[RESOLVED] MySQL SET datatype: how to post w/ HTML form?

[ATS16805]

i have been advised to use the SET datatype for a particular type of data i need to handle. i'm pretty sure it's exactly what i need-- however, i don't know how to send my input from the HTML form to the mysql_query() to get to arrive at a proper INSERT statement to make use of my SET field.

how is this done?

here's what i need to do:
i'm building a <select><option> form element using this array and a [FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium]FOREACH[/FONT] statement to populate the dropdown list.

$routes = array(
	"A" => "routeA", "B" => "routeB", "C" => "routeC", 
	"D" => "routeD", "E" => "routeE", "F" => "routeF", 
	"G" => "routeG", "H" => "routeH", "I" => "routeI", 
	"J" => "routeJ", "K" => "routeK", "L" => "routeL", 
	"M" => "routeM", "N" => "routeN", "O" => "routeO", 
	"P" => "routeP", "Q" => "routeQ");

at this point, i'm just using

mysql_query("UPDATE table SET ... near_routes='".$_POST['near_routes']"') WHERE id = '".$_POST['id']."'");

but i'm only getting one of my selections from my multiple option values.

$tranSelector = "<select name=\"near_transfer\" multiple=\"yes\" size=\"3\" 
style=\"text-align: left;\">";

foreach ($routes as $key => $value) {
$tranSelector .= "<option value=\"".$key."\">".$key." - ".$value."</option>";   
}
$tranSelector .= "</select>";

what am i doint wrong? (ive never tried sending multiple options, so i assume this is where i'm in error.?)

thanks for your help!!

[thorpe]

get all your values into a comma seperated string, then insert that from there.

something like...

$values = implode(',',$_POST['near_routes']);
// values should now look something like A,D,F,H
$query = "INSERT INTO tbl (fld) VALUES ('$values') WHERE id = {$_POST['id']};";

[ATS16805]

thorpe, hey thanks a bunch!

so, i'm assuming that $_POST['near_routes'] in your example would be the results of my <select name="near_transfer" multiple="yes" size="3"> selections?

quick question for anyone out there-- the size="3" attribute/property-- i assume that means that 3 selections will be sent via POST, correct? if it read size="5", then it would accept 5 selections, yes?

edit: hmm -- i'm getting this error:
Warning: implode() [function.implode]: Bad arguments

i tried modifying it to work, and eventually ended with this:

$values = implode("," , $_POST['near_transfer']);   

which still doesn't work. (i once had both arguments contained w/in single quotes, but then i got a T_STRING error). hmph.

any idea what i should look for, considering this error?

thanks!!

[ATS16805]

holiday side commentary:

haha-- by the way-- can you tell how much i get into the biggest commercial, american holiday of the year, Christmas!? hehe... i'm spending it here in the middle of the night, struggling w/ code 'cause that's more fun! -- at least for a guy like myself w/ a broken bank account! heehee. i've been looking forward to this free time all week to spend on this stuff. oh well!

[tomhath]

A SET is much different from an array or a comma separated list. If a SET is the datatype you want, make sure you understand what it does and does not do.

http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/set.html

The implode function takes an array, you're passing it a discrete variable. Try it with brackets after the name this way:

<select name="near_transfer[]" multiple="yes" size="3">
...

The size attribute just makes the select box display as a list with that many rows visible, has no effect on what's selected.

[ATS16805]

(not disregarding your advice, i just wanted to illustrate what i've been working on currently w/ regard to my puzzlement)

yeah, i've just been sitting here trying to figure out what are the differences between my code, and that of the example in the manual. so, i did what i should have done long ago-- use a test page, and work only on this section so i can think more clearly outside of the noise of the rest of the script. i should do that more often as it defintely helps me!

one obvious difference between my code and that in the manual description is that i've defined both the $keys and the $values, and my output prints both the keys and the values.

$tranSelector .= "<option value=\"".$key."\">".$key." - ".$value."</option>";

also, the example shows this:

$array = array('lastname', 'email', 'phone');

using single quotes, while i've done this:

 $routes = array(
    "A" => "routeA", "B" => "routeB", "C" => "routeC", ...

so, my first thought is-- how do i modify:

$glue = ",";
 				$values = implode($glue , $_POST['near_transfer']); 
					echo "<p>the route name is ".$_POST['route']." and...</p>";

				echo "<p>the nearest transfers are ".$values.". and that's all she wrote!"

to make it more congruent with the description in the manual. i should know this-- but-- do the single quotes vs double quotes have bearing on the correctness of mine, and if so-- where and why? from what i can tell in about string literal specifications, whether i've used single or double quotes in this circumstance is irrelevant. am i correct?

thanks very much for your help!

[ATS16805]

i guess i'm a poor judge of when to spare you (the collective "you") all of my code, and when to just go out and post the whole thing-- but since this thing is still giving me trouble, and i did make a test page strictly for this implode function, i'm giong to go ahead and post the whole thing for your review (thanks for your patience, and your help!!):

// FILENAME: implodept1.php
<?php
echo "<form method=\"post\" action=\"implodept2.php\">";

 $routes = array(
    "A" => "routeA", "B" => "routeB", "C" => "routeC",
    "D" => "routeD", "E" => "routeE", "F" => "routeF",
    "G" => "routeG", "H" => "routeH", "I" => "routeI",
    "J" => "routeJ", "K" => "routeK", "L" => "routeL",
    "M" => "routeM", "N" => "routeN", "O" => "routeO",
    "P" => "routeP", "Q" => "routeQ"); 

// END ROUTE ARRAY

// DUPE THE ARRAY HERE -
$transfers = $routes;

$routeSelector = "<select name=\"route\">";

foreach ($routes as $key => $value) {
$routeSelector .= "<option value=\"".$key."\">".$key." - ".$value."</option>";   
}
$routeSelector .= "</select>";
// END ROUTE SELECTOR

$tranSelector = "<select name=\"near_transfer\" multiple=\"yes\" size=\"6\">";

foreach ($routes as $key => $value) {
$tranSelector .= "<option value=\"".$key."\">".$key." - ".$value."</option>";   
}
$tranSelector .= "</select>";


echo $routeSelector;

echo $tranSelector;


echo "
<input type=\"submit\" name=\"implodetest\" value=\"implode it!\" />
</form>";



?>
//END IMPLODE1.PHP
// BEGIN FILENAME implodept2.php:

<?php 
			$glue = ',';
 				$values = implode($glue , $_POST['near_transfer[]']); 
					echo "<p>the route name is ".$_POST['route']." and...</p>";

				echo "<p>the nearest transfers are ".$values.". and that's all she wrote!"; 
		?>

which gives me these errors:

Notice: Undefined index: near_transfer[] in ... implodept2.php on line 19

Warning: implode() [function.implode]: Bad arguments. in ... implodept2.php on line 19

if you recognize it, can you please let me know how should i handle this warning (and notice) and why, and-- in general-- what am i doing wrong here?

thank you so much!

EDIT:
hmm... i just discovered something, which i have yet to investigate-- but i'm going to try it now-- it looks like i might have my implode() in the wrong place. should i have it on the first page, before the array values are used in the selector element?... hmm

[ATS16805]

yay! i solved it!

here's the code i'm using which gives me my desired output for this script:

Page1.php:
<?php
echo "<form method=\"post\" action=\"implode-only_2.php\">";

$transfers = array(
    "A" => "routeA", "B" => "routeB", "C" => "routeC",
    "D" => "routeD", "E" => "routeE", "F" => "routeF",
    "G" => "routeG", "H" => "routeH", "I" => "routeI",
    "J" => "routeJ", "K" => "routeK", "L" => "routeL",
    "M" => "routeM", "N" => "routeN", "O" => "routeO",
    "P" => "routeP", "Q" => "routeQ"); 

$tranSelector = "<select name=\"the_nearest[]\" multiple=\"yes\" size=\"6\">";

	foreach ($transfers as $key => $value) {
	$tranSelector .= "<option value=\"".$key."\">".$key." - ".$value."</option>";   
}
$tranSelector .= "</select>";


echo $tranSelector;


echo "
<input type=\"submit\" name=\"implodetest\" value=\"implode it!\" />
</form>";
?>Page2.php:
<?php 
        $glue = ",";
 	$values = implode($glue , $_POST['the_nearest']); 

echo "<p>the nearest transfers are ".$values."."; 
?>