Simple coding problem

gogole503

I am writing a script to validate a form. This part of the script validates a drop down box to see if the value is "--". If it is it should turn the variable $validate to 2 otherwise it should change $designtype2 according to what value it has. But this doesn't work and when i echo the value of $designtype2 nothing appears.

Heres the code:

$designtype2 = "nothing";

	$designtype = '<script type="text/javascript">document.getElementById("designtype");</script>';
	if ($designtype.value == "--")
		{
		echo '<script type="text/javascript">alert("5");</script>';
		$validate = "2";
		}
	else if ($designtype.value == "1")
		{
		$designtype2 = "a Logo";
		}
	else if ($designtype.value == "2")
		{
		$designtype2 = "a Website";
		}
	else if ($designtype.value == "3")
		{
		$designtype2 = "Both a Logo and a Website";
		}

What's wrong?

bradgrafelman

What's wrong is a fundamental mistake. PHP is a server-side language, so all PHP code is executed before the page is ever sent to the user's browser, which is when the Javascript (client-side code) is then executed.

Either use all Javascript, or else look into using AJAX to send the user's response back to your server for processing.

gogole503

How would you validate a drop-down box using php then? Sorry, i'm more used to javascript and i get them confused sometimes 😕

bradgrafelman

That depends on what you mean by "validate" - what conditions make the user's response valid?

gogole503

I want to check if the option -- is chosen. if so set the variable "$validate" to 1

How would u do that?

bradgrafelman

Well if the default option has a value of "--", you'd just check that the POST'ed variable (you are using POST to submit the form, right?) is a) part of the POST'ed data, and b) not '--'. Example:

if(isset($_POST['foo']) && $_POST['foo'] != '--') {
    // user submitted a valid option
}

gogole503

Just to make sure this is the code im using to make the drop down. -- is not the actuall text shown on the default option it is the "value" property of that option.

<select name="designtype" id="designtype" class="input2">
    	<option selected="selected" value="--">Please Select</option>
        <option value="1">Logo</option>
        <option value="2">Website</option>
        <option value="3">Both</option>

bradgrafelman

gogole503 wrote:
the "value" property of that option

Right... that is what is POST'ed when you submit the form, which therefore is the only data PHP knows of...