a nice way to return data from functions?

ecg

Hi...
I have inherited a site to maintain / upgrade.. and currently data is returned to the screen like (somewhat simplified):

function getdata(blah){
connect & get data;
for (i= 0; i<rownum; i++){
$s .= html code for table;
$s .= html code for row;
$s .= row->name;
$s .= row->date;
$s .=html code </tr>;
$s .=html code </table>;
}
return $s;
}

and its called by:
<?php echo getdata();?>
which is short and sweet and does the job.

Now if I want this to be generated by a button click I thought this might work:

But it throws up errors...

Could anyone please point out the tree that I can't see for the forest?

Also if theres a nicer way to do this... please point me to some examples.. I've been searching through the forums with no joy...

Thanks
Beth

dalecosp

Hmm, it'd be interesting to know what error that was. I'd never think of even trying to call a function that way. Not that I'm saying you couldn't, but I wouldn't know how.

The standard would be to have the form's "action" attribute set to a handler script that calls the function...

<form action="formhandler.php" method=post>
<input type=text name=somevariable>
<input type=submit value=submit!>

and then "formhandler.php" says:

<?
$blah=$_POST['somevariable'];
echo getdata($blah);
?>

Most more advanced PHPers have the same script present the form and do the post processing by using isset() or something like that to check and see at what point they are in the program flow...

HTH,

ecg

Thanks for your reply....

hopefully this isn't too long...

The way this app has been built is to have an .inc file (but still php) for all the functions.
so I have search.php and search.inc (and the in theory searchresults.php)

so search.php has
<form name="InputForm" action="<?php echo $ScriptName ?>" method="post">
<input type="hidden" name="Action" value="Search">
as the action attribute

my ideas were:
<?php echo getdata(blah)?> (btw blah = 5 variables)
or the button:-)

but at the moment:
the button Submits with action Search which calls getdata(blah) in search.inc file which returns $s as a line of html mixed with data.

The search.php is supposed to call searchresults.php... but I'm getting lost in the layers...

I need the button to get the original values (for getdata(blah)).. but then I don't know where to return the values... (the echo is something thats worked on otherpages...) ..

maybe search.inc can call searchresults.php with $s or with just the data?? if so.. whats the nicest way?

Thanks
Beth

ecg

I went away and played with the files again.
I didn't know that Submit (form) would post ALL variables not just those explicitly specified.

So all variables get sent from search.php to searchresults.php which calls the function and all works very nicely...

Thanks for the pointer :-)

Beth

dalecosp

Figured it...

Yay!

I didn't know that Submit (form) would post ALL variables not just those explicitly specified.

That's one of the beautiful things about PHP --- no parsing required.....

🙂