delete desired db entries with checkboxes

[xfezz]

I would like to be able to have a list of all my entries in my mysql db with corresponding checkmark boxes. And then upon submission, delete the entries that were check marked. I have googled and searched the forums on here and came up with some useful info in another thread. BUT I cannot get it to work correctly.

I have the following to display the output with the checkboxes.

[code]
if ($db_found) {
    $SQL = "SELECT * FROM articles ORDER BY id DESC";
    $result = mysql_query($SQL);
      while ($db_field = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {
        echo "<input type=\"checkbox\" name=\"delete[]\" value=\"$db_field[id]\" />"
        $now_format = $db_field['article_date'];
        $new_format = date('F d, Y',strtotime($now_format)); // transform
        echo $new_format ."<BR>";  // prints out: date in following format October 20, 2006
        echo $db_field['message'] . "<p>";
}
[/code]

Which does generate the checkbox with the correct id value to the corresponding entry of the database. Here is the source of the html to the output.

[code] <input type="checkbox" name="delete[]" value="5" />October 21, 2006<BR>this is article number 5<p>
[/code]

And so forth for the remaining entries in the db. My thinking is to use an array delete[5] where 5 is the id number to the entry waiting to be deleted. 

Now for the actual deleting of the entries, I have no idea on what to do here. Logically I think I know what I have to to. Have a loop that would go through and delete the entries with the corresponding id numbers. (the ones that were checked and passed to the $_POST[‘delete’] array.) or it should have been?

[code]
// if form has been submitted, run this:
if (count($_POST['delete']) > 0) {
  foreach ($_POST['delete'] as $val) {
    $sql = "DELETE FROM articles WHERE id = '$val'";
    mysql_query($sql);
  }
}
[/code]

(I got this from another thread that was posted here)

No workies. Im not even sure if the _$POST data values are being passed correctly or even html can do this. Or im just not pulling the data correctly from the array ;[

[pocobueno1388]

Try this:

This is the part that deletes the messages after they select which ones to delete.
[code]

if ($_POST['delete']){
$delMessages = $_POST['delMsg'];
$num = count($delMessages);
for($i = 0; $i < $num; $i++){

$val = $delMessages[$i];

mysql_query("DELETE FROM articles WHERE id = '$val''");

}
}
[/code]

Use this for your while loop:

[code]

while ($db_field = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {
        echo "<input type=\"checkbox\" name=\"delMsg[]\" value=\"' . $db_field['id'] . '\">"
        $now_format = $db_field['article_date'];
        $new_format = date('F d, Y',strtotime($now_format)); // transform
        echo $new_format ."<BR>";  // prints out: date in following format October 20, 2006
        echo $db_field['message'] . "<p>";
}

[/code]

Also, use this delete button:

[code]
<input type="submit" name="delete" value="delete">
[/code]

Let me know how that goes =)

[xfezz]

hmm i get a

Parse error: parse error, unexpected T_ENCAPSED_AND_WHITESPACE, expecting T_STRING or T_VARIABLE or T_NUM_STRING in C:\Apache\htdocs\port\del3.php on line 27

line 27 is this line right here

[code]while ($db_field = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {[/code]

on the output after I tried what you said. doesnt even display the output. i think im going to have to redo my loop. or just redo everything  >:(

[pocobueno1388]

Hmmm....sorry I couldn't be more help.

I just thought of something....did you change this:

[code]
echo "<input type=\"checkbox\" name=\"delMsg[]\" value=\"' . $row['messageID'] . '\">"
[/code]

to:

[code]
echo "<input type=\"checkbox\" name=\"delMsg[]\" value=\"' . $db_field['id'] . '\">"
[/code]

[xfezz]

Actually I forgot to change the field name to id instead of MessageID. but its not even get past line 27 so its not getting to it yet. I think im going to take a break. And maybe try again later. Thanks for the help though ;]

edit:

wow haha i got it to work. I feel like an idiot. I forgot to close the database connection and that got it to work. ima lock this for now.