Select boxes in a loop

[JasonBruce88]

Hello I am able to populate a select box with items form a mysql table no problem. But what I am creating is a form that repeats the fields  depending on the users selection on the previous page. This works no problem except for the select box. It fails to select all the results. I have tried many combinations of nested loops but with no joy. In stead of posting all the code I will post the code which generates the select box. Any help or point in the right direction is very much welcome.

 

	    echo "<fieldset>\n";
	echo "<legend>\n";
	  echo "Products required for property\n";
	echo "</legend>\n";
//echo $productItemLoop;
	  $ProductIDArray = "ProductID$propNumber";
	  $ProductIDArrayBrackets = "[]";

while($nt1=mysql_fetch_array($result)){
  
  $product_options_open = "<option value=\"$nt1[ProductID]\">";
  $row_productType = $nt1['ProductType'];
  $product_options_close = "</option>\n";
  
}


	  echo "<p>\n";
	  echo "Hold 'Ctrl' to select more than one product\n";
	  echo "<br />\n";
	    echo "<select multiple";
	      echo " ";
	      echo "name=";
	      echo "\"$ProductIDArray$ProductIDArrayBrackets\"";
	      echo " ";
	      echo "id=\"ProductID$propNumber\" size=\"5\">\n";
		echo "$product_options_open\n";
		echo "$row_productType\n";
		echo "$product_options_close\n";
	      echo "</select>\n";
	  echo "</p>\n";
      echo "</fieldset>\n";

 

[mikesta707]

if you want a check box to be selected, you need to set its "selected" attribute to the value "selected". for example

<option selected="selected">...</option>

 

 

 

 

[JasonBruce88]

Sorry, it was early in the morning. I meant show results not select results. Sorry for the miss leading question.

[Axeia]

'non selected' data from elements that give an array are lost when submitted.

 

That would be your

<select multiple>

but also for example

<input type='checkbox' value='cows' name='opt[]' /><input type='checkbox' value='sheeps' name='opt[]' />

 

There is no way getting around this besides either sticking all options in <input type='hidden' />  as well, or by simply using static code (or a query) to retrieve the information like you did on the original page.

 

_{I think HTML5 might offer a solution for this, but too early to use and I'm not even sure if it did.}

[JasonBruce88]

Again my explanation probably was not the best. What is not happing is the population of the select box options.

 

I do appreciate your guys help even though I am not doing a good job of explaining it so thank you. 

[Axeia]

If you simply want to read out the values, this is the most basic example I can come up with.

<?php
if( !isset( $_POST['food'] ) )
{
  echo '
  <form action="" method="post">
  <label for="food">Which vegatable would you like for dinner?</label>
  <select name="food[]" MULTIPLE>
    <option value="carrots">carrots</option>
    <option value="peas">peas</option>
  </select>
  <input type="submit" />';
}
else
{
  foreach( $_POST['food'] as $veggy )
  {
    echo $veggy."<br/>";
  }
}
?>

 

[edit]

Forgot to explain

The magic part is in the name attribute, it has to end on []. PHP automatically creates an array out of form elements whos name ends on [].

[JasonBruce88]

Thank you very much I will try this when I get back to work

[DavidAM]

Your while loop is only producing one OPTION element.  It will be the last one from the database.  You are overwriting the values on each pass.

while($nt1=mysql_fetch_array($result)){
  $product_options_open = "<option value=\"$nt1[ProductID]\">";
  $row_productType = $nt1['ProductType'];
  $product_options_close = "</option>\n";
}

 

You might try rearranging the code just a bit to output the OPTIONS directly:

  echo "<p>\n";
  echo "Hold 'Ctrl' to select more than one product\n";
  echo "<br />\n";
    echo "<select multiple";
      echo " ";
      echo "name=";
      echo "\"$ProductIDArray$ProductIDArrayBrackets\"";
      echo " ";
      echo "id=\"ProductID$propNumber\" size=\"5\">\n";
while($nt1=mysql_fetch_array($result)){
  echo "<option value=\"$nt1[ProductID]\">\n";
  echo $nt1['ProductType'] . "\n";
  echo "</option>\n";
}
      echo "</select>\n";
  echo "</p>\n";