How to choose the order of items

cyberplasma

I have a database table with a number of items in there:

ID Name
1 How-to
2 Introduction
3 Further Study
4 ....

The user enters information in the database, in random order. However, once that is done he wants to change the order of items. How best approach this problem? I've seen on other sites that they put the items in a listbox, and with Javascript you can select an item and move it up or down the list. After clicking submit, the items are displayed on the screen in the chosen order.

For example, like this:

ID Name
2 Introduction
1 How-to
3 Further Study
(a helper-field will be necessary to store the chosen order)

Does someone have a starting-point to solve this problem, an article you've read somewhere or some experience with this?

Thanks in advance,
Bjorn

eoghain

You will need to add a "Display Order" field to your table. When the user changes the position (however you handle this) then the database get's updated. Finally you use the ORDER BY clause in your SQL to ORDER BY "Display Order" so now everything appears in the order the user wants.

ID DispID Name
1 2 How-to
2 1 Introduction
3 3 Further Study
4 ....

SELECT Name
FROM table
ORDER BY DispID

cyberplasma

Well, that is absolutely brilliant, but that was not my question. I had even mentioned that I'd obviously need a helper-field to set the order.

Does anyone have ideas or experience handling the actual 'ordering' itself? Experiences with Javascript listboxes, ...

Thanks

eoghain

Sorry, I missed that you had mentioned the helper field.

But before you get all snotty, maybe you should ask your JavaScript question on a JavaScript message board instead of on a PHP message board.