Form with proper spacing...

[voyde]

I need some help... If someone enters data into a form a textbox, with multiple lines how can I get PHP to convert each new line into a <br /> so when it saves to the database it automatically has the proper spacing?

[Psycho]

I'm assuming you meant to post a < br /> tag above.

 

I would suggest NOT converting line breaks to BR tags before saving to the database. Otherwise youwill have to convert again if you need to repopulate a textarea for editing.

 

Instead, when you get the content from the database, use nl2br() when displaying it.

[voyde]

I dont seem to follow....

 

<textarea cols="40" rows="20" name="text"><?=$text?></textarea>

 

do i convert it into a nl2br(String) before i send it to the DB? or when im trying to read the DB

 

[tippy_102]

Use nl2br when you are reading from the database to retain the line breaks.

[voyde]

Ok well how in a form input do i retain the breaks?

 

I.E on the way into the database.

[Psycho]

User enters this into a textarea:

Here is
some text
with several
line breaks

 

You would enter that (as is) into the database.

 

Now when you need to display that text in HTML you would use this:

nl2br($textFromDB) which would output this:

Here is<br />some text<br />with several<br />line breaks

 

However if you need to populate the original text back into a textarea for editing you just use the value from the database w/o nl2br().