PHP display text in textarea

[Blinger1]

<?php
include("connect.php");
if(isset($_SESSION['username'])){

if($_POST[preview]){
    $title = $_POST['title'];
    $textarea = $_POST['textarea'];

    echo("<p align=\"center\"> <b>This is just a preview</b> </p>");
    echo("<form method=\"post\">
    <b>Title</b>: <input name=\"title\" type=\"text\" value=\"$title\" maxlength=\"75\"><br />
    <b>Author</b>: $username<br />
    <b>News</b>: <textarea name=\"textarea\" cols=\"40\" value=\"$textarea\" rows=\"10\"></textarea><br />
    <input type=\"submit\" name=\"preview\" value=\"Preview post\">
    <input type=\"submit\" name=\"addnews\" value=\"Add news article\">
    </form>");

} elseif($_POST['addnews']){

    $title = mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['title']);
    $news = mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['news']);
    $title = stripslashes($title);
    $news = stripslashes($news);
    $datetime = date("d/m/Y H:i:s");

    $query = "INSERT INTO news (title, author, news, shortnews, datetime) VALUES ('" . $title . "', '" . $author . "', '" . $news . "', '" . $news . "', NOW())";

    mysql_query($query) or die(mysql_error());

    echo("News was posted succsesfully. ");

} else {
    
    echo("<form method=\"post\">
        <b>Title</b>: <input name=\"title\" type=\"text\" maxlength=\"75\"><br />
        <b>Author</b>: $username<br />
        <b>News</b>: <textarea name=\"textarea\" cols=\"40\" value=\"$textarea\" rows=\"10\"></textarea><br />
        <input type=\"submit\" name=\"preview\" value=\"Preview post\">
        <input type=\"submit\" name=\"addnews\" value=\"Add news article\">
        </form>");

}
} else {
    echo("You have to be logged in to view this page.");
}
?>

Why doesn't the above code show the text in the textbox?
The input text (title) works but the textarea (which is the news article) doesn't at all .

+rep

[Iszak]

Because textarea doesn't work how you're using it, like inputs value="", it works like <textarea></textarea>, and what ever is between it, will be in the text area.

[Jxhn]

As Iszak said, replace:

    <b>News</b>: <textarea name=\"textarea\" cols=\"40\" value=\"$textarea\" rows=\"10\"></textarea><br />

with:

    <b>News</b>: <textarea name=\"textarea\" cols=\"40\" rows=\"10\">$textarea</textarea><br />