Variable Variables question

troublemaker

Still having problems with $$var handling.

When I pull unknown values out of a mysql (using PHP3) table & populate a form with them as checkboxes, I have noticed that spaces cause problems....

ie, a table value of "bright red" does not show up....

The code below is used to manage the checkbox generation & to do the "tick mark".

Any ideas?

$bob=$var_list[$i];

/*************process checkbox for the option******
if ($$bob == "Yes") {
$$bob = "checked";
}
else {
$$bob = "";
}
//**********End checkbox for the option*********

echo "
	<tr> 
		<td align=\"left\" rowspan =\"1\" colspan =\"3\">
		<blockquote>
			<INPUT TYPE=\"checkbox\" NAME=\"$bob\" VALUE=\"Yes\" ${$bob}>", $bob;
	echo "</blockquote>
		</td>
	</tr>";

}

frigidman

Try this instead?

$bob=$var_list[$i];
echo "
<tr>
<td align=\"left\" rowspan =\"1\" colspan =\"3\">
<blockquote>
<INPUT TYPE=\"checkbox\" NAME=\"$bob\" VALUE=\"Yes\" ".(($$bob)?'CHECKED':'').">", $bob;
echo "</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>";
}

The part to note is this:

".(($$bob)?'CHECKED':'')."

Thats:
doublequote . (($$bob)? singlequote CHECKED singlequote : singlequote singlequote ) . doublequote

Simply put, it says "if the value of $bob as a variable exists, then lets put in the word CHECKED, otherwise, nothing". A checkbox variable either has a value in it, or it doesnt, so this action is good for checkboxes. Try it out.

Mega

variable variables are such a bad way to programme seeming as it's better and more secure just to use arrays

o_0

I never understand why anyone would ever want to use them but heh

frigid man, for bigger blocks of code and less escaping you can always use:

$bob=$var_list[$i]; 
echo <<<EOF 
<tr> 
<td align="left" colspan ="3"> 
<blockquote> 
<INPUT TYPE="checkbox" NAME="$bob" VALUE="Yes"
EOF;

( ($$bob) ? 'CHECKED' : ''); 

echo <<<EOF
$bob
</blockquote> 
</td> 
</tr>
EOF;

🙂 i fixed your errors also 🙂

troublemaker

You had a mistake on the input statement.

The second to last " required escaping. see below

<INPUT TYPE=\"checkbox\" NAME=\"$bob\" VALUE=\"Yes\" ".(($$bob)?'CHECKED':'').\">", $bob;

Once I did that, the list showed ok, However, there was 1 new & 1 old problem;

the $$bob value was not passed to the next page to pick up the checkmark whether the variable originally from the DB had a space or was a single word.
The check marks would disappear if the page was reloaded..... I have specifically writtent he code to maintain persistant states (there are page re-loads that occur depending on user selections.)

frigidman

Personally I NEVER use echos for that sort of thing anyhow, so I hacked it together in that post.

I normally end the PHP and do all my html outside of echos I cant stand piling html inside echos... sickens me =)

So I usually do:
<?PHP
lots of code here
?>
html stuff
more html stuff
<INPUT TYPE=CHECKBOX NAME="blah" <?=($blah)'CHECKED':'';?> Blah
more html
more html
<?PHP
some more php at the end maybe
?>

I try to block all my html into solid groups that actually looks like HTML output. Makes it far easier to edit, and read later when I have totally forgotten what I made hehehe.

Mega

Originally posted by frigidman
Personally I NEVER use echos for that sort of thing anyhow, so I hacked it together in that post.

I normally end the PHP and do all my html outside of echos I cant stand piling html inside echos... sickens me =)

So I usually do:
<?PHP
lots of code here
?>
html stuff
more html stuff
<INPUT TYPE=CHECKBOX NAME="blah" <?=($blah)'CHECKED':'';?> Blah
more html
more html
<?PHP
some more php at the end maybe
?>

I try to block all my html into solid groups that actually looks like HTML output. Makes it far easier to edit, and read later when I have totally forgotten what I made hehehe.

using:

<html>
hmm sed stuff
<?

php

hmm sed more stuff

hmm sed more php

is slower than using echo statements 😉

you shud try hard to keep your html away from your coding, and use templates.

it makes your code easier to code, debug and change, and makes it faster 🙂

frigidman

Speed is no different from past time runs of doing it the messy way, or the clean way.

It is far easier to read code that is structured, than it is to read end to end statements and echos all jumbled together to make an actual html output page.

Echos also make it more difficult to handle cookie control and header adjustments through the top of your code before you get to html. Putting html into a var to spit out later is just like doing an echo, yet its even more disgusting and troublesome.

Breaking up html in singular lines all over makes for a mess that I like not doing. And for speed? gimmie a break =) my time runs never showed any difference between... it took more time if I had more lines of code, that was about it, and usually with doing thousands of echo's mixed in with code, was adding more lines of messy code than doing it the other way.

Whatever.

Mega

Originally posted by frigidman
Speed is no different from past time runs of doing it the messy way, or the clean way.

It is far easier to read code that is structured, than it is to read end to end statements and echos all jumbled together to make an actual html output page.

Echos also make it more difficult to handle cookie control and header adjustments through the top of your code before you get to html. Putting html into a var to spit out later is just like doing an echo, yet its even more disgusting and troublesome.

Breaking up html in singular lines all over makes for a mess that I like not doing. And for speed? gimmie a break =) my time runs never showed any difference between... it took more time if I had more lines of code, that was about it, and usually with doing thousands of echo's mixed in with code, was adding more lines of messy code than doing it the other way.

Whatever.

I dont code that way either 😉

I use a Class created for substituting variables, and for aquiring the skins needed for each part 😉

my HTML isnt even in the same DIRECTORY let alone the same file 🙂

extremely efficient.

It is the same as IBF's method of doing thing's, although PHPBB has a runner up method of performing the task.

vB has a shite way of doing it.

🙂