[Resolved] How do I pass the selected value of dynamic select box to database?

[sunshine66]

I have a MySQL database with 2 tables: "providerList" and "planProfile"

I used the "providerList" table to create a dynamic <select> box in an HTML form. This is the working code (file name is plans_add.php):

<form name="add_plan" action="plans_save.php" method="post">
<SELECT NAME="select" SIZE="1">
<?

$link = mysql_connect("localhost", "root", "password") or die("Could not connect. Please try again later.");
mysql_select_db("profiles",$link) or die("Could not select database. Please try again later.");

$query = "SELECT * FROM providerList ORDER BY ProviderName";
$result = @($query);

while($line = mysql_fetch_array($result))
{
$provider = $line["ProviderName"];
$selectinfo .= "<OPTION VALUE=$provider>$provider</OPTION>";
}

print "$selectinfo";

?>
</SELECT>
</form>

When the form is submitted the selected value is not passed along to display in a confirmation page or to update the PlanProfile table. This is the code I use for the plans_save.php file(it works for all the other form fields, but not the dynamic select box):

<?

$link = mysql_connect("localhost", "root", "password") or die("Could not connect. Please try again later.");
mysql_select_db("profiles",$link) or die("Could not select database. Please try again later.");

$sql = "INSERT INTO planProfile
(ProviderName) VALUES ('$provider')";
$result = mysql_query($sql) or die("Error in query result");

// display confirmation

 print "<table border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"3\">";
 print "<tr><td width=\"150\"></td><td align=\"right\">Provider Name  : </td><td nowrap>$provider</td></tr></table>";

// memory flush
mysql_free_result($result);

?>

What am I missing? How can I pass along the selected option to the $provider variable in the plans_save.php file?

I consider myself a layman, not a programmer. Any help is appreciated.

[TheDefender]

SELECT is a reserved word in MySQL. Change the name of your select box to something else (like "selectbox" or something like that), and see if that works any better for you.

Also, when generating your dynamic box, you can clean it up a little, by doing this instead:

while($line = mysql_fetch_array($result)) 
{ 
$provider = $line["ProviderName"]; 
echo "<OPTION VALUE=$provider>$provider</OPTION>"; 
} 

[sunshine66]

Hi,
Thanks for the cleaned up code.

RE: your SELECT comment...
I did not include the SELECT box within the PHP code, only the OPTION values, so I don't understand the validity of your comment.

Even though "SELECT" is a reserved name in PHP, it is also required in HTML to create a select box.

If I did want to put the select box within PHP, would I do something like:

print "<SELECT NAME='selectbox' SIZE='1'>"

[TheDefender]

Yes, that's exactly what I am referring to...

Change this:
<SELECT NAME="select" SIZE="1">

to this:
<SELECT NAME="selectbox" SIZE="1">

That way, later on, when you call the variable referencing that box, you are avoiding reserved words... Consider the following: Say you want to select from a DB using the variable you had it originally named.

SELECT * FROM table where select='$select'

See where the problems could come in?

Oh, Also, I get what you are doing... You can't pass individual select box options. The selected value is what gets passed, so your insert should be:

$sql = "INSERT INTO planProfile
(ProviderName) VALUES ('$selectbox')";

[sunshine66]

Yes, that makes sense! I get it!

It works now! Yay!

I changed the SELECT box name to "selectprovider" and updated the INSERT variable to $select provider.

Thank you so much!!

[TheDefender]

You're welcome. Have a nice night.