Changing a Form using PHP and Javascript

[JVassie]

Here is the problem i am faced with:

I have a database that people use as a Web Page Management Tool to help some of the staff keep track of the updates to web pages they make.

When someone wishes to add a web page to the database, they use a form on the appropriate page. When they add the web page to the database, the time of last update might be either now or a date in the past if it hasn't been edited since. I have a button on the form that i want to change the value of the last updated input field to today's date. However when i click on the button, it seems to submit the form, despite the fact it is a <button> not an <insert type="submit">.

The code for the form is:

<?php
function addwebpageform(){
         $t=time();
         $now=date("Y-m-d",$t);
         ?>
         <table border="1">
                <tr>
                    <th>
                        Webpage ID
                    </th>
                    <th>
                        Reference Number
                    </th>
                    <th>
                        Version Number
                    </th>
                    <th>
                        Description
                    </th>
                </tr>
                <tr>
                <form action="addwebpage_action.php" method="POST">
                    <td>
                       <center> - </center>
                    </td>
                    <td>
                         <input type="text" name="referenceno">
                    </td>
                    <td>
                         <input type="text" name="versionno">
                    </td>
                    <td>
                         <input type="text" name="description">
                    </td>
                </tr>
                <tr>
                    <th>
                        Last Updated
                    </th>
                    <th>
                        Update Frequency
                    </th>
                    <th>
                        Status
                    </th>
                    <th>
                        URL
                    </th>
                </tr>
                <tr>
                    <td>
                         <input type="text" name="lastupdated" value="YYYY-MM-DD" id="lastup">
                    </td>
                    <td>
                         <select name="updatefrequency">
                                 <option value="3 Months">3 Months</option>
                                 <option value="6 Months">6 Months</option>
                                 <option value="12 Months">12 Months</option>
                                 <option value="24 Months">24 Months</option>
                         </select>
                    </td>
                    <td>
                         <select name="status">
                                 <option value="Review">Under Review</option>
                                 <option value="Completed">Completed</option>
                                 <option value="Live">Live</option>
                         </select>
                    </td>
                    <td>
                         <input type="text" name="url">
                    </td>
                    </tr>
                <tr>
                    <td colspan="4">
                        <button onclick="document.GetElementByID('lastup').value=$now">Now</button><input type="submit" value="Add Webpage">
                    </td>
                </tr>
                </form>
         </table>
<?php
}

The bits in particular are at the top where i set today's date as the $now variable, and then near the bottom, where i change the value of the field with ID "lastup".

Does anyone have any idea how to go about this?

Cheers
James

[mikell]

I would suggest editing addwebpage_action.php...just set the lastupdated variable in that file, right before the database entry is made. That way you don't have to mess with javascript and the user doesn't have to mess with a "Now" button:

// blah blah
$lastupdated = date("Y-m-d",time());
// insert/update record in database

Otherwise I would suggest the following...Get rid of the "Now" button. I can't imagine why you would need that. Just use the onsubmit handler
of the <form> tag to call your javascript function.

Something like the following:

<script type="text/javascript">
function updateTime()
{
var lastupdated;
lastupdated = document.getElementById('lastupdated').value = "<?php echo date("Y-m-d",time())?>";
return true;
}
</script>

<form action="addwebpage_action.php" onSubmit="return updateTime()" method="POST">

<input type="text" name="lastupdated" value="YYYY-MM-DD" id="lastupdated">
<input type="submit" value="Add Webpage">
</form>