Words after question mark are missing when I open a link in php/HTML

Question

I know that it's kind of wrong to ask a question that's almost been answered in the past, but even though I'm trying to use this solution , it doesn't work.

Basically, I have a php table with a search link created in a HTML button from the strings inside the table.

Let's say that this string is creating a search in the website called Discogs and that the information I'm searching through a created link is the word "Beatles".

www.discogs.com/search/?q=Beatles

You notice the ?q=

Everytime I click on the link through a php code which looks like this, the opened link brings me to www.discogs.com/search/? WITHOUT THE REST OF STRINGS (in that case, the word Beatles)

I tried to rawurlencode the ? to have it as a %3F .

Here is what my code looks like

$discogslink = 'http://www.discogs.com/search/'.rawurlencode('?').'q='.'Beatles' ;
  $form = "<form action='$discogslink' >";
  $form .= "<input type='submit' value='Discogs'>";
  $form .= "</form>";      
 echo '<td class="'.$lps->type.'">'.$form.'&nbsp;</td>'; 

The link that I would like to open is http://www.discogs.com/search/?q=Beatles

The link that opens is : http://www.discogs.com/search/ ? (nothing after the '?'...)

Do you have any idea why it does that?

BONUS QUESTION : How can I make the button open in a new tab instead of the same one?

Answer 1

The reason for this is the default behaviour of HTML forms. They send data as a GET request, just like links do. So in your case the content of the form (which is empty) overwrites your q-parameter because the form content wins over the parameters specified in the action link.

The solution is to add a hidden field:

<input type="hidden" name="q" value="Beatles"></input> 

And concerning the new window:

<form target="_blank" ...