[RESOLVED] Post multiple associative arrays as a single hidden variable?

Joseph_Sliker

Hi;

I am trying to build a kind of "generic" script that will have a number of different associative arrays (sometimes the number and names of the arrays/variables will change) that I will want to pass to a script (to score the values in various MySQL table columns).

I was trying to mash them all into a single hidden varaible in a form like so:

echo "<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"SENDDATA[COLNAME]\" value=". urlencode(serialize($COLNAME)).">"; // HIDDEN VARIABLE
echo "<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"SENDDATA[ID]\" value=". urlencode(serialize($IDs)).">"; // HIDDEN VARIABLE
echo "<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"SENDDATA[SCHOOLID]\" value=". urlencode(serialize($SCHOOLIDs)).">"; // HIDDEN VARIABLE 
echo "<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"SENDDATA[GRADE]\" value=". urlencode(serialize($GRADEs)).">"; // HIDDEN VARIABLE 
echo "<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"SENDDATA[ROOM]\" value=". urlencode(serialize($ROOMs)).">"; // HIDDEN VARIABLE

but this does not seem to work.

The script that receives them on the other end....

$SENDDATA = $_POST[SENDDATA]; echo "VARIABLES<br>";
$tempSENDDATA = unserialize(urldecode($SENDDATA));
print_r($tempSENDDATA);

gives me no output other than the echoed word VARIABLES.

Anything OBVIOUSLY wrong here?

Joseph_Sliker

...it's amazing what a lunch break can do ...

I have to construct a multidimensional array outside of the hidden variable, and then dump the whole thing into a single hidden variable.

$SENDDATA[COLNAME]=$COLNAMEs;
$SENDDATA[ID]=$IDs;
$SENDDATA[SCHOOLID]=$SCHOOLIDs;
$SENDDATA[GRADE]=$GRADEs;
$SENDDATA[ROOM]=$ROOMs;

echo "<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"SENDDATA\" value=". urlencode(serialize($SENDDATA)).">"; // HIDDEN VARIABLE

That seems to do the trick. The receiving script then seems to know what to do with it.

Weedpacket

A couple of comments.

First of all, associative array indices should be quoted:

$SENDDATA['COLNAME']=$COLNAMEs;

not

$SENDDATA[COLNAME]=$COLNAMEs;

. Doing it the other way means PHP has to do more work (and if you turn error reporting to E_ALL during development - as it should be - it will whine at you).

And instead of putting the data into the page, using bandwidth to send it to the client, using bandwidth to get it back, and all the time hoping that it comes back intact, why not use session variables to store all that between page requests?

Joseph_Sliker

Thanks for the reply, and I will add the quotes.

I am really foggy on the concept of sessions. I had a go at it once or twice but I didn't seem to understand what I was doing and so it never worked.

I suspect it is a very powerful tool that might save me a lot of work, but I just don't get it.

If you or someone would be kind enough to give me (or point me to) some simple, concrete example code that would do something like what I am asking my code (above) to do, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks.

NogDog

page1.php:

<?php
session_start();  // do this before any calls to the $_SESSION array
// any values to be saved between pages should get added to the $_SESSION array:
$_SESSION['COLNAME']=$COLNAMEs;
$_SESSION['ID']=$IDs;
$_SESSION['SCHOOLID']=$SCHOOLIDs;
$_SESSION['GRADE']=$GRADEs;
$_SESSION['ROOM']=$ROOMs;

page2.php

<?php
session_start():  // need to do this first again
// access any session value as desired:
echo $_SESSION['ID'];

Joseph_Sliker

I could fall on my knees and weep!

I GET IT!

Better yet, it works!

If there was an emoticon for tears of joy, I would use it.

Thanks SO much!