Stumped...

[melchiorus]

I have a form that I want to insert into a MySQL table. This form is based on how many entries a user wants to enter. For example, a user wants to type in 12 names, so 12 form fields appear. Or they want 50, 50 appear. What I want to do is store them all into a database, but for one, I can't quit figure out how I can insert them, and second, even if I did know how, I couldn't possibly make enough tables unless I made 999 since I put the char limit to 3 digits. How could I work this keeping in mine any number between 1 and 999 could be entered and without making 999 tables?

One other thing, I will need to select this data from the table later on to be edited in the same form later on...

[statrat]

you could try three tables.
the first would be

tbl_ENTRIES
EntryID | UserID | #_of_form_entries
1 245 12
2 245 50
(entryID as a primary key so if the same user submits the form more than once, the first time with 12 names, the second time with 50, etc.)

the second table could be

tbl_NAMES
EntryID | NameEnteredInForm
1 Joe
1 Sally
1 Bob
etc.

and of course your generic User Table

tbl_USERS
UserID | Name | Blah
245 Ed etc.

on the form side, you could have a drop down list asking how many names they want to enter, then dynamically create that form with the correct number of textboxes.

to select the data, "select NameEnteredInForm from tbl_NAMES, tbl_ENTRIES where EntryID=some#...etc. (and/or by date/time, by user, etc.)

there's probably a better way with less redundancy of data, but this is off the bottom of my head. or just have the second sorry table....
depends on how you want your data used and structured and accessed and timestamped and.....