These FLIPPING CHECKBOXES!

spivey

Hi. I am working on a script that takes the inputs from an HTML and emails them. Everything was going great until...the checkboxes.

It's an incident report.

Here is my form input:

<p><span id="formlabel">Type of Incident:</span>
		<input type="checkbox" name="incidenttype[Vandalism]" value="Vandalism"><label>Vandalism</label> 
		<input type="checkbox" name="incidenttype[theft]" value="theft"><label>Theft</label> 
		<input type="checkbox" name="incidenttype[sex]" value="sex"><label>Sex Offense</label> 
		<input type="checkbox" name="incidenttype[internet]" value="internet">
		<label>Inappropriate use of Internet</label></p>
	   <p><input type="checkbox" name="incidenttype[bomb_fire]" value="bomb_fire"><label>Bomb Threat / Fire Alarm</label> 
		<input type="checkbox" name="incidenttype[disruptive]" value="disruptive"><label>Disruptive Behavior</label>
		<input type="checkbox" name="incidenttype[illess_accid]" value="illess_accid"><label>Illness/Accident</label> 
		<input type="checkbox" name="incidenttype[unattendedkid]" value="unattendedkid"><label>Unattended Child</label></p>

   <p><input type="checkbox" name="incidenttype[otherinc]" value="otherinc"><label>Other (explain): </label></p>
       <p><input type="text" name="OtherIncident" size="100"></p>

I have a

print_r($_POST['incidenttype']);

statement at the top of my php document (separate from the HTML form), but it catches nothing. In my exploration on this topic, I understand that the [] in the "name" element creates an array in the php. How to I capture/identify that array, and process it into the form?

Thanks to anyone who helps.

spivey

stndrdsnz

I don't see anything that stands out right now, but you might show your actual form code instead of just the inputs. It could be an issue with your form tags that's causing the problem.

David

spivey

The form is rather huge, and the other pieces are working fine.

My <form> statement is:

<form id="FormName" action="contact.php" method="POST" name="FormName">

dougal85

I'm not sure if you can name the array key.

try changing like below just to see if it works.

NogDog

This works OK for me. Note however that only the checked elements get transmitted in the HTTP form data, so you'll only have array elements for those items that were checked, and if none were checked then you won't have that array at all.

<form action="<?php echo $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']; ?>" method="post">
<p><span id="formlabel">Type of Incident:</span>
<input type="checkbox" name="incidenttype[Vandalism]" value="Vandalism"><label>Vandalism</label> 
<input type="checkbox" name="incidenttype[theft]" value="theft"><label>Theft</label> 
<input type="checkbox" name="incidenttype[sex]" value="sex"><label>Sex Offense</label> 
<input type="checkbox" name="incidenttype[internet]" value="internet">
<label>Inappropriate use of Internet</label></p>
<p><input type="checkbox" name="incidenttype[bomb_fire]" value="bomb_fire"><label>Bomb Threat / Fire Alarm</label> 
<input type="checkbox" name="incidenttype[disruptive]" value="disruptive"><label>Disruptive Behavior</label>
<input type="checkbox" name="incidenttype[illess_accid]" value="illess_accid"><label>Illness/Accident</label> 
<input type="checkbox" name="incidenttype[unattendedkid]" value="unattendedkid"><label>Unattended Child</label></p>
<p><input type="checkbox" name="incidenttype[otherinc]" value="otherinc"><label>Other (explain): </label></p>
<p><input type="text" name="OtherIncident" size="100"></p>
<p><input type="submit" value="submit"></p>
</form>
<?php
if(!empty($_POST))
{
   printf("<pre>%s</pre>", print_r($_POST, 1));
}

Example output from the printf():

Array
(
    [incidenttype] => Array
        (
            [Vandalism] => Vandalism
            [sex] => sex
            [illess_accid] => illess_accid
        )

[OtherIncident] => 
)

spivey

I used your print_f statement, and that showed the array values.

How, in contact.php, which is handling all of my form data, to I deal with the empty checkbox values that get passed along?

I get "Unitentified index" errors for every unchecked checkbox value.

Here is my contact.php code:

<?php

if ($_POST['submit']) {
$date = ($_POST['Date']);
$time = ($_POST['Time']);
$location = ($_POST['location']);
$patronname = ($_POST['PatronName']);
$patronaddress = ($_POST['PatronAddress']);
$gender = ($_POST['gender']);
$age = ($_POST['Age']);
$height = ($_POST['height']);
$weight = ($_POST['Weight']);
$hair = ($_POST['Hair']);
$eyes = ($_POST['Eyes']);
$race_ethnic = ($_POST['Race-Ethnicity']);
$otherchar = ($_POST['OtherCharacteristics']);
$otherpatrons = ($_POST['OtherPatrons']);
$event_desc = ($_POST['EventDescription']);
$police_called = ($_POST['PoliceCalled']);
$time_police_arr = ($_POST['TimePoliceArrived']);
$Vandalism = ($_POST['incidenttype']['Vandalism']);
$theft = ($_POST['incidenttype']['theft']);
$sex = ($_POST['incidenttype']['sex']);
$internet = ($_POST['incidenttype']['internet']);
$bomb_fire_threat = ($_POST['incidenttype']['bomb_fire']);
$disruptive = ($_POST['incidenttype']['disruptive']);
$illness_accid = ($_POST['incidenttype']['illess_accid']);
$unattendedkid = ($_POST['incidenttype']['unattendedkid']);
$other_inc_check = ($_POST['OtherInc']['otherinc']);
$other_incident = ($_POST['OtherIncident']);
$resume_business = ($_POST['ResumeBusiness']);
$no_treat = ($_POST['TreatmentNone']);
$gone_home = ($_POST['GoneHome']);
$hospital = ($_POST['ToHospital']);
$hospital_name = ($_POST['hospital']);
$othertreat = ($_POST['Othertreat']);
$othertreatment = ($_POST['OtherTreatment']);
$notransport = ($_POST['NotTransported']);
$paramedic = ($_POST['ParamedicTransport']);
$othertrans = ($_POST['OtherTransport']);
$transby = ($_POST['TransportedBy']);
$actions_taken = ($_POST['ActionsTaken']);
$non_staff_involved = ($_POST['NonStaffInvolved']);
$added_comments = ($_POST['AddedComments']);
$staff_present = ($_POST['StaffPresent']);
$report_submit_by = ($_POST['ReportSubmittedBy']);
}
//if (!empty( $incidenttype ) ) {
//  echo $$incidenttype;
//	foreach($incidenttype as $inctype){
//echo $inctype;
//}
//}

$destination_email="matt.weaver@westlakelibrary.org";
$email_subject="Incident Report";
$email_body = "<style type=\"text/css\">
#body {
background-color: #00008b;
}
#main {
background-color: white;
width: 600px;
position: absolute;
left: 200px;
}
h3 {
font-family: \"Times New Roman\",serif;
color: green;
}
h4 {
font-family: Georgia, serif;
}
</style><div id=\"body\"><div id=\"main\"><h4>Date: $date</h4><h4>Time: $time</h4>\n<h4>Location: $location</h4>\n
<h3>General description of the patron</h3>
<h4>Name of Patron: $patronname</h4>\n
<h4> Patron Address: $patronaddress</h4><h4>Gender: $gender</h4>
<h4>Age: $age</h4>\n<h4>Height: $height</h4>\n<h4>Weight: $weight</h4>\n
<h4>Hair: $hair</h4>\n<h4>Eyes: $eyes</h4><h4>Race_Ethnicity: $race_ethnic</h4>\n
<h4>Other Characteristics: $otherchar</h4>\n
<h4>Other Patrons Involved: $otherpatrons</h4>\n
<hr>
<h4>Description of the event: $event_desc</h4>\n
<Were police called?: $police_called</h4>\n
<h4>Time Police arrived: $time_police_arr</h4>\n
<hr>
<h3>Type of Incident</h3>
<h4>
<h4>Incident Type: $inctype</h4>
<h4>Incident Type: $other_incident\n</h4>
<h4>Did the patron resume his/her business? $resume_business\n</h4>
<hr>
<!--<h3>Treatment of Illness or Injury:</h3> 
<h4>None: $no_treat\n</h4>
<h4>Taken/went home: $gone_home\n</h4>
<h4>To hospital: $hospital\n</h4>
<h4>Name of hospital: $hospital_name\n</h4>
<h4>Other treatment: $othertreat\n</h4>
<h4>$othertreatment\n</h4>
<hr>
//<h3>If patron went to hospital or home, did he/she need to be transported by someone else?</h3>
//<h4>No: $notransport\n</h4>
//<h4>Ambulance/Paramedic Squad: $paramedic\n</h4>
<h4>Other Transportation: $othertrans\n$transby\n</h4>
<h4>Actions taken: $actions_taken\n</h4>-->
<h3>Names of Non-Staff Members Involved (including witnesses):</h3>
<h4>$non_staff_involved\n</h4>
<hr>
<h4>Additional comments: $added_comments\n</h4>
<h4>Staff present: $staff_present\n</h4>
<h4>Report submitted by: $report_submit_by</h4></div></div>";

echo $email_body;

//mail ($destination_email, $email_subject, $email_body);

//print "Email sent";
?>

Thanks

mrweaver

NogDog

One way is to define a hidden input element with the exact same name as the checkbox element, making sure it comes before its related checkbox. Give it whatever value you want to use to indicate it was not checked, e.g.:

<input type="hidden" name="example[item1]" value="0">
<input type="checkbox" name="example[item1]" value="1">

If the checkbox is checked when the form is submitted, then in this example $_POST['example']['item1'] would have a value of "1". If it's not checked, then it will have the value of "0" from the hidden field, instead.

spivey

I am going to add the hidden values: that works pretty well.

When it outputs, there are spaces where the empty values are, but I have bigger fish to fry.

My next problem is, how to take the values from the array created by the checkboxes and passed via $_POST['incidenttype'] and display only the checked values in the output.

Here is the code in contact.php (I edited out most of it, but here's the section I'm working on):

$email_body = "

<h3>Type of Incident</h3>
<h4>
<h4>Incident Type:<?php print $_POST[incidenttype];?><br /></h4>;"

The above PHP snipped in "<h4>Incident Type" line doesn't work. If I add ' ' inside the brackets, it gets hung up.

At the top of contact.php I tried assigning $_POST['incidenttype'] as follows:

$array = array($_POST['incidenttype']);

Then I put $array in the "incident type" line, but it simply outputs the word "Array."

How to I get the checkbox values passed from the form to display in a list?

spivey

How to I get the checkbox values passed from the form to display in a list?

Just like this!

if (isset($_POST['incidenttype'])) {
   $inctype = implode ('<br />', $_POST['incidenttype']);   

} else {
   $inctype = NULL;      

}

This converts the array into a string, and leaves it set up as list.
That list comes up quite nicely in my form.

And, with the "isset" statement, it checks the value of the checkbox and assigns a "null" value, so you don't have to double up on the "input" boxes.