default value for list/menu from table?

[vaska]

maybe that makes sense...

i have a list/menu and i want to have the default value automatically appear when the page is edited...

so...if when the person creates something...the select "hopscotch" from the list menu...then...on an edit page, when this page is brought up...the list/menu will automatically say "hopscotch" as the default value...

is this possible? here's my code...of course it's working...i just can't get my default value...

the query...

$query_it = mysql_query ("SELECT * FROM it ORDER by at ASC ") or die ("problema!");
$row_it = mysql_fetch_array($query_it);

and how it's called up in the page...

<td><select name="blorb">
<?php do {?>
<OPTION VALUE="<?php print $row_it["at"]; ?>" >
<?php print $row_it["name"]; ?> </OPTION>
<?php } while($row_it = mysql_fetch_array($query_it));?>
</select></td>

it would be neat if i could do this...thanks for any feedback...jv

[sarahk]

In this example I'm assuming I have a value called $defValue which has the previous selection (or whatever). In this case I've hardcoded it. So I test it and if it matches the value the string $selected gets the word "selected" in it, just like in real html. Then it gets put into the option regardless (because if there's no match it's just an empty string) and hey presto, the initial selection is right.

<td><select name="blorb"> 
<?php 
$defValue = "Hopscotch";
do {
  $selected = (($row_it["at"] == $defValue) ? "SELECTED", "");
  echo "<OPTION VALUE'" . $row_it["at"] . "' $selected>". $row_it["name"] . "</OPTION>"; 
 } while($row_it = mysql_fetch_array($query_it));
?> 
</select></td>