Function problem php

Question

Whats is the problem in this functions?

function validate_maxchars($t, $a, $alias, $required) {
 if(strlen($t) <= $a) {
 if(empty($t) && $required) {
 return 'Field ' . $alias . ' is required.';
 } else {
 return true;
 }
 } else {
 return 'Field ' . $alias . ' has a max of ' . $a . ' characters. You exceed the limit in ' . (strlen($t)-$a) . ' char(s).';
 }
}
$err = 0;
 $err= validate_maxchars($_POST['prod_name'], 22, 'Product Name', 0);
 if($err != 1) { return $err; } else { $data['name'] = htmlentities($_POST['prod_name'], ENT_QUOTES); }

Show error:

 <?php
 if($err) {
 ?>
 <div id="error" style="margin: 11px 5px 0 5px; padding: 9px; background: #eeb3b3; color: white; font-weight: bold; font-size: 11px; border: 1px solid #fd9797;"><?php echo $err; ?></div>
 <?php
 }
 ?>

When a submit this form I've got a blank page.

• Your Common Sense: checking if $t is empty below strlen check is quite nonsense
• 0xdeadbeef: try var_dump($err) instead of echo and report back the output.

Answer 1

Add this:

error_reporting (-1);
ini_set('display_errors', 1);

Answer 2

It has to show nothing when there is no error ...

<?php
 if($err) {
 ?>
 <div id="error" style="margin: 11px 5px 0 5px; padding: 9px; background: #eeb3b3; color: white; font-weight: bold; font-size: 11px; border: 1px solid #fd9797;"><?php echo $err; ?></div>
 <?php
 }
 else
 echo $data['name'];
 ?>

• Mango: That's not the problem, when isn't a error is there a redirect to other page ... the problem is in the function, when there is error... i got blank page, like a error in the code.
• sikas: @Mango: OK, well try using this code at the beginning of the page just for testing ... <?php echo $err; exit(); ?> and make sure that the Error exists. Now when you run the page and make sure that the string has error, you should see the Error appears ... If nothing appears, try removing this line (or commenting it out) $err = 0;
• Mango: Nothing works, I reckon the problem is in the function, not in the error.
• Mango: The problem is in that line: return $err; if change for echo $err; works, but not the way that a need. Any idea?

Answer 3

I could be wrong but try forcing error reporting by doing this at the beginning of file to show any possible errors or warnings.

 error_reporting (E_ALL);
 if( ! ini_get('display_errors') ) {
 ini_set('display_errors', 1);
 }