PHP multidimensional array repetitive output

Question

The following code cycles through an array of requirements for user submitted data (in this case from a registration form) and outputs repetitive error messages. How to stop the repetitive messages?

if(!empty($_POST)){
$validate = array(
    'username' => array(
            'required' => true,
            'min' => 3,
            'max' => 20,
            'unique' => 'users'
    ),
    'password' => array(
            'required' => true,
            'min' => 6
    ),
    'password_confirm' => array(
            'required' => true,
            'matches' => 'password'
    )
);

foreach($validate as $item => $rules) 
{
    foreach($rules as $rule => $rule_value) 
    {
        $value = $_POST[$item];
        $item = htmlentities($item, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8', false);

        if($rule === 'required' && empty($value))
        {
            $errors[] = "{$item} is required <br>";
        } 
    }

    if(!empty($errors))
    {
        foreach($errors as $error)
        {
            echo $error;
        }
    }
    else 
    {
        echo 'Registration Successful <br>';
    }
}}

Output:

username is required
username is required
password is required
username is required
password is required
password_confirm is required

Don't Panic · Accepted Answer · 2015-04-27 15:31:31Z

2

Your loops have gotten a bit mixed up.

foreach($validate as $item => $rules) 
{
    foreach($rules as $rule => $rule_value) 
    {
        $value = $_POST[$item];
        $item = htmlentities($item, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8', false);

        if($rule === 'required' && empty($value))
        {
            $errors[] = "{$item} is required <br>";
        } 
    }
}

// This piece that prints out the errors (if they are present) needs
// to be moved outside the loop that creates the error array.
if(!empty($errors))
{
    foreach($errors as $error)
    {
        echo $error;
    }
}
else 
{
    echo 'Registration Successful <br>';
}

Also, maybe you simplified this code for the purpose of asking the question, but if this is all there is to it, why not just print the error at the time you find it instead of appending it to an array of errors? That way you only have to loop once. You can just use a boolean to see if there were errors.

$has_errors = false;
foreach($validate as $item => $rules) 
{
    foreach($rules as $rule => $rule_value) 
    {
        $value = $_POST[$item];
        $item = htmlentities($item, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8', false);

        if($rule === 'required' && empty($value))
        {
            $has_errors = true;
            echo "{$item} is required <br>";
        } 
    }
}
if (!$has_errors) echo 'Registration Successful <br>';

edited Apr 27, 2015 at 15:31

answered Apr 27, 2015 at 15:15

Don't Panic

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1 Comment

Hezerac Over a year ago

Thank you for that. Works perfectly. And yes i just reduced things for easier reading here.

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