Really BIG Problem...

miles_rich

Ok i have a really big problem, i have a form that is dynamicaly generated on a web page from a mysql database. it generates drop down fields. now when i need to update these fields i need the drop down boxes to go to the value passed into it. so like

if the url was

test.php?$day=12

then i need the drop down list called tday to drop to the selected item, in this case "12" any ideas???

the_Igel

when you generate select options, do smth like

echo <OPTION value=$row[0]';
if ($row[0] == $day) echo ' selected';
echo '>'.$row[1].'</OPTION>';

Mega

if you turn the generated text into a string you could use:

str_replace("'{$_GET['day']}'>", "'{$_GET['day']}' selected>", $string);

this assumes you generate a string using something like:

$result = mysql_query(query);

$text = '';

while( $row = mysql_fetch_array( $result) ){
$text .= "<option value='{$row['fieldname']}'>{$row['fieldname']}</option>\n";
}

str_replace("'{$_GET['day']}'>", "'{$_GET['day']}' selected>", $text);

echo '<select>\n$text</select>';

and 'the_Igel', your method will not work with register globals off, and most servers have this option set, and it's a lot more secure anyway.

the_Igel

Sorry, 'Mega', question was not about how to read external variables. Sure you should use _GET instead of register_globals ON.

Code I wrote was about getting selected the needed option, not about security. Details are left for exercise 🙂

Mega

well he could go on to request help in the future, and if we help him get his code up to scratch then it will help us help him

🙂

and he couldn't do this basic task which suggests he isn't very aware of the security issues involved and therefore we should help him make his scripts tidier and more secure 🙂

the_Igel

I think writing complete ready-to-use scripts as a help request is very bad practice, 'cause it is help for copy-pasters, not for intelligent people. If you got some brain, you will use only main idea anyway, not the whole code. And if not, then no forum can ever help you 🙂

miles_rich

thankyou, but that code was only an example.

Mega

we learn by example 😉

if we give him sloppy coding, he will follow it.

i was taught by people showing me $_GET etc, and therefore i coded to their standard.

if he is never shown $_GET how is he even meant to know it exists? is he supposed to guess to do that?

I think the short snippet I gave him is hardly writing his entire script, but it will work under register globals off, and hopefully he will learn from that and follow my example.

there is no excuse for coding badly, you should code as well as you can under any circumstance 🙂

mrmufin

Originally posted by Mega
we learn by example
if we give him sloppy coding, he will follow it.

I wholeheartedly concur, Mega.

Everybody starts coding from somewhere, and there are simple enough measures which can be taken to assure that scripts will work properly in the greatest number of environments. If we're aware of these measures and someone who's posting a question is not, it's in everyone's best interest to use these techniques in any example code provided.

the_Igel

OK, OK 🙂

You're right, i'm wrong, and no excuse to writing as if reg_gl is on 🙂🙂🙂

Still a remark: if one codes for reg_gl off, he'll anyway learn to use _GET, had he seen it before or not. And if he codes for php3, he can get in a trouble trying to use it 🙂