[SOLVED] drop down menus - couple of questions

atl_andy · December 14, 2007

My form has a couple of drop down menus that are populated using a pgsql table.

1. How do I get the drop down menus to separate from each other? I have tried using <p> and <br />, but neither is working. Currently they are right on top of each other.

2. Is there a better way to handle this? I will be using more drop down menus on the form and would like to have the code be as tight as possible. This was the only way I could get the menus populated.

disclaimer: I'm relatively new to php...only been using it for about three weeks. Any help is appreciated.

<?php

  // Manufacturer Dropdown
   function create_dropdownMFR($identifierMFR,$pairsMFR,$identifierMFR,$multipleMFR="")
{
   // Start the dropdown list with the <select> element and title
   $dropdownMFR = "<select name=\"$identifierMFR\"> ";
   $dropdownMFR .= "<option name=\"\">Select Manufacturer</option>";
   // Create the dropdown elements
   foreach($pairsMFR AS $valueMFR => $nameMFR)
   {
       $dropdownMFR .= "<option name=manufacturer>$nameMFR</option>";
   }
   // Conclude the dropdown and return it
   echo "</select>";
   return $dropdownMFR;
}

   //Connect to the db server and select a database
   $db_handleMFR = pg_connect('dbname=test user=user password=secret');

   // Retrieve the manufacturer table data
   $queryMFR = "SELECT record_id, manufacturer FROM dropdown ORDER BY manufacturer";
   $resultMFR = pg_query($db_handleMFR, $queryMFR);

   // Create an associative array based on the table data
   while($rowMFR = pg_fetch_array($resultMFR))
   {
      $valueMFR = $rowMFR['record_id'];
      $nameMFR = $rowMFR['manufacturer'];
      $pairsMFR[$valueMFR] = $nameMFR;
   }

   echo "Manufacturer: ";
   echo create_dropdownMFR("dropdown",$pairsMFR,"");
?>

<?php
   // Model Number Dropdown
   function create_dropdownModel($identifierModel,$pairsModel,$identifierModel,$multipleModel="")
{
   // Start the dropdown list with the <select> element and title
   $dropdownModel = "<select name=\"$identifierModel\"> ";
   $dropdownModel .= "<option name=\"\">Select Model Number</option>";
   // Create the dropdown elements
   foreach($pairsModel AS $valueModel => $nameModel)
   {
       $dropdownModel .= "<option name=modelnumber>$nameModel</option>";
   }
   // Conclude the dropdown and return it
   echo "</select>";
   return $dropdownModel;
}

   //Connect to the db server and select a database
   $db_handleModel = pg_connect('dbname=test user=user password=secret');

   // Retrieve the manufacturer table data
   $queryModel = "SELECT record_id, manufacturer FROM dropdown ORDER BY manufacturer";
   $resultModel = pg_query($db_handleModel, $queryModel);

   // Create an associative array based on the table data
   while($rowModel = pg_fetch_array($resultModel))
   {
      $valueModel = $rowModel['record_id'];
      $nameModel = $rowModel['manufacturer'];
      $pairsModel[$valueModel] = $nameModel;
   }

   echo "Model: ";
   echo create_dropdownModel("dropdown",$pairsModel,"");

?>

phpSensei · December 14, 2007

I would use a <br > to seperate the drop down menus. You should be fine with this also...

atl_andy · December 14, 2007

That's what I have been trying, but maybe I'm not putting it in the correct place.

Is this correct?:

<?php
...
?>
<br /><br/>
<?php
....
?>

phpSensei · December 14, 2007

try this

<?php

   // Conclude the dropdown and return it
   echo "</select><br>";
   return $dropdownMFR;
}

?>

atl_andy · December 14, 2007

No luck with that either (I was trying that while you were posting)

phpSensei · December 14, 2007

No luck with that either (I was trying that while you were posting)

Can you post the SOURCE of the HTML when your viewing the site? I am usually good at this stuff...

atl_andy · December 14, 2007

<html>

   <head>
     <title>Audit Form</title>
     <link href="style.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" />
   </head>
<body>
<fieldset class="fieldset">
<form action="subscribe.php" method="post">
  <div class="div0">
    <h3>Notebook Audit Form</h3><p>Project Number:<input type="text" name="projectnumber" size="10" maxlength="20" value="" />User ID:<input type="text" name="userid" size="10" maxlength="20" value="" /></p>
  </div>

<div class="div1">
<?php

  // Manufacturer Dropdown
   function create_dropdownMFR($identifierMFR,$pairsMFR,$identifierMFR,$multipleMFR="")
{
   // Start the dropdown list with the <select> element and title
   $dropdownMFR = "<select name=\"$identifierMFR\"> ";
   $dropdownMFR .= "<option name=\"\">Select Manufacturer</option>";
   // Create the dropdown elements
   foreach($pairsMFR AS $valueMFR => $nameMFR)
   {
       $dropdownMFR .= "<option name=manufacturer>$nameMFR</option>";
   }
   // Conclude the dropdown and return it
   echo "</select>";
   return $dropdownMFR;
}

   //Connect to the db server and select a database
   $db_handleMFR = pg_connect('dbname=test2 user=user password=secret');

   // Retrieve the manufacturer table data
   $queryMFR = "SELECT record_id, manufacturer FROM dropdown ORDER BY manufacturer";
   $resultMFR = pg_query($db_handleMFR, $queryMFR);

   // Create an associative array based on the table data
   while($rowMFR = pg_fetch_array($resultMFR))
   {
      $valueMFR = $rowMFR['record_id'];
      $nameMFR = $rowMFR['manufacturer'];
      $pairsMFR[$valueMFR] = $nameMFR;
   }

   echo "Manufacturer: ";
   echo create_dropdownMFR("dropdown",$pairsMFR,"");
?>

<?php
   // Model Number Dropdown
   function create_dropdownModel($identifierModel,$pairsModel,$identifierModel,$multipleModel="")
{
   // Start the dropdown list with the <select> element and title
   $dropdownModel = "<select name=\"$identifierModel\"> ";
   $dropdownModel .= "<option name=\"\">Select Model Number</option>";
   // Create the dropdown elements
   foreach($pairsModel AS $valueModel => $nameModel)
   {
       $dropdownModel .= "<option name=modelnumber>$nameModel</option>";
   }
   // Conclude the dropdown and return it
   echo "</select>";
   return $dropdownModel;
}

   //Connect to the db server and select a database
   $db_handleModel = pg_connect('dbname=test2 user=user password=secret);

   // Retrieve the manufacturer table data
   $queryModel = "SELECT record_id, manufacturer FROM dropdown ORDER BY manufacturer";
   $resultModel = pg_query($db_handleModel, $queryModel);

   // Create an associative array based on the table data
   while($rowModel = pg_fetch_array($resultModel))
   {
      $valueModel = $rowModel['record_id'];
      $nameModel = $rowModel['manufacturer'];
      $pairsModel[$valueModel] = $nameModel;
   }

   echo "Model Number: ";
   echo create_dropdownModel("dropdown",$pairsModel,"");

?>

   <input type="submit" name="submit" value="Submit to Database" />
  </div>
</form>
</fieldset>

</body>

</html>

phpSensei · December 14, 2007

I ment when your viewing the site on your browser.

Right Click - View Source

atl_andy · December 14, 2007

hence the disclaimer...


<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
   <head>
    <title>Enter New Assets</title>
    <link href="style.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" />
    </title>
   </head>
<body>

  <ul class="div5" id="navcontainer">
    <li><a href="pc.html" target="iframe0">Add PC</a></li>

    <li><a href="monitor.html" target="iframe0">Add Monitor</a></li>
    <li><a href="notebook.php" target="iframe0">Add Notebook</a></li>
    <li><a href="server.html" target="iframe0">Add Server</a></li>
    <li><a href="printer.html" target="iframe0">Add Printer</a></li>
    <li><a href="home.html">Return To Main Page</a></li>
  </ul>

  <iframe name="iframe0" src="" float="right" scrolling="auto" height="100%" width="75%"></iframe>

</body>

</html>

phpSensei · December 14, 2007

Show me the source where the drop down menus are outputed.

weird, this should work just fine

   function create_dropdownMFR($identifierMFR,$pairsMFR,$identifierMFR,$multipleMFR="")
{
   // Start the dropdown list with the <select> element and title
   $dropdownMFR = "<select name=\"$identifierMFR\"> ";
   $dropdownMFR .= "<option name=\"\">Select Manufacturer</option>";
   // Create the dropdown elements
   foreach($pairsMFR AS $valueMFR => $nameMFR)
   {
       $dropdownMFR .= "<option name=manufacturer>$nameMFR</option>";
   }
   // Conclude the dropdown and return it
   echo "</select><br><br>";
   return $dropdownMFR;
}

atl_andy · December 14, 2007

I retyped it like you suggested and it worked.

Thanks for the help.

phpSensei · December 14, 2007

I retyped it like you suggested and it worked.

Thanks for the help.

Your Welcome

atl_andy · December 14, 2007

ok, another issue popped up. "Model Number" is not showing up above the second drop down.

   echo "Model Number: ";  // Does not show on the form
   echo create_dropdownModel("dropdown",$pairsModel,"");

phpSensei · December 14, 2007

Are you getting any errors?

atl_andy · December 14, 2007

No, the label is just blank.

phpSensei · December 14, 2007

No, the label is just blank.

What do you mean the label is blank? Does it show the drop down itself?

atl_andy · December 14, 2007

Yes, just the drop down...it looks like:

Manufacturer:
..drop down

[blank space]
..drop down

and should be

Manufacturer:
..drop down

Model Number:
..drop down

teng84 · December 14, 2007

this line

$dropdownMFR .= "<option name=manufacturer>$nameMFR</option>";

should be

$dropdownMFR .= "<option value='manufacturer'>$nameMFR</option>";

teng84 · December 14, 2007

and ...

this line

foreach($pairsMFR as $valueMFR => $nameMFR)

{

$dropdownMFR .= "<option value='manufacturer'>$nameMFR</option>";

}

// Conclude the dropdown and return it

echo "</select><br><br>";

should be

   foreach($pairsMFR as $valueMFR => $nameMFR)
   {
       $dropdownMFR .= "<option value='manufacturer'>$nameMFR</option>";
   }
   // Conclude the dropdown and return it
  $dropdownMFR .= "</select><br><br>";

atl_andy · December 14, 2007

Thanks teng84....fixed.

phpSensei · December 14, 2007

YAY, mark topic as solved please.

Xyphon · December 14, 2007

Why not do selections?

atl_andy · December 14, 2007

sorry, only the stuff he posted. my vars were screwed up. the Model Number still isn't showing.

Xyphon · December 14, 2007

Try selections

$slection= $_POST[something'];

}

if($something=="1")

{

$something="Something";

}

elseif($something=="2")

{

$something="Something";

}

else

{

$something="something";

}

And in forms

<option value='1'>something</option>

<option value='2'>something</option>

</select>

atl_andy · December 14, 2007

Eventually there will be quite a few items in the drop downs and I figured it would be easier to manage with a db table instead of a long select. There are other features I want to add that will select only the model numbers for particular manufacturers so the list doesn't blow up the user's screen. However, given my n00bness, will a select work better?

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[SOLVED] drop down menus - couple of questions

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