Smarter user interface - How to?

sgtpepper

Hi,

I still consider myself a php newbie....but I am beyond the basics. Most of my projects and code have been centered on the idea that a user fills in answers to a form via, pulldown, textbox, etc..than hits the submit button....which goes to another scipt with the query than fills in the variables of the query and wa la.....the query searches a DB based on the inputted variables.

Sound about right?

Ok...now my next question...is....how can I avoid the 'submit form' scenerio for every query.

For example, I think it would be great to have say:

1) A pull down of categories
2) A pull down of products
3) The product pulldown should be fed by the database, but directly related to the category pull down.

So, if the category is books....than the product pull down should be filled in with Book Titles....from the database.

If the category selected is food....than product pull down is food items.

But, I want the change to happen....without having to hit the submit button. So, the changes should happen on the fly.

My first thought is that this sounds like javascript.....I certainly am not a high level programmer......but I 'get it'.

Can anyone point me to a tutorial on the web that may be able to provide me with a step by step process that will help me achieve the above scenerio? Or do I have it all wrong? Any other suggestions?

TheDefender

OK, Javascript and PHP come together to form a solution...

This should get you started...

<form action="<?php echo $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']; ?>" method="post">

<select name="category" onChange="submit()">
<? 
$qrycat = mysql_query("SELECT cat_id,category FROM cattable ORDER BY category ASC");
$selected = "";
WHILE($gotcat = mysql_fetch_array($qrycat)){
	IF(isset($_POST['category']) && $_POST['category']) $selected .= "SELECTED";
	echo "<option value=\"".$gotcat['cat_id']."\" ".$selected.">".$gotcat['category']."</option>";
}
?>
</select>

<select name="product">
<? 
IF(!isset($_POST['category'])){
	echo "<option></option>";
} else {
$qryprod  = mysql_query("SELECT cattable.cat_id AS catid,prodtable.cat_id AS prodcatid, prodtable.prod_id AS prod_id, prodtable.product AS product FROM cattable, prodtable WHERE cattable.cat_id = prodtable.cat_id AND prodtable.cat_id = '".$_POST['category']."' ORDER BY product ASC");
WHILE($gotprod = mysql_fetch_array($qryprod)){
	echo "<option value=\"".$gotprod['prod_id']."\">".$gotcat['product']."</option>";
}
?>
</select>

</form>

You may also find info on this page handy too... Good luck with this.

sgtpepper

Thanks.

But I am having trouble with your example code.

I can get the category pull down to populate properly...but the product pull down is not working

My cattable contains cat_id and category columns.

my prodtable contains cat_id, product, and prod_id

One entery has a matching cat_id in both tables.

The prod pull down is not working.

Am I doing anything wrong?

<?
require('connect.php');
?>


<form action="<?php echo $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']; ?>" method="post"> 

<select name="category" onChange="submit()"> 
<?  

$qrycat = mysql_query("SELECT cat_id,category FROM cattable ORDER BY category ASC"); 
$selected = ""; 
WHILE($gotcat = mysql_fetch_array($qrycat)){ 
    IF(isset($_POST['category']) && $_POST['category']) $selected .= "SELECTED"; 
    echo "<option value=\"".$gotcat['cat_id']."\" ".$selected.">".$gotcat['category']."</option>"; 
} 
?> 
</select> 


<select name="product"> 
<?  

IF(!isset($_POST['category'])){ 
    echo "<option></option>"; 
} else { 
$qryprod  = mysql_query("SELECT cattable.cat_id AS catid,prodtable.cat_id AS prodcatid, prodtable.prod_id AS prod_id, prodtable.product AS product FROM cattable, prodtable WHERE cattable.cat_id = prodtable.cat_id AND prodtable.cat_id = '".$_POST['category']."' ORDER BY product ASC"); WHILE($gotprod = mysql_fetch_array($qryprod)){ 
    echo "<option value=\"".$gotprod['prod_id']."\">".$gotcat['product']."</option>"; 
} 
?> 
</select> 

</form> 
<?
}
?>

sgtpepper

hmmm...still having trouble getting the above example to work. Any ideas?

TheDefender

I'll have time to look at this tonight, sorry I haven't looked yet.