Need help creating a registration form for a competition

**stander** · 04-04-2005, 08:51 AM

Hi

I need some help on registration for php. Please note that I know the design part of websites, but null code and even less code for php, but my webspace is on a linux server.

I need to make a site where people can register for a lan competition. Thye must register, the site must then send them a confirm e-mail with their booking, also add their name on the entered list (another page just giving the names of the people who have entered already). Their can only be maximum 200 people so it must also have a limit to not exceed 200 entries.

I use dreamweaver mx and a apache server. Please also tell me what database i must create for this entry.

**QuietDean** · 04-04-2005, 09:20 AM

Hi, welcome to the forums.

At the end of the day, your gonna need to learn to code to do this. Start at www.php.net

**madpenguin2** · 04-07-2005, 07:28 PM

I guess stander is right. You will need to learn to code it.. But, as a starting place, I assume that your server also has mysql available.... so...
create a db (i dont know what info your tracking, so we need to start somewhere)
create a table 'users'
create a few fields for the users table. like username,email... anyother fields you want to track about the user.

If your going to have multiple contests you will probably want a contest table as well with info such as contest name, starting date, ending date..

Then you will have to have a 'results' table.. where you store how people did in the contest. would probably have fields like contestid, userid, votes..

Then you just need the code to past it all together. you'll have to learn the php mysql library (at php.net or just buy a book at the bookstore!).

The real problem with contest's is keeping users from voting multiple times (especially if there is a prize!). Obviously, you would use cookies.. but, they are easy to erase. Then they can vote again. You could track IP addresses, but AOL (and a few other ISP's) use a proxy server, so everyone from that ISP is on the same IP address. You could force people to login to vote, but you won't get as many votes..

I did a contest for a digital camera site. that was the problem they had.. people trying to cheat. They ran contests for two months and then decided to scrap them.. too much cheating. Of course, they were giving away a Nikon D70...

Brett