Insert Backbone.js model into MySQL database

Question

I have a backbone.js model with some defaults and an url:

var Box = Backbone.Model.extend({
    url: \"./save.php\",
    defaults: {
        x: 0,
        y:         


        

Answer 1

You forgot to send ID.

//$id = $_POST['cid'];

Make Id to AUTO_INCREMENT and remove from code:

$id = $_POST['cid'];

mysql_query("INSERT INTO boxes (x, y, w, h)
                         VALUES('$x', '$y', '$w', '$h')
                       ") or die(mysql_error());

Answer 2

Backbone is based on a REST API: when saving/updating a model to the server, Backbone will send it serialized as JSON in the request body with a POST our PUT request. From Backbone.sync documentation

With the default implementation, when Backbone.sync sends up a request to save a model, its attributes will be passed, serialized as JSON, and sent in the HTTP body with content-type application/json.

This means that server-side you have to

• determine the type of request
• decode the serialized JSON

Something like this should get you started

$request_method = strtolower($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD']);
$data = null;

switch ($request_method) {
    case 'post':
    case 'put':
        $data = json_decode(file_get_contents('php://input'));
    break;
}

// print_r($data);

// note that mysql_* functions are deprecated
// http://php.net/manual/en/function.mysql-query.php
// inserting with a PDO object, assuming an auto incremented id
$sql = "INSERT INTO boxes (x, y, w, h) VALUES(?, ?, ?, ?)";
$sth = $dbh->prepare($sql);
$sth->execute(array(
    $data->x,
    $data->y,
    $data->w,
    $data->h
));
$id = $dbh->lastInsertId();

Check this page for a more thorough implementation of a REST API in PHP http://www.gen-x-design.com/archives/create-a-rest-api-with-php/