dropdown select from database

[Abapper]

I want to use a database to fill a drop down select field to make a selection on another table of the database.

I have attached the code snip which keeps giving me parse errors, and I am sorry I do not see it. Please mind it is from a larger piece of coding.

<td>
<select name=\"listname\"> "
while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result_cat))
{
print ( "<option value="\".$row['categorie'].\"">\".$row['categorie'].\"</option>\" " )

   ; }
   end while
"</select>

</td>

[cgraz]

I have attached the code snip which keeps giving me parse errors, and I am sorry I do not see it.

The code you posted is loaded with parse errors. You should really learn the basic syntax rules of PHP. I'll try to explain it to you as best I can with the code snippet you gave, then show you the corrected code

<td> // not using php here

// LINE BELOW
// all of a sudden you're escaping quotes as if you were in php. 
// and if you were in php, you'd need to echo that line and end it with a semi-colon, and you need a starting quote
<select name=\"listname\"> "


while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result_cat)) 
{ 

// option value="\" means you're escaping the second quote. You have that backwards
// but you have it right the second time
// you are escaping a quote after your first <option> tag when you shouldn't be if you're concatenating
// you're also using single quotes within brackets (should be double)
// escape another quote that needs not be escaped since it's being used for contacatenating
print ( "<option value="\".$row['categorie'].\"">\".$row['categorie'].\"</option>\" " ) ; 

} 

// what does end while mean? You end the while statement with the bracket
end while 

// need to use echo() or print() function
// where's your end quote?
// end w/semicolon
"</select> 

The corrected version should look like this

<?

echo "<td>";
echo "<select name=\"listname\">";

while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result_cat)) { 
   print "<option value=\"" . $row["categorie"] . "\">" . $row["categorie"] . "</option>"; 

} 

echo "</select>";

?>

Cgraz

[Abapper]

Thanks cgraz, I am not familiar with php, just lumbering around to try and create a lookup system for a volunteer manned library. I am more familiar with ABAP, hence the 'end while'.

I have it working now, it was more a matter of closing brackets etcetera. Please read the attached snippet, which gives me a drop down box. but.......
only one character shows up, and, how do I POST this to the form i am in. Yes I was already in a large piece of php.

<select name=\"listname\">");

        while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result_cat)) { 
               print "<option value=\"" . $row["categorie"] . "\">" . $row["cat_omschr"] . "</option>"; 

               } 

       echo ("</select>

          </td>