Multiple List Boxes

swampster

Hi All,

I want to include a list (combo) box that allows multiple choices.. that is populated from the database.

I have used the code: (this is just a snippet from my overall code).

// ***** populate the mods list

$result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM ccentral_mods ORDER BY MOD_NAME",$db);

if ($myrow = mysql_fetch_array($result)) {

echo "<select name=\"mods[]\" size=\"2\" multiple>";

do {	 

printf("<option value=\"%s\">\n", $myrow["MOD_NAME"]);
echo $myrow["MOD_NAME"];
echo "</option>";
}

while ($myrow = mysql_fetch_array($result));

echo "</select>\n";
}

else {

echo "<input type=\"text\" name=\"type\" size=\"30\" maxlength=\"30\">";

}

// **** end population

This results in the following format being printed:

<select name="mods[]" size="2" multiple>
<option value="Something">Something</option>
<option value="A Thing">A Thing</option>
<option value="SomethingElse">SomethingElse</option>
</select>

Which I think is how it should be??

Now, what I'm completely stumped at.. and I cant find anything about it (anywhere)..

Is how do I get this into a database?
If this is the only form element on the page, what is the format of the sql to input the data into the db, preferably seaparated by a comma (,).

For example is I selected:

Something
A Thing

How would I get
Something, A Thing

into the database?

Is it just as simple as...

mysql_query("INSERT INTO table_name (the_column) VALUES ('$mods[]')");

And how would this separate the items of the array by the comma?

Regards

Lee

Anon

one solution i use is

1)
i read the array to a string separated the item with special characters such as ":::"

so in your case, the array value will be read into one string

"Something:::A thing"

and save this to the database

when you use it,you call the function

split (":::", "Something:::A thing") to return it to an array

swampster

Thanks for the reply "help"..

However, with some help I'm now using:

$mods = implode(',',$mods);
mysql_query("INSERT INTO table_name (the_column) VALUES ('$mods')");

And it works a treat 🙂

Anon

great, i will change the my codes, calling implode() instead of my old codes which while loop the array to read the values.

but instead of using the "," as a separator, i think it might be a good idea to use some characters that will not happen in the real life.

say, the menu items may be created from a database, and you don't know the values in advance. if the value

Chicago, Illinois
Vancouver, British Columbia

using "," in implode(), when you read it back to array, will it be

Chicago
Illinois
Vancouver
British Columbia