How to get ID when showing name in Dropdown?

[stirrah]

Hi,

 

I got a dropdown and a textbox. The dropdown is getting data from the database and showing the names.

Now i want to save that names ID and send it to the database. How can i do this? 

Do i have to make another query something like this? Or can i make it some other (better) way, Maybe this is a question for the SQL-forum?

$categoryId = mysql_query("SELECT categoryId FROM `projectCategory` WHERE categoryName = '" . mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['categoryName']));

Here is my code:

<?php
if (isset($_GET['add_h_success']) && empty($_GET['add_h_success'])) {
	echo 'Projekt tillagt.';
} else {
if (empty($_POST) === false && empty($errors) === true) {
	add_hproject($_POST['huvudProjectName'], $categoryId);
	header('Location: add_hproject.php?add_h_success');
} else if (empty($errors) === false) {
	echo output_errors($errors);
}
?>

<?php
$options = '';
$category=mysql_query("SELECT categoryName, categoryId FROM `projectCategory`");
while($row = mysql_fetch_array($category)) {
    $options .="<option>" . $row['categoryName'] . "</option>";
}



?>


<form action="" method="POST">
	<ul>
		<li>
			<?php $menu="
    <select name='categoryId'>
      " . $options . "
    </select>
</form>";

echo $menu; ?>
		</li>
		<li>Namn: <br>
			<input type="text" name="huvudProjectName">
		</li>
		<li>
			<input type="submit" value="Lägg till"></li>
	</ul>
</form>

[Ch0cu3r]

Get the category id and name from the database when you make the options list and set the id as the value for the options

$category=mysql_query("SELECT categoryName, categoryId FROM `projectCategory`");
while($row = mysql_fetch_array($category)) {
    $options .="<option value=\"".$row['categoryId']."\">" . $row['categoryName'] . "</option>";
}

When the form is submitted $_POST['categoryId''] will contain the category id for the selected category.

[stirrah]

Ah! Smart! 

 

My problem now is that i cant submit the value in the dropdown...why? 

 

my code looks like this right now:

<?php

if (isset($_GET['add_h_success']) && empty($_GET['add_h_success'])) {

	echo 'Projekt tillagt.';

	echo $cat;

} else {

if (empty($_POST) === false && empty($errors) === true) {

	$cat = $_POST['categoryName'];

	$categoryId = mysql_query("SELECT categoryId FROM `projectCategory` WHERE categoryName = $cat");

	add_hproject($_POST['huvudProjectName'], $categoryId);

	header('Location: add_hproject.php?add_h_success');

} else if (empty($errors) === false) {

	echo output_errors($errors);

}

?>


<?php

$options = '';

$category=mysql_query("SELECT categoryName, categoryId FROM `projectCategory`");

while($row = mysql_fetch_array($category)) {

    $options .="<option>" . $row['categoryName'] . "</option>";

}




?>



<form action="" method="POST">

	<ul>

		<li>

			<?php $menu="

    <select name='categoryName'>

      " . $options . "

    </select>

";


echo $menu; ?>

		</li>

		<li>Namn: <br>

			<input type="text" name="huvudProjectName">

		</li>

		<li>

			<input type="submit" value="Lägg till"></li>

	</ul>

</form>

[Psycho]

And, what do you mean - exactly - that you cannot submit. Are you saying you are clicking the submit button and nothing happens. Or that you click it and it submits - but you don't see the results you expect. We are working in the blind and depend upon you to provide all the information necessary to help you.

[Ch0cu3r]

Don't know why you have change your code from what you had. All you needed to do is replace the while loop with my code and then pass $_POST['categoryId'] variable to the add_hproject() function.

 

The problem with your code above is with the query. Values used in queries need to be wrapped in quotes

$categoryId = mysql_query("SELECT categoryId FROM `projectCategory` WHERE categoryName = '$cat'");

 

And mysql_query does not return the categoryId only the result resource. You need to use one of the mysql_fetch_* functions or mysql_result to get the categoryId value from the query.

[stirrah]

And, what do you mean - exactly - that you cannot submit. Are you saying you are clicking the submit button and nothing happens. Or that you click it and it submits - but you don't see the results you expect. We are working in the blind and depend upon you to provide all the information necessary to help you.

 

Sorry! I mean that the $_POST never gets the value.

[stirrah]

When I press the submit button, the variable $cat never gets the value.

 

 

$cat = $_POST['categoryName'];

 

I have tried to echo $cat but it's empty

[stirrah]

guys! it works now. Thanks SO much for all your help!