[User Login and Registration] Can't check if username exists

[dmillerw]

So I've been following your tutorial, and everything seems to work, errors and verifying, except for the preventing of more then one of the same username.

<?php

error_reporting(1);

// checks if username is taken
function user_exists($user){
	$user = mysql_real_escape_string($user);
	
	$total = mysql_query("SELECT COUNT('id') FROM 'users' WHERE 'username' = '{$user}'");

	return (mysql_result($total, 0) == '1') ? true : false;
}

// checks if username & pass are valid
function valid_credientials($user, $pass){
	$user = mysql_real_escape_string($user);
	$pass = sha1($pass);

	$total = mysql_query("SELECT COUNT('id') FROM 'users' WHERE 'username' = '{$user}' AND 'password' = '{$pass}'");

	return (mysql_result($total, 0) == '1') ? true : false;
}

// adds new user & pass to database
function add_user($user, $pass, $realname, $email){
	$user = mysql_real_escape_string(htmlentities($user));
	$pass = sha1($pass);
	$realname = mysql_real_escape_string(htmlentities($realname));
	$email = mysql_real_escape_string(htmlentities($email));

	mysql_query("INSERT INTO users (username, password, realname, email) VALUES ('$user', '$pass', '$realname', '$email')") or die(mysql_error());
}

?>

This always gives me an error, when asked to check for the username.

You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near ''users' WHERE 'username' = 'dmillerw'' at line 1

SELECT COUNT('id') FROM 'users' WHERE 'username' = '{$user}'

What am I missing?

[jacek]

error_reporting(1);

should be

error_reporting(E_ALL);

this may highlight the problem.

But it looks like you used the wrong type of quotes, table and column names should be quoted with backticks ` not quotes '

[dmillerw]

This is what happens when I do this at three in the morning. Thanks!

How do you actually "write" backticks though? Running Ubuntu.

[jacek]

This is what happens when I do this at three in the morning. Thanks!

That's the best time for it

How do you actually "write" backticks though? Running Ubuntu.

They should be on your keyboard, to the left of he numbers at the top, the key that has three things on it.

[dmillerw]

*facepalm* ...thanks. xD