook, so that's
UNIX--as root and created a database I called guest_recorder. Then I
GRANTed ALL to a new user (me) with a password. I then quit MySQL.

Next I opened MySQL again as the new user I created, did a USE
guest_recorder and then created my first table guest_info. The table
had five columns: name, location, email, url, and comments. When I did
a DESCRIBE guest_info, it properly displayed the columns.

Then I typed "dbconnect.php":

<?php
mysql_connect("localhost", "--------", "-------") or
die ("Could not connect to database");
mysql_select_db("guest_recorder") or
die ("Could not select database");
?>

followed by "create_entry.php":

<html>
<head>
<title>Create Entry</title>
</head>
<body>

<?php
include("dbconnect.php");

if ($submit == "Sign!")
{
$query = "insert into guest_info
(name,location,email,url,comments) values
<'$name', '$location', '$email', '$url', '$comments')"
;
mysql_query($query) or die (mysql_error());
?>
<h2>Thanks!</h2>
<h2><a href="view.php">View My Guest Book!</a></h2>
<?php
}
else
{
include("sign.php");
}
?>

and "sign.php":

When I open "create_entry.php" in my browser, the form and its five
fields appear correctly, and I fill them out. I then hit the "Sign,
dammit!" button.

I was expecting the "Thanks!" and "View My Guest Book!" messages, but
instead am greeted with the same form with its five blank fields so's I
can type in info for name, location, email, url, and comments.

When I go to view the table named "guest_info" in the database named
"guest_recorder" using SELECT * FROM guest_info, I'm told "Empty set".

If the form's info isn't making it to the table, I'm thinking I need
$_POST statements--as in $_POST["name"], $_POST["location"],
etc.--somewhere to get each field's info into the table. But where do I
put those lines and in which file: "create_entry.php" or "sign.php"?

Thank you.