Cookies and forms

[cdherold]

I don't know if using cookies is the right thing, I've also seen sessions, but what I need to do is to have a form page fill out all the options for a user from a specific computer if they have filled out the form previously. <p>

All the user data is stored in a MySQL database. When users return to the form page I would like the cookies to determine if the user has been here before and if so go to the DB and get all the information previously filled out by that user so the user they can see their past preferences and change them if they want to.<p>

The forms I'm using are: <p>

<code>
<Select multiple><option> </select>
</code>

and

<code>
<INPUT TYPE=text >
</code>

and

<code>
<INPUT TYPE=checkbox >.
</code>

<p>Anybody know how to do this? I've looked through numerous tutorials and I'm still not sure what's going on.

<p>
thanks, cdherold

[alcapone]

wait now, so basicly what you want is to block user from filling out the same form twice, correct? well you could set a cookie and pray your user ain't homo homo sapiens and won't think about deleting it. Or you could put remote ip inside your db and then compare if that ip already submitted info.
Cookie can be exploited, ip can be changed though proxy plus user from the same provider won't get to submit info if he's got used ip. It's your call what to use, but niether of these if perfect so I suggest you go shop around to see what other people use.

cheers,
AlCapone

[Anon]

store the row id in the cookie then query the database WHERE id='$id'
Jim