Hi - i have a problem adding a search engine to my php site.

All blankspaces in my database (mySQL driven) have been replaced by   (this is something that cannot be changed) so dan brown appears dan brown.
Therefore when you search for dan brown no results are returned but when you search for dan brown the required results are returned.

Below is the code that i am using on my site:

form code

<td><form action="../search/results.php?name=name">
<br><input name="name" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" class="film_box" size="13" />
&nbsp;

<input name="Submit" type="submit" value="GO"/>
</form>


Results return page code

<?php

$query = "SELECT * FROM IDX Where Name LIKE '%{$_GET['name']}%' "; #19
$result = mysql_query($query)
or die ("Couldn't execute query."); #21

/* Display text before form */
echo "Your search request has returned the following names.\n";

/* Create form containing selection list */
echo "<form action='actor.php' method='get'>\n"; #34
echo "<table>";
$counter=1; #36
while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result)) #37
{
extract($row); #39
echo "<tr><td valign='top' width='620'>\n";
#42

echo "<b><li><a href='actor.php?actor_id={$row['NameID']}&name={$row['Name']}'>$Name</a></li></b>"; #47
echo "</td>";
#49
echo "</tr>";
$counter++; #51
}
echo "</table>";
echo "
</form>\n";


The above code has been tested and it works - but only when you search for one word!

I am pretty sure that i need to put some code in the results return page that replaces all ' ' with '&nbsp;' - but i would not know where to start! Please iunderstand that i am a relatively novice coder.

Any assistance that you can offer will be greatly appreciate

Originally Posted by hershel

$query = "SELECT * FROM IDX Where Name LIKE '%{$_GET['name']}%'  ";

Change that. It should be like this:

$clean_name = preg_replace('/\s/', ' ', trim($_GET['name']));
$query = "SELECT * FROM IDX Where Name LIKE '%$clean_name%'  ";

Note that I haven't tested this code, it's from memory. So if it doesn't work, ask someone here if I left in a typo or syntax error.

That seems a fair answer, but why the:

'%$clean_name%'

Why not:

'$clean_name'

I know it is a tad padantic, but if a coder gets into a habbit like that then that means a lot of characters that are not needed, meaning a slower load with a big project.

Steve.

Gaffer, do you know what the percentage signs do? You can't remove them without removing some of the abilities of his search engine. Leaving them in was deliberate on my part.

thanks for your help - the code works but only when i do it like aboyd says - when i took the % signs out the query returned no results.

Thanks a lot once more