[RESOLVED] Question regarding radio button and php coding

djacquelynstew

I have a form that will utilize radio buttons for example, I have a form that is basically an rsvp type form for a christmas party. One of the fileds contain radio buttons for the user to confirm if they will be bringing a guest or not,

Here's how I did it. Is this proper formatting and coding or is there a better option. I am trying to do this without any javascript, only php.

here is the html: (i have already declared the form action and method, and I suppose there is no need to put that here.

<label for="attendance">
Attending Guest?
<input type="radio" name="attendingGuest" value="yes" checked="checked"> yes
<input type="radio" name="attendingGuest" value="no">
<label>no<br /></label>

and here is the php:

<?php

$selected_radio = $_POST['attendingGuest'];
($selected_radio == 'checked');{

if ($selected_radio == 'yes'); {
            $yes = 'checked';
      }
echo {
'Attending Guest = "yes" '
      }

else ($selected_radio == 'no'); {
            $no = 'checked';
      }

echo {
'Attending Guest = "no" '
     }

}

addtionally, where on my php processing (validation) would put I put this, in other words, I have other variables that I am also evaluating for error checks such as name, address, email, pretty much standard fields, so would the radio checks go with that since technically there would be no errors, or should I list it prior to my error checks? I hope this makes sense.

I was trying to go in order of fields with my validation according to the fields. the radio buttons are in the middle of this other input.

Thank you in advance for any or all answers.

bradgrafelman

When posting HTML or PHP code, please use the board's [noparse]

..

..

[/noparse] bbcode tags (respectively) as they make your code much easier to read and analyze.

As for your code, here are some problems I see:

```
$selected_radio = $_POST['attendingGuest'];
```
Code like this will generate an E_NOTICE level error if that variable wasn't submitted. You should always check to see if external variables exist before attempting to use them.

To that end, I like to define such variables like so:
```
$selected_radio = isset($_POST['attendingGuest']) ? $_POST['attendingGuest'] : 'no';
```
In other words, I use [man]isset/man (along with the ternary operator) to check if the variable does indeed exist and, if not, assign $selected_radio some default value of your choosing.
This:
```
($selected_radio == 'checked');{
```
makes no sense at all. Can you explain what that is supposed to be doing (or, at least, what you think it's doing)?

First, this statement:
```
($selected_radio == 'checked');
```
gets evaluated (most likely as boolean "false", since $selected_radio should be either 'yes' or 'no' from the form, never 'checked'). Since the resulting boolean value isn't used or stored, it's simply ignored (meaning PHP just wasted time executing a statement that didn't actually do anything). The opening '{' brace is allowed because PHP doesn't care if you arbitrarily group random segments of code in {} sections.
This:
```
  			
	if ($selected_radio == 'yes'); {
                $yes = 'checked';
          }
```
seems highly redundant. Why would you conditionally define a variable that tells you nothing that you don't already know based on the condition in the first place?
Next, this:
```
	echo {
	'Attending Guest = "yes" '
          }
```
won't even parse correctly.

However, even if it did, that statement will always be evaluated whether or not $selected_radio equals 'yes' or 'no' or 'i love watermelons'. Thus, the output doesn't make much sense.
Likewise, this:
```
            

	else ($selected_radio == 'no'); {
                $no = 'checked';
          }
```
makes even less sense. 'else' branches have no condition, so I'm guessing you meant to use an elseif (or "else if" if that's more your cup o' tea) instead?

Still, even if you had, that elseif branch doesn't follow immediately after a preceding if() statement so it's still going to cause parse errors. Perhaps, then, that "else" branch shouldn't even be there at all, and the echo statements should be inside the preceding if() branches?
Same problem here:
```
	echo {
	'Attending Guest = "no" '
         }
```
as above; that code won't parse (perhaps you meant to use parentheses and a semicolon instead?).

djacquelynstew wrote:
addtionally, where on my php processing (validation) would put I put this

Wherever you want, really (which hopefully coincides with "wherever it fits best according to your application's specifications/requirements").