Help: Select Users from db, Create select list, default to current user.

stylus

Hello,

I have a users table in mySql with the usual stuff. I am searching the same table for my select box as I am for my user sessions so the field names all line up.

I want to create a form eliment that selects all the users, reads the current "Uname" from the session, then defaults (selected) the option that matchs the user name.

I want my options to display "$Fname $Lname" and the value to be the same. Also I have server side (PHP) form validation setup for my other input stuff, but I cannot figure out how to make the select menu "sticky" (keep the same value on refresh).

I think that i need to create an array, compare the output to the session info, then create the select box and mark the option selected according to the matching record from the comparison.

Here is my sql search stuff:

<?PHP
$link = mysql_connect("localhost", "root", "apgar") or die("Could not connect");
$sql = 'SELECT * from Users';
$rs = mysql_query($sql);

?>

here is my select box as of right now:

</select>

Trs2988

I think I understand what you're trying to do. First of all, let's clean up your code a little. All those "<?php echo"'s would drive me crazy. Next, assuming that $_SESSION['Uname'] has the first and last name, you could do this...

echo '<select name="requested_by">';
while($row_rs = mysql_fetch_assoc($rs))
{
$fullname = $row_rs['Fname'] . " " . $row_rs['Lname'];
echo "<option value='$fullname'";
if($fullname == $_SESSION['Uname']) echo " selected";
echo ">$fullname</option>";
}
echo "</select>";

Hope that works. Let me know how it goes.

stylus

Thanks for the speedy response....

My Uname is actually Capitol first letter first name, then all lower case last name.

My name Ben Parker = Bparker.

I was thinking that you could pull the uname from the current $row_rs then compare it to session uname.

I adapted your code to this

<?php echo '<select name="requested_by">';
while($row_rs = mysql_fetch_assoc($rs))
{
$fullname = $row_rs['Fname'] . " " . $row_rs['Lname'];
$username = $row_rs['Uname'];
echo "<option value='$fullname'";
if($username == $_SESSION['Uname']) echo " selected";
echo ">$fullname</option>";
}
echo "</select>";

?>

Which worked perfectly, that gets me one step closer.

On my form if some body that is logged in might change the "requested_by" field from their name to somebody elses name. In this case I would want it to hold the _post value and override the default value that we just created. Currently it reverts to the default value when a validation is not met and the form is re-displayed for the user to correct errors.

Trs2988

If you still have the $_POST value when you're displaying the form for a second time, you should be able to test for it the same way you did Uname. I would do something like

if(!empty($_POST['requested_by'])) //test if equal to requested_by
else //test if equal to $_SESSION['Uname'];

stylus

Here is my code, it only works for people listed alphabetically after my name. I did a view source of my page, and both the the logged in user becomes selected, and the one that i changed it to becomes selected. So then who ever is last on the list becomes the name displayed in the select box. 🙁

<?php echo '<select name="requested_by">'; 
while($row_rs = mysql_fetch_assoc($rs)) 
{ 
$fullname = $row_rs['Fname'] . " " . $row_rs['Lname']; 
$username = $row_rs['Uname']; 
echo "<option value='$fullname'"; 
if($fullname == $requested_by) echo " selected"; 
else if($username == $_SESSION['Uname']) echo " selected"; 
echo ">$fullname</option>"; 
} 
echo "</select>"; 
?>

It must be my if else statment, is not correct but I don't under stand why I guess.

It seems that if the first case comes true it should ignore the second case (the else statement) but that isn't what is happening.

Trs2988

I would change those two if/else lines to..

if(!empty($requested_by))
{
if($fullname == $requested_by) echo " selected";
}
elseif($username == $_SESSION['Uname']) echo " selected";

That way, it never even gets to checking $_SESSION['Uname'] if $requested_by is set to anything.

stylus

Thanks, that works.

What does the "if(!empty($requested_by))" do? mostly the !empty part.

Trs2988

! means not. And empty() , well, checks whether or not something is empty.

Code: if(!empty($requested_by)) // do this
Translation: If $requested_by is NOT empty do this (or in other words, if $requested_by has something in it, do this)

Calling !empty() with the exclamation point is the same as calling isset() without one. But for some reason, I've just gotten in the habit of using !empty().

EDIT: Ok, there's a small difference between !empty() and isset(). If $variable is set to 0, !empty($variable) will return false, because "0" is considered empty, and then the true is turned into a false by the !. However, isset($variable) will return true, because even though the variable is set to 0, it's still set to something instead of nothing.