dynamic listboxes with a difference....

Anon

I am trying to set up two list boxes, when an option in the first is selected the page refreshes and the second box is populated with results dependant on what was selected in the first box.

I have only found solutions to this using java script/php - however i want to do it with php only - using a mysql database.

I have been able to do it using ASP but so far not with php.

Any ideas?

vsego

You need JavaScript to trigger refresh. How do you do it in ASP (without JavaScript)?

Anon

ok maybe im really dumb but... in asp i would just do an onchange="some function name"

and then at the top of the file in question i would define a function

script name=vbscript ... etc etc
sub some function name
form.submit
end sub

you get the idea..

now let me guess.. this is java?

Silly me.
Anyway .. i tried doin an onchange="this.form.submit" and it doesnt submit? What am i doing wrong?

Anon

You wrote: i tried doin an onchange="this.form.submit" and it doesnt submit?

Usually an onChange="something();" calls a function in JavaScript or VBscript, like
function something(){
do whatever;
}

FYI: Anything you want to do on the page AFTER it has left the server has to use a client side script...usually JavaScript or VBscript (which is Microsoft's offshoot of Netscape's JavaScript. JavaScript is more popular only because most browsers can handle it. Last I heard, VBscript is only handled my IE.)

If you don't want to use JavaScript, then you are limited to those things you can do at the server.

If you image that the webpage is like a ball tossed between the server and the browser, you'll find it easier to understand that the webpage you see in the browser is not connected to the server.

PHP is a server side script/program, more formerly known as a html preprocessor, and only works to process information to send with the webpage, sort of like wrapping that ball with a note before it is tossed.

This is not the proper technical way to describe what happens, but maybe the imagery will help understand the concept.

You will HAVE to use a client side script to make dynamic listboxes, even if you are pulling the information from the db by use of PHP.

vsego

Much like C.Douglas said (good post, many folks on this forum should read it), you need some scripting language. ASP's trick is VBScript based - not usable by anything but IE (this includes whole Linux community!).

Also, "this..." is typical for IE. Netscape prefers (still compatibile with IE) "document.something..."

If you want to be sure this will work without JavaScript as well, add submit button/image/... enclosed in <noscript></noscript> block. That way, submit will be displayed only on browsers not supporting JavaScript (or those that have it turned off).