Help with making a drop down menu an option

[dawndmd]

Hi, I have created a form and implemented PHP.  Everything works find except that for some reason the option menus are mandatory for someone to drop down.  What do I add in my code to make the drop down optional? Here is some code below from my form.  If you need to look at my form further you can at www.branicdesigns.com/tiny/products.php and view code.  It is a very big form so I can't post the whole thing here.

 

//Check drop down

if (in_array($_POST['quantity13'], $options)) {

$om = $_POST['quantity13'];

} else {

$errors[] = 'Please select a valid option from the drop down.';

}

[dawndmd]

I didn't know if this code would help for an answer as well as the quote in previous post.  Thank you.

 

$options = array("Quantity", "1", "2", "3"); // set up options array, may be easier ways depending on data.

 

<SELECT NAME="quantity1">

<?php

    foreach ($options as $option) {

    echo "<option>$option</option>\n";

    }?>

</SELECT>

[dawndmd]

Can anyone please help me with this?  Thank you.  Dawn

[revraz]

Not sure what you mean by mandatory and optional.

 

This line here will produce an error if no option is picked

 

else {

        $errors[] = 'Please select a valid option from the drop down.';

 

Are you saying you don't want that?

[Barand]

Include the default value (when no option is selected) in the $options array

[anon]

So you don't want those menu's to drop down?

[dawndmd]

Barand, I think what I need is a default value.  What would that look like in the options array?  What would happen if I simply took out the line that revraz stated

Not sure what you mean by mandatory and optional.

 

This line here will produce an error if no option is picked

 

else {

        $errors[] = 'Please select a valid option from the drop down.';

 

Are you saying you don't want that?

 

I want the menus to have the ability to drop down but not be mandatory for someone to have to use the drop down menu.  Thanks.

[teng84]

and what is the problem now ?

[Barand]

The options array used to build the dropdown in your second post conatins "Quantity". This would be the default if no quantity were selected. The validation array, I'm guessing, would jiust contain 1,2,3.

 

However both my method and Revraz's have potential problems.

 

If you permit "Quantity" as a valid value in $om, something down the line could fail when you come to use $om.

 

With Revraz solution $om doesn't get set, so something down the line could fail when you come to use $om.