Drop-down Form in PHP/MySQL

[steves93]

Is there an efficient way to have two drop-downs on one page, with the selection list in the second dependent on the selection in the first?  For example, suppose my SQL data is:

 

CATEGORY          PRODUCT

------------          -----------

fruit                  apple

fruit                  orange

fruit                  banana

vegetable          celery

vegetable          carrot

vegetable          onion

 

And I want a drop-down with two choices: fruit and vegetable.  Immediately beneath that drop-down, I want another drop-down that displays choices apple, orange, banana if "fruit" is selected above, but celery, carrot, onion if vegetable is selected.

 

I've been messing around with $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'], but frankly, am too inexperienced to have made it work.

 

Thanks.

 

Steve

[cmgmyr]

Take a look at: http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex16/chainedselects/index.htm

 

You would just put your sql data into that

[steves93]

Thanks; this does help,.  But it seems to require me to hard-code the selections.  Any way to do it with queries of the SQL database, so that the selections dynamically update when the data changes?

[cmgmyr]

you can just output the javascript from php. nothing has to be hard coded...thats whats nice about php

[anthonydamasco]

i would just do this.

 

Just have a form with a list of fruit.

 

and when the person hits "submit" you'd do something like this.

 

<?php
$product = $_POST['producttype'];

if($product =='apple'){
$category= "fruit";
}
elseif($product =='carrot'){
$category= "vegetable";
}
?>

 

this you can just insert product and category into your database. not sure if this helps. I know 2 drop downs can be done, I just don't know how.