compact all form-data with javascript

Question

I would like to compact all data from a huge HTML-form with over a 1000 variables to circumvent the max_input_vars limit in PHP versions before 5.3.9.

How can I read all

Answer 1

Serialize it using JQuery. You can then parse the URL string using PHP.

Answer 2

I created a script that does the job on all post forms automatically:

<script src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.10.2/jquery.min.js"></script>
<script>
// this disables all form elements and creates only one new element that contains all data serialized
$('form[method="post"]').submit(function() {
    var num_form_elements=$(this).find('input, select, textarea').not('[type="submit"]').length;
    var num_elements_already_disabled=$(this).find('input:disabled, select:disabled, textarea:disabled').length;
    enabled=(num_form_elements-num_elements_already_disabled);
    if($('textarea[name="serialized_data"]', this).length > 0) {
        alert("Backbutton is not supported yet!");
        return false;
    }
    if($('textarea[name="serialized_data"]', this).length > 0 || enabled<=0) {
        alert("Reload of the form is not supported yet!");
        return false;
    }
    var data=$(this).serialize();
    $(this).find('input, select, textarea').not('[type="submit"]').attr("disabled", true);
    $(this).append('    <input type="hidden" name="num_form_elements" value="'+num_form_elements+'">'); 
    $(this).append('    <input type="hidden" name="num_elements_already_disabled" value="'+num_elements_already_disabled+'">'); 
    $(this).append('    <textarea style="display:true" name="serialized_data">'+(data)+'</textarea>');
    // maybe in the textarea I have to .replace(/</g,'&lt;') ?

});
</script>

On the receiving side you cannot use the PHP parse_str() function because the max_input_vars directive affects this function too, so you need something else: I took my_parse_str() from https://gist.github.com/rubo77/6821632

<?php
    $params=my_parse_str($_REQUEST['serialized_data']);

    echo count($params,1)." serialized variables:<br>";
    var_export($params);
?>

Example script on https://gist.github.com/rubo77/6815945

Answer 3

Just sent a ajax post?

form.html with javascript

<form action="process.php" method="post" id="form">
  <input type="text" name="name">
  <input type="text" name="username">

  <button type="submit" id="sendForm">Send</button>
</form>

<!-- YOUR JAVASCRIPT -->
<script type="text/javacript">
  $('#sendForm').click(function() {

    $.ajax({
      type: 'POST',
      url: $('#form').attr('action'),
      data: $('#form').serialize(),
      success: function(data) {

        // WHATEVER YOU WANT HERE

      }
    });

    return false;
  });
</script>

process.php

<?php
    $name = $_POST['name'];
    // other form fields here
}

Answer 4

perhaps serialize and JSON.stringify may work together, though I have not tried it.