drop down box - function oriented

nelsons

Have succeeded in getting this function to loop as follows. As an exersize in learning and to solve a problem with multiple drop boxes in a form.

<?php
function pri($count)
{
if ($count <= 10)
{
	print("<option value=\"$count\">$count</option>");
	pri($count +1);
}
}
// this is the function call
echo "<select name=test>";
pri(0);
echo "</select>";
?>

Granted, I get the drop boxes, but can anyone shed any light on how to get the start <select> and end </select> tagging to be included in the function? (without it looping too) I think doing it with pri(0,grade) starting number and form element name might be wiser and cleaner than echo-ing prior to and after the function call.

sid

w/o recursion its easy

<?php 
function pri($count, $name) 
{ 
echo "<select name=\"" . $name . "\">"; 
while ($count <= 10) 
{ 
    print("<option value=\"$count\">$count</option>"); 
    $count++; 
} 
echo "</select>"; 
} 

// this is the function call 
pri(0, "test"); 

?>

swr

You don't need to use recursion here (recursion == a function calling itself). You should use a loop instead. Using a loop also happens to make it easy to put the select tag in there too:

<?php
    function pri($name, $count) {
        echo "<select name=\\"$name\\">\\n";
        for ($i = 0; $i < $count; $i++) {
            print("<option value=\\"$i\\">$i</option>\n");
        }
        echo "</select>\\n";
    }

// this is the function call
pri("test", 10);
?>

That will give you options 0-9. Change the second argument (currently 10) to 20 and you'd get 0-19 instead.

The following would be a bit more general, though not as good for simple number sequences:

function html_select($name, $options) {
    echo "<select name=\\"$name\\">\n";
    foreach ($options as $value => $text) {
        $value = htmlentities($value);
        $text = htmlentities($text);
        echo "<option value=\\"$value\\">$text</option>\n");
    }
    echo "</select>\\n";
}

$foods = array(
     1 => "Apple",
     2 => "Banana",
     3 => "Carrot",
     4 => "Date",
     5 => "Eggplant",
);

html_select("favorite_food", $foods)

nelsons

Thanks

Both code examples work, although with programmingextraordinaire
's had to remove the end paren from $count++) -In the event anyone is doing a quick cut and paste.

They are both making there way into my function file.

sid

you are 100% right - i fixed the parentheses glitch - sorry for that.