Multiple groups of radio buttons with same name?

[Jeff]

I'm trying to create a dynamic form that can have multiple groups of
radio buttons (each group has two buttons) with the same name.

Essentially, the form allows a user to enter as many names as they
want. If they need to add more, they click an "add name" button and
the javascript inserts another row of input boxes. Each row should
have two radio buttons to indicate sex (M F).

When you have multiple text input boxes with the same name, they get
submitted as an array. Multiple radio buttons with the same name only
submit one value. Unfortunately, I can't give my radio buttons
different names because the user could insert as many names on the
form as he or she wants.

Is there some way around this?

[Chris Morris]

th********@hotm ail.com (Jeff) writes:

I'm trying to create a dynamic form that can have multiple groups of
radio buttons (each group has two buttons) with the same name.
Not possible in the way you mean it.
Essentially, the form allows a user to enter as many names as they
want. If they need to add more, they click an "add name" button and
the javascript inserts another row of input boxes.
How does this work without javascript? (I'm not saying it doesn't,
since there are ways to do this that do work without requiring
javascript, but I thought I'd ask)
Each row should have two radio buttons to indicate sex (M F).
Okay.
When you have multiple text input boxes with the same name, they get
submitted as an array. Multiple radio buttons with the same name only
submit one value.
Yes, that's what radio buttons do. One, and only one, can be selected.
Unfortunately, I can't give my radio buttons different names because
the user could insert as many names on the form as he or she wants.
That shouldn't be a problem.
Is there some way around this?

Yes: Give the radio buttons different names!

<input type="radio" name="mf1" value="m" checked='checke d'> Male
<input type="radio" name="mf1" value="f"> Female
<input type="radio" name="mf2" value="m" checked='checke d'> Male
<input type="radio" name="mf2" value="f"> Female
....
<input type="radio" name="mf376" value="m" checked='checke d'> Male
<input type="radio" name="mf376" value="f"> Female

Then it will work as you want. When the form is submitted, note that
there's 12 elements in the text input array, note that this means you
have variables mf1 to mf12 that correspond to them, match them up, and
carry on.

Alternatively you could have <input name='name1'>, <input
name='name2'>, etc. and not bother with the array. Just keep adding
one to your counter until you get to a variable that isn't set.

--
Chris

[Harlan Messinger]

"Jeff" <th********@hot mail.com> wrote in message
news:1f******** *************** ***@posting.goo gle.com...

I'm trying to create a dynamic form that can have multiple groups of
radio buttons (each group has two buttons) with the same name.

Essentially, the form allows a user to enter as many names as they
want. If they need to add more, they click an "add name" button and
the javascript inserts another row of input boxes. Each row should
have two radio buttons to indicate sex (M F).

When you have multiple text input boxes with the same name, they get
submitted as an array. Multiple radio buttons with the same name only
submit one value. Unfortunately, I can't give my radio buttons
different names because the user could insert as many names on the
form as he or she wants.

Your question is like asking "How can I name all my children George and
then, when I call, "George!", have the right one respond?"

If I understand the point of your last sentence correctly, you think that
you have to have allocated enough names in advance to cover all the fields
the user might add. You don't. This is dynamic, after all. All you need is a
counter to keep track of how many sets of fields (name and sex) are already
on the page, and use that to generate the distinct names you need for each
set of fields added by the user.

var nInputs;
var nameName, sexName, beaconName;
// Hidden field beaconxxx with non-blank value is used by the
server-side code to check for the existence
// of each successive set of entries.
...
// User has requested the insertion of another set of fields.
nInputs++;
textName = "name" + nInputs;
radioName = "sex" + nInputs;
beaconName = "beacon" + nInputs;
document.write "...<input type='text' name='" + nameName + "' ...>...";
document.write "...<input type='radio' name='" + sexName + "' value='M'
....> Male...";
document.write "...<input type='radio' name='" + sexName + "' value='F'
....> Female...";
document.write "...<input type='hidden' name='" + beaconName + "'
value='X'>...";

On the server side (using ASP for this example), you start at 1 and keep
going until you run out of fields to process:

dim iInput;
iInput = 1
dim name, sex, beacon
beacon = Request.Form("b eacon" + iInput)
do until beacon = ""
name = Request.Form("n ame" + iInput)
sex = Request.Form("s ex" + iInput)
...
iInput = iInput + 1
beacon = Request.Form("b eacon" + iInput)
loop