When clicking the delete button, I have to to click twice to post the deletion request to the MYSQL Server

Question

The Delete button on my my_admin.php file is requiring it to be clicked twice to then bring up the confirmation options to post to the server the requested deletion request. Can anyone please tell me why this is the case, I assume it is some kind of arrangement of the code?

my_admin.php file is all below, this section that is having trouble is under the comment /************** Deleting data from database when delete button is clicked ******************/

Thanks in advance to anyone who can point me in the right direction.

     <?php include('includes/header.php'); ?>

<?php

//Include functions
include('includes/functions.php');

//check to see if user if logged in else redirect to index page

if(!isset($_SESSION['user_is_logged_in'])){

  redirect('../index.php');

}

?>

<?php 
/************** Fetching data from database using id ******************/

//require database class files
//require database class files
require('includes/pdocon.php');

//instatiating our database objects
$db = new Pdocon;


//Create a query to select all users to display in the table

$db->query("SELECT * FROM admin WHERE email=:email");

$email  =   $_SESSION['user_data']['email'];

$db->bindValue(':email', $email, PDO::PARAM_STR);

//Fetch all data and keep in a result set
$row = $db->fetchSingle();

?>


<div class="well">

  <small class="pull-right"><a href="customers.php"> View Customers</a> </small>

  <?php  $fullname = $_SESSION['user_data']['fullname'];

    echo '<small class="pull-left" style="color:#337ab7;">' . $fullname .'  | Veiwing / Editing</small>';
?>

    <h2 class="text-center">My Account</h2> <hr>
    <br>
   </div>

<div class="container"> 
   <div class="rows">

   <!-- call your display function to display session message on top page   -->
   <?php showmsg() ?> 

     <div class="col-md-9">

          <?php  // loop through your result set and fill in the form :
            if($row) { ?>


          <br>
           <form class="form-horizontal" role="form" method="post" action="">
            <div class="form-group">
            <label class="control-label col-sm-2" for="name" style="color:#f3f3f3;">Fullname:</label>
            <div class="col-sm-10">
              <input type="name" name="name" class="form-control" id="name" value="<?php echo $row['fullname'] ?>" required>
            </div>
          </div>
          <div class="form-group">
            <label class="control-label col-sm-2" for="email" style="color:#f3f3f3;">Email:</label>
            <div class="col-sm-10">
              <input type="email" name="email" class="form-control" id="email" value="<?php echo $row['email'] ?>" required>
            </div>
          </div>
          <div class="form-group ">
            <label class="control-label col-sm-2" for="pwd" style="color:#f3f3f3;">Password:</label>
            <div class="col-sm-10">
             <fieldset disabled> 
              <input type="password" name="password" class="form-control disabled" id="pwd" value="<?php echo $row['password'] ?>" required>
             </fieldset> 
            </div>
          </div>

          <br>
          <div class="form-group"> 
            <div class="col-sm-offset-2 col-sm-10">
                <a class="btn btn-primary" href="edit_admin.php?admin_id=<?php echo $row['id'] ?>">Edit</a>
                <button type="submit" class="btn btn-danger pull-right" name="delete_form">Delete</button>
            </div>
          </div>



        </form>

  </div>
       <div class="col-md-3">
           <div style="padding-top: 20px;">
             <div class="thumbnail" style="padding-top: 15px;">
              <a href="edit_admin.php?admin_id=<?php echo $row['id'] ?>">

                   <?php  $image = $row['image']; ?>

                <?php echo ' <img src="uploaded_image/' . $image . '"  style="width:150px;height:150px">'; ?> 
              </a>
              <h4 class="text-center"><?php //echo fullname of admin  ?></4>
            </div>
           </div>
       </div>

       <?php } ?>

  </div>  

</div>

<?php 

/************** Deleting data from database when delete button is clicked ******************/  


if(isset($_POST['delete_form'])){

    $admin_id = $_SESSION['user_data']['id'];

    keepmsg('<div class="alert alert-danger text-center">

              <strong>Confirm!</strong> Do you want to delete your account <br>
              <a href="#" class="btn btn-default" data-dismiss="alert" aria-label="close">No, Thanks</a><br>
              <form method="post" action="my_admin.php">
              <input type="hidden" value="' . $admin_id .'" name="id"><br>
              <input type="submit" name="delete_admin" value="Yes, Delete" class="btn btn-danger">
              </form>
            </div>');

}        




//If the Yes Delete (confim delete) button is click from the closable div proceed to delete


   if(isset($_POST['delete_admin'])){

    $id = $_POST['id'];

    $db->query('DELETE FROM admin WHERE id=:id');

    $db->bindValue(':id', $id, PDO::PARAM_INT);

    $run = $db->execute();

    if($run){

        redirect('logout.php');

    }else{

         keepmsg('<div class="alert alert-danger text-center">
                      <a href="#" class="close" data-dismiss="alert" aria-label="close">&times;</a>
                      <strong>Sorry </strong>User with ID ' . $id . ' Could not be deleted 
                </div>');
    }


   }


?>


</div>

</div>

</div>
<?php include('includes/footer.php'); ?>

Answer 1

This is happening because the html for the "delete_admin" form is inside a check for:

if(isset($_POST['delete_form'])) {
    // html for delete_admin form....
}

This means that the form in question will only appear when loading the page after posting/submitting the delete_form;

If you remove that check, both forms will show the first time the page loads allowing you to submit the delete_admin directly.

It seems that the original author of this script intended this as a sort of "are you sure" step.