How to Store and Display Form Data Using PHP Functions (Step-by-Step Guide)

The Importance of Storing and Displaying Form Data in PHP

With the widespread use of web applications, forms have become the primary way users input data. Efficiently storing and displaying this data is a critical skill for any web developer. PHP, known for its simplicity and powerful capabilities, is commonly used for handling form submissions.

This article focuses on two key functionalities: how to store form data in a MySQL database and how to display that data on a web page, with complete code examples included.

1. Storing Form Data Using PHP

After a form is submitted, PHP is typically used to capture the submitted data and store it in a database. Here is an example of how to use PHP to insert form data into a MySQL database:

<?php
// Database connection configuration
$host = "localhost";
$username = "root";
$password = "";
$database = "mydb";

// Connect to database
$conn = mysqli_connect($host, $username, $password, $database);

// Check connection
if (!$conn) {
    die("Connection failed: " . mysqli_connect_error());
}

// Get form data
$name = $_POST['name'];
$email = $_POST['email'];
$message = $_POST['message'];

// Build SQL query
$sql = "INSERT INTO form_data (name, email, message) VALUES ('$name', '$email', '$message')";

// Execute query
if (mysqli_query($conn, $sql)) {
    echo "Data stored successfully";
} else {
    echo "Data storage failed: " . mysqli_error($conn);
}

// Close connection
mysqli_close($conn);
?>

This code demonstrates the full process: connecting to the database, retrieving form data via $_POST, constructing an SQL INSERT statement, and executing it. In production, always sanitize inputs to prevent SQL injection.

2. Displaying Stored Form Data

Once the data is stored, you may want to display it on a web page for review or management. The following PHP example shows how to retrieve and output form data from a MySQL database:

<?php
// Database connection configuration
$host = "localhost";
$username = "root";
$password = "";
$database = "mydb";

// Connect to database
$conn = mysqli_connect($host, $username, $password, $database);

// Check connection
if (!$conn) {
    die("Connection failed: " . mysqli_connect_error());
}

// Query the database
$sql = "SELECT * FROM form_data";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $sql);

// Display data
if (mysqli_num_rows($result) > 0) {
    while ($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result)) {
        echo "Name: " . $row['name'] . "<br>";
        echo "Email: " . $row['email'] . "<br>";
        echo "Message: " . $row['message'] . "<br><br>";
    }
} else {
    echo "No data available";
}

// Close connection
mysqli_close($conn);
?>

This script connects to the database, queries the form_data table, and uses a loop to display each row's data on the web page.

Conclusion

Through the examples above, you’ve seen how to use PHP functions to manage form submissions: inserting submitted data into a MySQL database and retrieving and displaying it on a web page. You can build on this foundation by adding features like input validation, pagination, search functionality, and more to create a robust data management system.