please help with active user select

What will you do with the variable $msg? Print it out ( echo $msg; ) or put it into a view .. ? In your i second if-statement you have to check the value with ($active == 0) ...

But if your return value is "false" on your login check you have to test for the correct type otherwise (like your e.g.) !$valid_user is the same as $active == 0 so both statements get true. And if your login check gives you also an active status with 0 or 1 back you have to check something like that:

PHP Code:

if ($valid_user === false) { echo "wahhhh"; }
if ($valid_user == 0) { echo "no active"; } 


So other question is, where comes your $active variable?