pass '&' through to a web page

[bccamp]

I'm trying to pass a variable with the '&' sign through to a web page to be searched in a db. I don't know what to use to make php understand that it's not two different variables.
ex.

some_com.php?cat=a&b>a&b

Php reads it, of course, as cat=a and another variable b.
I want to use cat to search the mysql for the match to "a&b".

How do I join them or make php see it as one unit or list it on the initial page where it's not looked at as 2 variables?

It wouldn't matter, but my DB that is being searched has more than a few '&' in the titles. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[sleipnir214]

Create a GET-method form with one text input, enter a semicolon into that field, and submit the form.

What appears on the URL of the page to which you submit?


Want the best answers? Ask the best questions!

TANSTAAFL!!

 

[danomac]

Try using hex notation:

some_com.php?cat=a%26b>a%26b

and see if that works.

Hex 26 should be the ampersand, and theoritecally this should pass 'a&b>a&b' as the variable cat.

 

[thenewa2x]

or you can just urlencode() the value.

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http://www.visualactive.net/

 

[bccamp]

Thanks for the help. As soon as I posted the question, I figured a work-around. I changed my 'cat' value on the page from ?cat=a&b to ?cat=a_b. I then used ereg_replace on the php side to convert it back to 'a&b'.

$value=ereg_replace("_","&",$value);

This allowed the query to search the db in the correct form.

Thanks again.