needing to format telephone number before putting into database

[Steven_B]

Hi everyone!

I'm working on a page that adds a new client. One of the form's values is a telephone number. The user enters a 10 digit number with no symbols (ex: 2288675309). Before it goes into the DB(MySQL), I want to format it so that it has hyphens (ex: 228-867-5309). After the user clicks submit, I have some javascript error checking to make sure the values are valid. If it is valid, I'm currently trying to format the number after the checks, using document.getElementById("telephone").value. I know I'm changing that value, but it doesn't change what is stored in the database. The query is made in PHP, using $_REQUEST. Any direction would be helpful!

Sidenote, not related: I may have adept programming skills in other things, but not web programming. I have about 6 months or less real experience, but hey, got to learn sometime right? :)

[diafol]

Are these tel numbers always in the same format? Could they possibly start with a 0? Client-side validation is all well and good, but you need server-side validation as well. A preg_match() using regex could be used to check its validity.

[Steven_B]

Format will always be xxx-xxx-xxxx. However it seemed better to put the hyphens in and just make the user enter the numbers. I am using regex to check that client side, but before I attempt to send it, I wanted to add the hyphens.

[coullone]

All well and good but American phone number format if different from most of rest of the world. for example Australia xx-xxxx-xxxx and UK xxxx-xxx-xxx. Also in europe it is normal to add the ISD code so a french number might be +33 xxx-xxx-xxxx which means that you would have to look for the'+'

[Steven_B]

The phone number does not matter!! Only accessing the form data and modifying it successfully before running the query. This will only be used by a small, local, american group.

[almostbob]

its easier to store unmanipulated unformatted data,
if the small local american site becomes a large global site there is less recoding of rigid code
the database is smaller by 2bytes, not a big thing for 10 records a big thing for many fields of millions of records
a datetime stamp takes 4bytes(?), a text date time takes
monday Feb 16 2011, 11:05:45pm (much more than 4) etc

<?php echo subst($_request['telephone'],0,3).'-'.subst($_request['telephone'],3,3).'-'.subst($_request['telephone'],6,4); ?>

[Steven_B]

I really do agree with you guys. Its just that's what they want. I'll try the what you posted tomorrow almostbob!

[almostbob]

if you dont tell them the code, only show them the output.....
will they notice

[Steven_B]

You are right, they wouldn't notice! :)