using checkboxes to select individual rows that are part of an array

notaloser

i resolved my other thread because i changed my mind on how i wanted this done, and the topic no longer related to the way i want it done now..

here is my delete news script.. as you can see, it selects everything from my news table and displays it in an array, each row having a checkbox, that when checked, i want it that row to be deleted from the table..

im stuck here because i dont know how to start.. anyone?

if ($status == 'delete') {


$query = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM news ORDER BY id");
$numrows = mysql_num_rows($query);

if(empty($numrows)) {

echo "no rows";

}else{

echo "<table width='350' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' bgcolor='#AAAAAA'>";
echo "<tr valign='top'>";
echo "<td width='100%'>";

echo "<table width='100%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1' align='left'>";
echo "<tr>";
echo "<td width='100%' bgcolor='#EEEEEE'>";
echo "<div align='center'><input type='submit' name='dsubmit' value='Delete Selected'></div>";
echo "</td></tr></table></td></tr></table><br>";

echo "<form name='deletenews' method='post'>";
	while($deletearray = mysql_fetch_array($query)) {


echo "<table width='350' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' bgcolor='#AAAAAA'>";
echo "<tr valign='top'>";
echo "<td width='100%'>";

echo "<table width='100%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1' align='left'>";
echo "<tr>";
echo "<td width='100' bgcolor='#EEEEEE'>";
echo "Delete";
echo "</td><td width='250' bgcolor='#EEEEEE'>";
echo "<div align='right'><input class='checkbox' type='checkbox' name='dicheckbox' value='".$deletearray[id]."'>";

echo "</td></tr>";
echo "<tr>";
echo "<td width='100' bgcolor='#EEEEEE'>";
echo "Topic";
echo "</td><td width='250' bgcolor='#EEEEEE'>";
echo "<input type='text' name='ditopic' size='40' value='".$deletearray[topic]."' disabled>";
echo "</td></tr>";
echo "<tr>";
echo "<td width='100' bgcolor='#EEEEEE'>";
echo "Message";
echo "</td><td width='250' bgcolor='#EEEEEE'>";
echo "<textarea rows='7' cols='40' name='dimessage' disabled>".$deletearray[message]."</textarea>";
echo "</td></tr>";
echo "<tr>";
echo "<td width='100' bgcolor='#EEEEEE'>";
echo "Author";
echo "</td><td width='250' bgcolor='#EEEEEE'>";
echo "<input type='text' value='".$deletearray[author]."' disabled>";
echo "</td></tr></table>";
echo "</td></tr></table><br><br><br>";
	}

echo "</form>";

	if($_POST['dsubmit']) {

	}


}

}

Drakla

echo "<div align='right'><input class='checkbox' type='checkbox' name='dicheckbox[]' value='".$deletearray[id]."'>";

By changing your textbox names to dicheckbox[] you'll get passed back an array with the id's as values - or you could even do it like 'dicheckbox[$deletearray[id]]' and that way the keys of the array would be the ids.

Put print_r($_REQUEST) at the top of your script where the form is received after ticking a few boxes and you'll see how it works, then you can foreach or implode the array to get the ids to delete

notaloser

im still not quite exactly sure what you mean, i checked out foreach statements at php.net and in one of my php books, and i dont quite understand it either.. :queasy:

notaloser

nevermind i think i figured it out.. ive done this so far, but nothing happens...

will this work?

		if($_POST['dsubmit']) {
			foreach($_POST['dicheckbox'] as $dforeach) {
				if(isset($_POST['dicheckbox'])) {

			$deletequery = ("DELETE FROM 'news' WHERE id='".$dforeach."'");

			}
		}
	}

Drakla

if($_POST['dsubmit'] && isset($_POST['dicheckbox']) 
{
            foreach($_POST['dicheckbox'] as $dforeach)
           {
                $deletequery = "DELETE FROM 'news' WHERE id=" . $dforeach;
                echo $deletequery.'<br />';
            }
}

It's without error checking, but you see how it works. You could just implode the ids (with comma) and create a query DELETE FROM news WHERE id IN ($implodedIDs)

Roger_Ramjet

No it won't work like that

foreach($_POST['dicheckbox'] as $key=>$val) { 
     $deletequery = "DELETE FROM 'news' WHERE id='$val'";
}

dicheckbox is an array, and the foreach is extracting each entry in the array as a key=>value pair. You then use the value in the query cos that's what you want - the id from the checkbox.

notaloser

yeah, its working. i think im getting it now, it makes a little more sense..

however.. why does the foreach statement have to subtract each entry as a key=>value pair..? why doesnt it just take the value? what does the key represent or do?

rikmoncur

read about it here
http://www.hudzilla.org/phpbook/read.php/5_3_0

Roger_Ramjet

notaloser wrote:
yeah, its working. i think im getting it now, it makes a little more sense..

however.. why does the foreach statement have to subtract each entry as a key=>value pair..? why doesnt it just take the value? what does the key represent or do?

You're right, the $key is not needed in this case.

I code it like that from habit because I almost always need the key as well as the val.

PhilGDUK

Glad someone else needed this, i have been trying on this for the past few days!