Sticky Select Menu - Selected Value

[s2e]

I have a drop down menu populated with customer names from a MySQL table like so.

<?php
require_once ('./mysql_connect.php'); // Connect to the database

function build_customer1() {
$query = "SELECT customer, cust_id FROM customer ORDER BY 'customer'";
$result = @($query);
while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result, MYSQL_ASSOC)) {
extract($row);
$output .= "<option value=$cust_id>$customer</option>";
}
return $output;
}
?>
<select name="customer" id="customer">
<option value="">-</option>
<? echo build_customer1() ?>
</select>

When the form is submitted, I need the value that was selected by the user to be set as the selected value in the drop down menu so that if certain conditions in the form are not met the user does not need to reselect the values in the menu. Seems simple and thought I was better than this, but having great difficulty. Any help greatly appreciated.

[devinemke]

<?php
require_once('./mysql_connect.php');

function build_customer1()
{
	$result = mysql_query('SELECT customer, cust_id FROM customer ORDER BY customer') or exit(mysql_error());
	$output = '';
	while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result))
	{
		$output .= '<option value="' . $row['cust_id'] . '"';
		if (isset($_POST['customer']) && $_POST['customer'] == $row['cust_id']) {$output .= ' selected';}
		echo '>' . $row['customer'] . '</option>';
	}
	return $output;
}
?>

<select name="customer" id="customer">
<option value="">-</option>
<?php echo build_customer1(); ?>
</select>

[s2e]

The revised script gives me an empty menu, (does not print the customer array in the drop down) but I'm working on it.

Normally, in a select menu not generated by the db, I would write..

<select name="customer" id="customer">
<option value="company1" <?php if (isset($POST['customer']) && $POST['customer'] == 'company1'){ echo 'selected'; }?>>Company1</option>
</select>

I have tried using this approach in the $output variable but think I have a problem with quotes and my variables. I will repost my results tomorrow. gettin late.
Thanks