Having trouble getting script to work

BlueDragonfly

I'm trying for a script I found a script that will let me dynamically add and remove rows to an html form, but I'm having trouble getting it to work. It keeps giving me an error about the array_values() and doesn't display the input field.

I wanted to put in more than one input field, but I don't know how with this kind of script, the PHP is over my head.

<?php
if($_POST["btnadd"] == "ADD") {
  if (isset($_POST['count'])) $count = $_POST['count'] + 1; // add 1 to the row counter
  else $count = 1; // set value for first load
}
if($_POST["btnremove"] == "REMOVE") {
  $count = $_POST['count'] - 1; // decrement the row counter
  if ($count < 1) $count = 1; // set minimum row number
}
?>

<form name="form1" method="POST" action="<?php echo $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']; ?>">
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" border="1">
<?php 
// get the 'number' of the pressed button
foreach (array_keys($_POST) as $key) {
  if (preg_match('@^submit([0-9]+)$@', $key, $match) == 1) {
    $no = $match[1];
    $count--;
  }
}

unset($_POST['text'][$no]); // remove value

$retain = array_values($_POST['text']);// re-index array

for ($i = 0; $i < $count; $i++) {
  echo '  <tr>';
  echo '    <td valign="top">Name:</td>';
  echo '    <td><input type="text" size="20" name="text[]" value="' . $retain[$i] . '" /></td>';
  echo '  </tr>';
  echo '  <tr>';
  echo '    <td valign="top"><input type="submit" name="submit' . $i . '" value="Remove Pet" /></td>';
}
?>
    <td><input type="submit" name="btnadd" id="btnadd" value="Add New Pet">
    <input type="hidden" name="count" value="<?php echo $count; ?>"></td>
  </tr>
</table>
</form>

BlueDragonfly

I still can't quite figure out the script, but I hate not making progress, so I put in some issets to get rid of 'unknown variables' being reported by error reporting.

<?php

if(isset($_POST["btnadd"]) == "ADD") {
  if (isset($_POST['count'])) $count = $_POST['count'] + 1; // add 1 to the row counter
  else $count = 1; // set value for first load
}
?>

<form name="form1" method="POST" action="<?php echo $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']; ?>">
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" border="1">
<?php 
// get the 'number' of the pressed button
foreach (array_keys($_POST) as $key) {
  if (preg_match('@^submit([0-9]+)$@', $key, $match) == 1) {
    $no = $match[1];
    $count--;
  }
}

unset($_POST['text'][isset($no)]); // removes the value

$retain = array_values(isset($_POST['text']));// re-index array

for ($i = 0; $i < isset($count); $i++) {
  echo '  <tr>';
  echo '    <td valign="top">Name:</td>';
  echo '    <td><input type="text" size="20" name="text[]" value="' . $retain[$i] . '" /></td>';
  echo '  </tr>';
  echo '  <tr>';
  echo '    <td valign="top"><input type="submit" name="submit' . $i . '" value="Remove Pet" /></td>';
}
?>
    <td><input type="submit" name="btnadd" id="btnadd" value="Add New Pet">
    <input type="hidden" name="count" value="<?php if (isset($count)) echo $count; ?>"></td>
  </tr>
</table>
</form>

rokchik

<?php

if($_POST["btnadd"] == "ADD") {
  if (isset($_POST['count'])) $count = $_POST['count'] + 1; // add 1 to the row counter
  else $count = 1; // set value for first load
}
if($_POST["btnremove"] == "REMOVE") {
  $count = $_POST['count'] - 1; // decrement the row counter
  if ($count < 1) $count = 1; // set minimum row number
}
?>

<form name="form1" method="POST" action="<?php echo $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']; ?>">
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" border="1">

<?php

// get the 'number' of the pressed button
foreach (array_keys($_POST) as $key) {
  if (preg_match('@^submit([0-9]+)$@', $key, $match) == 1) {
    $no = $match[1];
    $count--;
  }
}

unset($_POST['text'][$no]); // remove value

// Check to see if POST contains anything
// BEFORE doing stuff with it
if (array_key_exists('text', $_POST)) {
    $retain = array_values($_POST['text']);// re-index array
}

for ($i = 0; $i < $count+1; $i++) {
  echo '  <tr>';
  echo '    <td valign="top">Name:</td>';
  echo '    <td><input type="text" size="20" name="text[]" value="' . $retain[$i] . '" /></td>';
  echo '  </tr>';
  echo '  <tr>';
  echo '  <td align="top">Other:</td>';
  echo '  <td><input type="text" size="20" name="other[]" value="' . $retain[$i] . '" /></td>';
  echo '  <tr>';
  echo '    <td valign="top"><input type="submit" name="submit' . $i . '" value="Remove Pet" /></td>';
}
?>
    <td><input type="submit" name="btnadd" id="btnadd" value="Add New Pet">
    <input type="hidden" name="count" value="<?php echo $count; ?>"></td>
  </tr>
</table>
</form>

BlueDragonfly

Thank you for this, it's much more tidy than mine was, but the script still doesn't work. If you put in information and click Add, the second line for the "Other" field is overwritten with what information you put in the first field. It also doesn't add a new line of Name/Other fields. In the meanwhile, the count remains blank for some reason.

And if one clicks Remove, it removes the boxes (which is good except that those first fields are required. The count finally shows, as -1.

rokchik

<?php

if($_POST["btnadd"] == "ADD") {
  if (isset($_POST['count'])) $count = $_POST['count'] + 1; // add 1 to the row counter
  else $count = 1; // set value for first load
}
if($_POST["btnremove"] == "REMOVE") {
  $count = $_POST['count'] - 1; // decrement the row counter
  if ($count < 1) $count = 1; // set minimum row number
}
?>

<form name="form1" method="POST" action="<?php echo $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']; ?>">
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" border="1">

<?php

// get the 'number' of the pressed button
foreach (array_keys($_POST) as $key) {
  if (preg_match('@^submit([0-9]+)$@', $key, $match) == 1) {
    $no = $match[1];
    $count--;
  }
}

// unset($_POST['text'][$no]); // remove value
// you weren't passing this in the form
// add a 'hidden' input if you need it

// Check to see if POST contains anything
// BEFORE doing stuff with it

// When in doubt use print_r, var_dump and echo on your arrays and variables respectively
// you can comment them out or delete them when you finish debugging
if (array_key_exists('text', $_POST)) {
	echo "POST: ";
	print_r($_POST);
	echo "<br />";
	echo "retain: ";
    $retain = $_POST;// re-index array
	print_r($retain);
	echo "<br />";
}

for ($i = 0; $i < $count+1; $i++) {
  echo '  <tr>';
  echo '    <td valign="top">Name:</td>';
  echo '    <td><input type="text" size="20" name="text" value="' . $retain[text] . '" /></td>';
  echo '  </tr>';
  echo '  <tr>';
  echo '  <td align="top">Other:</td>';
  echo '  <td><input type="text" size="20" name="other" value="' . $retain[other] . '" />';
  // a 'hidden' input stores your count value which you rely on at the beginning of the script and passes it by POST
  echo '  <input type="hidden" name="count" value="' . $retain[count] . '" /></td>';
  echo '  <tr>';
  echo '    <td valign="top"><input type="submit" name="submit' . $i . '" value="Remove Pet" /></td>';

  if (array_key_exists('text', $_POST)) {
	  echo '  <tr>';
	  echo '    <td valign="top">Name:</td>';
	  echo '    <td><input type="text" size="20" name="text" value="" /></td>';
	  echo '  </tr>';
	  echo '  <tr>';
	  echo '  <td align="top">Other:</td>';
	  echo '  <td><input type="text" size="20" name="other" value="" /></td>';
	  echo '  <input type="hidden" name="count" value="' . $retain[count] . '" /></td>';
	  echo '  </tr>';
	}
}
?>
    <td><input type="submit" name="btnadd" id="btnadd" value="Add New Pet">
    <input type="hidden" name="count" value="<?php echo $count; ?>"></td>
  </tr>
</table>
</form>

Output:
POST: Array ( [text] => Tiddles [other] => cat [count] => [btnadd] => Add New Pet )
retain: Array ( [text] => Tiddles [other] => cat [count] => [btnadd] => Add New Pet )

BlueDragonfly

Thank you to for going to all the trouble! It seems the script behaves oddly though.

It works fine at first, when you enter the name and click "Add New Pet". It shows:

POST: Array ( [text] => Fluffikens [other] => Kitty [count] => [btnadd] => Add New Pet )
retain: Array ( [text] => Fluffikens [other] => Kitty [count] => [btnadd] => Add New Pet )

while retaining the date in the fields, and showing a new set of blank fields.

But then when you fill out the second fields (ex. "Spot", "Doggy"), the output is:

POST: Array ( [text] => Spot [other] => Doggy [count] => [btnadd] => Add New Pet )
retain: Array ( [text] => Spot [other] => Doggy [count] => [btnadd] => Add New Pet )

And in the first fields are the Spot/Doggy information, the secondary fields are blank, and there is no third blank set of fields.

I saw that there's two hidden 'count' input fields, but taking one out didn't really make a difference. And it's still possible with the script to remove the first field set, but that has to stay. Any ideas?

rokchik

// When in doubt use print_r, var_dump and echo on your arrays and variables respectively
// you can comment them out or delete them when you finish debugging
if (array_key_exists('text', $_POST)) {
    echo "POST: ";
    print_r($_POST);
    echo "<br />";
    echo "retain: ";
    // If you want to hold multiple pets you need to put them all in an array.
    $retain[] = $_POST;// re-index array
    print_r($retain);
    echo "<br />";
}

This script is not behaving oddly; it's doing exactly what it's told. If information is not passed through the form then it has no information.

You might feel the need to store extra pets in the $_SESSION array or in a cookie, otherwise your POST data could get rather full should a visitor have lots of pets.
Cookies and Sessions Tutorial