get the menu item's value and label

Anon

for example, i have a menu list like this

<form method="post" action="nextpage.php">
<select name="area">
<option value="101">alaska</option>
<option value="107">illinois</option>
</select>
</form>

in the next page, i want get both the value and label of the menu list "area", how?

$area will just give me the value 101. i cannot get the label alaska.

thanks.

hui

Anon

I suggest that you create an array:

$states = array (
'101' => 'alaska',
'107' => 'illinois',
etc...
);

use this array to create your select list by looping thru and echoing $keys and $values and then on your form processing page you can easily map the correct state to the corresponding number:

echo $states[$area];

Anon

thanks. but is there any other simple ways to handle it?

i am thinking about leave the menu list for our non-prgrammer designer to build or modify as he wishs.

i will only worry about the programming part in the next page.

so the array thing is not for him to handle.

Hui

Anon

the only other way is to have a bunch if statements on the form processing page that maps areas to states:

if ($area == '101') {$state = 'Alabama';}
if ($area == '102') {$state = 'Illinois';}
etc...

again, an array would be much quicker and easier.

Anon

you could use javascript. You would need to create a javasctip array on the first page. Then do an onChange event for the SELECT. in the onChange event, have it change a hidden field value to the name (use the associative array method mentioned earlier). Then in the resulting page you would have the value and name.