Importing user input is a core part of PHP programming. Whether you’re creating login forms, search fields, feedback forms, or handling file uploads—PHP provides powerful global arrays to collect and process user-submitted data.
User input typically comes from:
- HTML forms
- URL parameters
- Cookies
- File uploads
- JSON / API requests
Let’s explore how PHP imports user input safely and correctly.
1. Importing Input Using $_GET
$_GET collects data sent via URL query string.
Example
// URL: example.com/?name=Sagar
$name = $_GET['name'];
echo "Hello, $name";
Used for:
✔ Search queries
✔ Filters
✔ Pagination
✔ Non-sensitive data
2. Importing Input Using $_POST
$_POST collects data submitted through an HTML form using POST method.
Example
$name = $_POST['username'];
$email = $_POST['email'];
echo "Name: $name, Email: $email";
Used for:
✔ Login forms
✔ Registration
✔ File uploads
✔ Sensitive data
3. Importing Input Using $_REQUEST
$_REQUEST can collect data from GET, POST, and COOKIES.
Example
$user = $_REQUEST['username'];
⚠ Not recommended for secure applications (too broad).
4. Importing File Uploads Using $_FILES
Used when a form contains enctype="multipart/form-data".
Example
$fileName = $_FILES['myfile']['name'];
$temp = $_FILES['myfile']['tmp_name'];
move_uploaded_file($temp, "uploads/".$fileName);
5. Importing Cookie Data Using $_COOKIE
$user = $_COOKIE['username'];
6. Importing Session Data Using $_SESSION
session_start();
$id = $_SESSION['user_id'];
7. Importing JSON Input (API Data)
When receiving JSON from JavaScript or API callers:
$data = json_decode(file_get_contents("php://input"), true);
echo $data['message'];
8. Sanitizing and Validating User Input
Always clean user input to prevent security issues like XSS or SQL Injection.
✔ Sanitizing
$name = htmlspecialchars(trim($_POST['name']));
✔ Validating
if (!filter_var($_POST['email'], FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL)) {
echo "Invalid email!";
}
9. Checking Request Method
if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST") {
// process form
}
Conclusion
Importing user input is essential for building interactive PHP applications.
With $_GET, $_POST, $_FILES, $_COOKIE, and JSON handlers, PHP makes it easy to collect data from users.
Always validate and sanitize data to keep your application secure.
Citations
🔗 View other articles about PHP:
http://savanka.com/category/learn/php/
🔗 External PHP Documentation:
https://www.php.net/manual/en/