Array with Textfield

[verdrm]

Can anyone explain how to make an array using textfields?

[kenrbnsn]

Your question is unclear. Please ask it again, explaining what you are looking to do.

 

Ken

[verdrm]

I have a bunch of text fields with the same purpose (ex: responses to a ballot question), and I would like the insert them into MySQL. The number of text fields, however, can fluctuate because I have a JavaScript function to add more text fields. I assume I would use an array to get the # of text fields and then insert them?

[rhodesa]

Use the same form field name with empty square brackets to get an array of values.

 

<input type="text" name="ballot_answer[]" />
<input type="text" name="ballot_answer[]" />
<input type="text" name="ballot_answer[]" />
<input type="text" name="ballot_answer[]" />

 

Then in PHP, $_POST['ballot_answer'] will php a numeric array you can work with.

 

Does that help?

[verdrm]

Since I am new to arrays, can you explain what happens after $_POST['ballot_answer']? What are the steps after that to getting it into an INSERT statement?

[papaface]

Something like:

foreach ($_POST['ballot_answer'] as $value)
{
mysql_query("INSERT INTO `tblname` (answers) VALUES ('".$value."')");
}

[verdrm]

How would I take all the values in the array and insert them once in the same MySQL record with commas?

 

For example, if I have response a,b,c,d....instead of inserting each in a new record how would I just do: a,b,c,d in one record?

[rhodesa]

mysql_query("INSERT INTO `tblname` (answers) VALUES ('".implode(',',$_POST['ballot_answer'])."')");

[papaface]

mysql_query("INSERT INTO `tblname` (answers) VALUES ('".implode(',',$_POST['ballot_answer'])."')");

As far as I am aware that will not work.

[rhodesa]

mysql_query("INSERT INTO `tblname` (answers) VALUES ('".implode(',',$_POST['ballot_answer'])."')");

As far as I am aware that will not work.

 

Why not? Implode just makes a string, that is then stored into the 'answers' column, which will need to be of datatype varchar or text

[verdrm]

What will work then? I haven't tried this yet.

[Barand]

Both should work. However I'd go with storing answers in separate rows instead of all in a single comma-separated field. It's a much better db design.

 

[pre]

Answers  Method A

-----+----------+--------+

user | question | answer |

-----+----------+--------+

  1  |    1    |  a    |      Q  Which users answered "c" to Q2 ?

  1  |    2    |  c    |

  1  |    3    |  b    |      A      SELECT user FROM answers 

  1  |    4    |  a    |              WHERE question=2 AND answer='c'

  1  |    5    |  c    |

  2  |    1    |  c    |

  2  |    2    |  a    |

  2  |    3    |  b    |

  2  |    4    |  c    |

  2  |    5    |  b    |

  3  |    1    |  b    |

  3  |    2    |  c    |

  3  |    3    |  b    |

  3  |    4    |  a    |

  3  |    5    |  b    |

 

Answers    Method B

-----+-------------------+

user | answers          |

-----+-------------------+

  1  | a,c,b,a,c        |      Q  Which users answered "c" to Q2 ?

  2  | c,a,b,c,b        |

  3  | b,c,b,a,b        |      A  Ermmmm!

[papaface]

mysql_query("INSERT INTO `tblname` (answers) VALUES ('".implode(',',$_POST['ballot_answer'])."')");

As far as I am aware that will not work.

 

Why not? Implode just makes a string, that is then stored into the 'answers' column, which will need to be of datatype varchar or text

As Barand said, both will work. But this one is better than the other:

foreach ($_POST['ballot_answer'] as $value)
{
mysql_query("INSERT INTO `tblname` (answers) VALUES ('".$value."')");
}

[verdrm]

I agree, I want to do it that way without the commas, but I wanted to see both ways of doing it.

[verdrm]

How do I prevent blank textfields from being INSERTED in that array?