mysqli_connect problem

["Thomas H. George" <lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I am a newbie. The following script works but the second one (below)
loads the variables from an html form and then fails.  The connection
commands in the second sript are identical as the first script was copied
from the first. Only the variable values have been changed.

#!/usr/bin/php
#
<?php
	$first_name = 'Harry';
	$last_name = 'Potter';
	$when_it_happened = 'This morning';
	$how_long = '6 ms';
	$how_many = 'millions';
	$alien_description = 'angels';
	$what_they_did = 'danced on the head of a pin';
	$fang_spotted = 'No';
	$other = 'There were bright flashing lights';
	$email = 'harry@xxxxxxx';

	$dbc = mysqli_connect('localhost', 'tom', 'fog^horn9', 'aliendatabase')
		or die('Error connecting to MySQL server');

	$query = "INSERT INTO aliens_abduction (first_name, last_name, when_it_happened, how_long,  " . 
		"how_many, alien_description, what_they_did, fang_spotted, other, email) " . 
		"VALUES ('$first_name', '$last_name', '$when_it_happened', '$how_long', '$how_many', " . 
		"'$alien_description', '$what_they_did', '$fang_spotted', '$other', '$email')";

	$result = mysqli_query($dbc,$query)
		or die('Error Querying the database');

	mysqli_close($dbc);

?>

The following program successfully loads the variables from an html form
and then fails.


<?php
	$first_name = $_POST['firstname'];
	$last_name = $_POST['lastname'];
	$when_it_happened = $_POST['whenithappened'];
	$how_long =$_POST['howlong'];
	$how_many = $_POST['howmany'];
	$alien_description = $_POST['aliendescription'];
	$what_they_did = $_POST['whattheydid'];
	$fang_spotted = $_POST['fangspotted'];
	$other = $_POST['other'];
	$email = $_POST['email'];

	echo 'got to here, ';
	echo "$last_name\n\n";

	$dbc = mysqli_connect('localhost', 'tom', 'fog^horn9', 'aliendatabase')
		or die('Error connecting to MySQL server');

	$query = "INSERT INTO aliens_abduction (first_name, last_name, when_it_happened, how_long,  " . 
		"how_many, alien_description, what_they_did, fang_spotted, other, email) " . 
		"VALUES ('$first_name', '$last_name', '$when_it_happened', '$how_long', '$how_many', " . 
		"'$alien_description', '$what_they_did', '$fang_spotted', '$other', '$email')";

	$result = mysqli_query($dbc,$query)
		or die('Error Querying the database');

	mysqli_close($dbc);

?>

The echo entries confirm the variables a have been loaded from an html
form.  The program just stops after the echo entries - no die message,
nothing in /var/log/mysql.err or mysql.log.


My system is Debian Squeeze, 64 bit. I have php5 version 5.3.1-5, php5-mysql version 5.3.1-5, mysql-client-5 and mysql-server-5 version 5.1.41-3 installed.

Any suggestions?

Tom


-- 
PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/)
To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php