Incrementing Variable

[Anon]

Hey everyone, one of my buddies turned me onto your site a couple days ago.

I've been trying to work out an ordering system for my website, and have gotten stuck on this one part... I had the thing working however it was \"hard coded\" let me show you an example.

I'm passing a checkbox over to order.php from list.php and here's some code from order.php

<input type=\'hidden\' name=\'$a1\' value=\'$b1\'>

Where $a1 is just a generic count, and $b1 is the item name. But here's my problem...
When using this loop...
<?
$a1=$a0;
$b1loop=$b1;
while ( $a1 < r7 )
{
$a1++;
echo\"<input type=\'hidden\' name=\'$a1\' value=\'$b1loop\'>\";
$b1loop++;
}
?>
When using this, I need to have $b1 be incremented... as b1, b2 ,b3 because these are item id's in my database, and I need to extract and display these in my current page. But if my input from list.php is say fff, it turns out like ffg, ffh, and ffi. which is not what I need lol... Please contact me via ICQ : 20152696, MSN ; [e-mail], or AIM : NXChew for further info about my problem

Thanks So much!
Matt

[fitzbean]

Uh boy, do you know how to use arrays? If not, I would suggest learning them. Trying to create incremental variable names, although posible, is very bad programming technique. I'm don't even understand the logic of your code.

[Anon]

Oh god. And use more descriptive varibale names .. How can i help with that code when you use $a1 and $b1 for variable names... what the hell is stored in those variables???

[Anon]

Well I have descriptions in my table as b1, b2, b3 and so on, I need to increment these variables so that each selected program is displayed.

Here's what I need the code to look like in the php page...

<input type=\'hidden\' name=\'$a1\' value=\'$b1\'>
<input type=\'hidden\' name=\'$a1\' value=\'$b2\'>
<input type=\'hidden\' name=\'$a1\' value=\'$b3\'>

I've gotten $a1 to auto increment. but I can't get $b1 to because it's got a value of 3d studio max so this is what it's displaying

<input type=\'hidden\' name=\'1\' value=\'3d studio max\'>
<input type=\'hidden\' name=\'2\' value=\'3d studio may\'>
<input type=\'hidden\' name=\'3\' value=\'3d studio maz\'>

So arrays are what I need to learn?

[fitzbean]

What you are trying to is truely odd, but this is what you need to do:

<?

$letter='x';
for ($number=1; $number < 4; $number++)
{
echo\"<input type=\'hidden\' name=\'$number\' value=\'3d studio ma$letter\'>\";
$b++;
}

?>

You can simply increment the letter, if the "3d studio ma" portion is going to be the same each time.