[SOLVED] Yanking values from a text field without a form?

[vozzek]

Hi everyone,

 

Does a standard html text field have to be located within a form in order for me to pull values from it within php?  For example:

 

I have a text field for quantity.  The user can change it.  Later on in my page there's a button that launches the user to a php script on another page, and I need to know what the value of that text field was when the button was pressed.  There's not a form on my page, so I'm assuming I can't use $_GET or $_POST.

 

Is this possible?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

[revraz]

So how does the button work now if its not a form?

 

Is it just a img and your have a url associated with it?

 

If so, a Form would be the best way with a POST method.

[vozzek]

Is it just a img and your have a url associated with it?

 

Yes, that's exactly it.

 

I really want to avoid using a form if possible.

 

 

[kenrbnsn]

Why do you want to avoid using a form?

 

Ken

[revraz]

You can still use the same button graphic with a form if you like.

[Vivid Lust]

hide the html form values?

[PFMaBiSmAd]

The only way to get information from a browser to a server is to make a HTTP request to the server and include that information as part of the request.

 

The ways of making a HTTP request are a form that is submitted (POST or GET), a URL that is requested (GET), or using AJAX techniques (POST or GET.)

[vozzek]

Okay, at the risk of getting laughed out, I'll try to explain why I don't want to use a form. 

 

I have four buttons on my view_cart page:  UPDATE CART, EMPTY CART, CONTINUE SHOPPING, and CHECKOUT.

 

Empty cart is a button that launches to a new php url called delete_from_cart.php.  I pass the cart id number over using $cid.  Looks like this:

 

<input type="image" src="Images/button_empty_cart.jpg" name="Empty" value="Empty" onmouseover="this.src='Images/button_empty_cart_rollover.jpg'" onmouseout="this.src='Images/button_empty_cart.jpg'" onclick="window.location.href='delete_from_cart.php?cid=0'" />

 

Continue shopping is a button that launches the user back to the last category they were shopping in.  The variable $lastcat is equivalent to the last url they were at.  The button looks like this:

 

<input type="image" src="Images/button_continue_shopping.jpg" name="Continue" value="Continue" onmouseover="this.src='Images/button_continue_shopping_rollover.jpg'" onmouseout="this.src='Images/button_continue_shopping.jpg'" onclick="window.location.href='<?php echo $lastcat; ?>'"

 

The Checkout button is the most simple, because it's does nothing more than call another url, no parameter passing or variables needed:

 

<input type="image" src="Images/button_checkout.jpg" name="Checkout" value="Checkout" onMouseOver="this.src='Images/button_checkout_rollover.jpg'" onMouseOut="this.src='Images/button_checkout.jpg'" onclick="window.location.href='checkout.php'" />

 

But my real problem lies in the Update Cart button.  There can be any number of items in the cart, so I need to pass an array to my update_cart.php script.  Originally I was using a form to post this to the next page, but for some reason it made every button on my entire page turn into a POST form button that launched me into update_cart.php.  It didn't matter where I placed the <form> </form> code, it assumed all buttons were supposed to post.  Dunno why.

 

I deleted that code and went with the onclick="window.location" stuff.  I made a small $SESSION array to contain the quantity information based upon cart id.  The only two variables I need to do the MySQL update are cart id and quantity.

 

Am I using redirection to these php files in order to make writes to my database?  Yes.  Am I doing this on separate pages to avoid using Ajax?  Yes.    Did I make an honest attempt to learn Ajax and incorporate it into my shopping cart?  Definitely yes.  But unfortunately it got rather complicated, took too much time, and I needed to get moving.  My shopping cart isn't all THAT elaborate, and I just wanted to get going on it.

 

The update cart button launches to the update_cart.php file and passes the total item count.  (I use this variable to loop through my global array):

 

<input type="image" src="Images/button_update_cart.jpg" name="Update" value="Update" onMouseOver="this.src='Images/button_update_cart_rollover.jpg'" onMouseOut="this.src='Images/button_update_cart.jpg'" onClick="window.location.href='update_cart.php?itemct=<?php echo $itemct; ?>'" />

 

So in the end, I just need a way to grab the text field I'm using for QUANTITY so I can post it to my session variable for that cart id (each cart id has its own quantity field).  I thought maybe I could use a javascript OnChange event to launch into a small script that would set the variable, but without the field being immersed inside a form, I don't know how.

 

I'm kinda new at all this stuff, so try not to smack me around too hard.