text input box problem

pelillom

I have an issue with a simple php script creating a form. On the form I have have a list box that is populated from a DB and a text box. At the bottom of the form is the submit button. I have that if I type a string into the text box and hit enter, it is not quite the same as hitting the button. How do I make it the same or break the functionality.

I change the form from a POST to GET so I could see what was going on. The textbox is called keyword. If I type a string into the text box and hit enter, the URL changes to be http://localhost/script.php?keyword=string. But if I type string into the box and hit the button, I get http:\localhost/script.php?keyword=string&submit=search.

The first one doesn't do anything because the form is checking if $_GET['submit'] is empty or not.

Any thoughts??

Mark

bike5

So check for

if(isset($_REQUEST['keyword'])){do code}

because if there something in there, that means the form was submitted.

pelillom

I don't think I explained the problem well.

If someone types a string into the text input box and hits enter, the enter key does not have the same effect as typing a string and hitting the submit button. How do I control that in a text box, "enter" actually means submit?

The real issue is that if you type a string and press enter, because the variable $_GET['submit'] is empty, my program think this is your first visit to the page and redisplays the same form.

http://localhost/script.php?keyword=string. and
http:\localhost/script.php?keyword=string&submit=search.
are not the same thing.

bike5

Forget checking the submit button. Place a hidden feild in the form like

then check to see if the form was submitted by checking

if(isset($_GET['sent']))

your url will look like

script.php?keyword=string&sent=true
or
script.php?keyword=string&sent=true&submit=search

both would have the hidden value telling it it was sent by clicking submit or hitting enter.

laserlight

pelillom, this issue has come up before, and frankly I still dont know why there is this behaviour (I tested in MSIE6 under Windows98 SE, I think, not sure about Mozilla Firefox, which is what I am using now).

However, the thing is this:
When there is only 1 form element and the submit button, then pressing the submit button would send its name/value, while pressing enter will not.

When there is more form elements, then pressing the button or the enter key will have the same effect, sending its name/value pair.

The solution would be to use a dummy hidden input element, or to actually make use of the hidden input, as bike5 described.