PROS! Help with form spitting out variables via PHP

[brianb]

Hello Pros,

I am currently working on a news system for my site.

Basically, on page where you submit news I have 2 buttons and a link:

Button: SUBMIT
Button: RESET
Link: PREVIEW

Now, before my users submit their news I'd like them to be able to preview the news being submitted into the form in a pop-up window.

I have 4 fields, and want to preview the variables in the text boxes, BEFORE they get submitted, in a pop-up window.

Can someone give me some example code on how to achieve this?

Thanks in advance.

[LordShryku]

Try some javascript....

<script language="JavaScript" type="text/JavaScript">
<!--
function popUp(URL) {
day = new Date();
id = day.getTime();
eval("page" + id + " = window.open(URL, '" + id + "', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=0,width=400,height=200,left = 312,top = 234');");
}
//-->
</script>

<form>
<input name="field1" type="text">
<input name="field2" type="text">
<input name="field3" type="text">
<input name="field4" type="text">
<input type=button value="Continue" onClick="javascript:popUp('popuppage.php?variable1=<? echo $field1; ?>&variable2=<? echo $field2; ?>&c=<? echo $field3; ?>&d=<? echo $field4; ?>')">
</form>

This will pass your variables from the screen to the popup page through the URL. Then you can echo them on to the page.

[brianb]

hey lord,

Thanks for the code. I've got the pop-up working right, BUT the variables aren't being passed to the URL.

Is there a way to pass the variables onto te actual page instead of in the URL?

Let me know what you think!

Thanks!

[LordShryku]

Try using a get method in your form. It will also stick the variables in the URL and you should be able to pull them from there....

[brianb]

Still not working. Still trying. maybe something to do with $_POST???

[LordShryku]

Maybe....

You could also change the form action to the popuppage.php

Paste your code to let me see what you're doing....

[brianb]

Here's what I have so far...not passing the variables to the URL, but to the page...

<form method="post" action="" name="submitnews">
              <table width="98%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
                <tr>
                  <td align="center">  

                    <input type=hidden name='username' value='<?php echo $_COOKIE["username"]; ?>' >
This news will be marked:<font color="#FF0000"> 
<?php
echo date('F d, Y'),
     " by $_COOKIE[username]";
?>
                    </font></td>
                </tr>
                <tr>
                  <td align="center">Headline: 
                    <input type=text name='title' size=70>
                  </td>
                </tr>
                <tr>
                  <td align="center">Caption: 
                    <input type=text name='caption' size=70>
                  </td>
                </tr>
                <tr>
                  <td align="center"><br>
                    Category to post this news to: 
<?PHP
                    $options = fetch_table($news_cats_table, "ID", "category");
   print_select( "category", "ID", $options );
?>
                  </td>
                </tr>
                <tr>
                  <td align="center">Film ID to connect this news to: (optional) 
                    <input type="text" name="filmID" size="6" value="">
                  </td>
                </tr>
              </table>
              <br>
              <?php
echo "<textarea name='news_copy' cols='75' rows='15' wrap='VIRTUAL'>",
     htmlspecialchars($news_copy),
     "</textarea>\n",
     "<br>Convert line breaks to &lt;br&gt;?&nbsp;&nbsp;";

//remember the nl2br option setting that the user has set
//using the nl2br radio buttons on this page
if($nl2br_option)
   echo "Yes <input type='radio' name='nl2br' value='1' checked> No <input type='radio' name='nl2br' value='0'>";
else
   echo "Yes <input type='radio' name='nl2br' value='1'> No <input type='radio' name='nl2br' value='0' checked>";
?>
<br><br>
              <input type=button value="preview" onClick="javascript:popUp('preview.php')">
              <br>
              <input type=submit name='action' value='submit'>
              <input type=reset value='reset' name="reset">
            </form>
          

This is the javascript top:

<script language="JavaScript" type="text/JavaScript"> 
<!-- 
function popUp(URL) { 
day = new Date(); 
id = day.getTime(); 
eval("page" + id + " = window.open(URL, '" + id + "', 'toolbar=1,scrollbars=1,location=1,statusbar=1,menubar=1,resizable=1,width=780,height=700,left = 0,top = 0');"); 
} 
//--> 
</script>

Then here is what I have in the popuppage:

<?php echo $_POST['title']; ?<br><?php echo $_POST['caption']; ?><br><?php echo $_POST['news_copy']; ?>

Any help is appreciated!

[LordShryku]

Try adding the action on the form to preview.php, like this:
<form method="post" action="prieview.php" name="submitnews">

And do this on preview.php:
Headline: <? echo $title; ?>
Caption: <? echo $caption; ?>

Not so sure about this one....
News: <? echo $news_copy; ?>

[brianb]

Dang...still notta workin!

Thanks for the help! Any other ideas?

[brianb]

Anyone else have any ideas of how to acheive this?

PLEASE HELP!

[tamitutor]

Hi,

You need a client-side as well as a server-side solution. Using javascript, you can do exactly as LordShryku said, but with a few changes.

---

ORIGINAL CODE:

<script language="JavaScript" type="text/JavaScript">
<!--
function popUp(URL) {
day = new Date();
id = day.getTime();
eval("page" + id + " = window.open(URL, '" + id + "', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,men
ubar=0,resizable=0,width=400,height=200,left = 312,top = 234');");
}
//-->
</script>

<form>
<input name="field1" type="text">
<input name="field2" type="text">
<input name="field3" type="text">
<input name="field4" type="text">
<input type=button value="Continue" onClick="javascriptopUp('popuppage.php?variable1=<? echo $field1; ?>&variable2=<? echo $field2; ?>&c=<? echo $field3; ?>&d=<? echo $field4; ?>')">
</form>

---

UPDATED CODE W/JAVASCRIPT:

I called this page testpreview.php

<prev>
<script language="JavaScript" type="text/JavaScript">
<!--
function popUp(URL) {
day = new Date();
id = day.getTime();
field1var = document.form.field1.value;
field2var = document.form.field2.value;
field3var = document.form.field3.value;
field4var = document.form.field4.value;

URL += "?field1=" + field1var + "&field2=" + field2var +
"&field3=" + field3var + "&field4=" + field4var;

alert(URL);
eval("page" + id + " = window.open(URL, '" + id + "', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=0,width=400,height=200,left = 312,top = 234');");
}
//-->
</script>

<form name="form">
<input name="field1" type="text">
<input name="field2" type="text">
<input name="field3" type="text">
<input name="field4" type="text">
<input type=submit value="Preview" onClick="javascript:popUp('popuppage.php')">
<input name="submit" type=submit value="Continue">
</form>

This is my popuppage.php code
<prev>
<form name="form">
<input name="field1" type="text" value="<?=$field1?>">
<input name="field2" type="text" value="<?=$field2?>">
<input name="field3" type="text" value="<?=$field3?>">
<input name="field4" type="text" value="<?=$field4?>">
<br>
<input name="close" type=button value="Close Window" onClick="window.close();">
</form>
</prev>

Summary:
The "<?=$field1?>" values are what your popuppage.php will receive via the "GET" that was created by your javascript inside of testpreview.php.

GOOD LUCK!

Tami

PS. I've tested this code and know it works.