Query Question

[cover]

I have a form with drop down menus to query for name, month, and year
to capture activity accordingly by an individual for a given month and
given year. But I'd like to also be able to query ALL individiduals
for a given month and year OR an individual for the whole year for
example.

My question, is there any way to have blank (not filled in) fields of
a query input ignored when left blank? I'm currently doing very
successfully what I described in the para above but it's taking me 3
queries (which I have on the same sheet for simplicity) to do it when
it would look a lot neater to have a single query and leave any drop
down menu items that I don't want to include on the query, blank and
ignored. Any ideas? TIA

[Brian]

Hi Chris

Funny thing is I have been working on a site (see all my recent posts)
where I have had to do something very similar, and I know how complicated
is gets very quickly.

Just for reference, you may want to look at adding some JavaScript to
your form that does some of the hard work for you, the form I have
been working on has something like 50 different queries that could be
made depending on what the user has sleeted, I found by using JavaScript
I could say if the user selects X then set Y to whatever. This way you
are only passing the info you really need.

Brian

[Geoff Berrow]

I noticed that Message-ID: <6J************ ***@newsfe5-gui.ntli.net> from
Brian contained the following:

Just for reference, you may want to look at adding some JavaScript to
your form that does some of the hard work for you, the form I have
been working on has something like 50 different queries that could be
made depending on what the user has sleeted, I found by using JavaScript
I could say if the user selects X then set Y to whatever. This way you
are only passing the info you really need.

But you really should not rely on Javascript.

--
Geoff Berrow 011000100110110 0010000000110
001101101011011 001000110111101 100111001011
100110001101101 111001011100111 010101101011

[Joseph Melnick]

Hello Geoff,

This is definitely true.

JavaScript should only be used for the benefit of the client to provide
valid input.

Expect the unexpected. Any hacker can sent garbage data to your application.

Check input for length, type, range, format and remove garbage.

Get to understand Regular Expressions, They are your friend.

Write functions once that you can reuse to minimize your effort.
Joseph Melnick
JM Web Consultants
www.jphp.com


"Geoff Berrow" <bl******@ckdog .co.uk> wrote in message
news:gj******** *************** *********@4ax.c om...

I noticed that Message-ID: <6J************ ***@newsfe5-gui.ntli.net> from
Brian contained the following:

Just for reference, you may want to look at adding some JavaScript to
your form that does some of the hard work for you, the form I have
been working on has something like 50 different queries that could be
made depending on what the user has sleeted, I found by using JavaScript
I could say if the user selects X then set Y to whatever. This way you
are only passing the info you really need.

But you really should not rely on Javascript.

--
Geoff Berrow 011000100110110 0010000000110
001101101011011 001000110111101 100111001011
100110001101101 111001011100111 010101101011

[Brian]

"Joseph Melnick" <jm******@jphp. com> wrote in message
news:x_******** ************@ro gers.com...

Hello Geoff,

This is definitely true.

JavaScript should only be used for the benefit of the client to provide
valid input.

Expect the unexpected. Any hacker can sent garbage data to your
application.

Check input for length, type, range, format and remove garbage.

Get to understand Regular Expressions, They are your friend.

Write functions once that you can reuse to minimize your effort.
Joseph Melnick
JM Web Consultants
www.jphp.com

I agree with what your saying, but for example the site I have been
working on recently required the user to select a 'store' or 'all stores'
My client asked for a tick box for all stores, and 2 drop down lists of
the store number or location.
By using JavaScript, if the 'all' box is ticked then set the 2 drop down
lists
to blank, if say the store location is selected then set the store number
and
tick box to blank, and so on.

This way when the form is submitted I can run various tests to see what
has been set, what to look for and what variables to use. The reason I have
done it this way is so I don't have to build a un-friendly user interface
that
would confuses the user.by select this if you want this, and that if you
want that
and so on.

I'm not saying that once the form has been submitted you should run Regular
Expressions on the incoming data, but this way you no what to run on what.
Brian

[Joseph Melnick]

Hello Brian,

Yes you are correct. Using JavaScript for usability is valid.

You could have simplified this task with a single mullti-select without the
need for a checkbox.

<select name="locations " multiple>
<option value="99999" selected>All Locations</option>
<option value="89837">8 9837 - Smallville</option>
....
<option value="98374">9 8374 - Largerville</option>
</select>

Would simplify validation and reduce page real-estate.

Just a idea.

Have a great day.

Joseph Melnick
JM Web Consultants
http://www.jphp.com

I agree with what your saying, but for example the site I have been
working on recently required the user to select a 'store' or 'all stores'
My client asked for a tick box for all stores, and 2 drop down lists of
the store number or location.
By using JavaScript, if the 'all' box is ticked then set the 2 drop down
lists
to blank, if say the store location is selected then set the store number
and
tick box to blank, and so on.

This way when the form is submitted I can run various tests to see what
has been set, what to look for and what variables to use. The reason I
have
done it this way is so I don't have to build a un-friendly user interface
that
would confuses the user.by select this if you want this, and that if you
want that
and so on.

I'm not saying that once the form has been submitted you should run
Regular
Expressions on the incoming data, but this way you no what to run on what.
Brian

[Chris]

Built on machine and works fine:
PHP 5.0.4
Apache 2.0.53
MySQL Client API version 4.1.7

Running on a server with the code below hanging up unless it's
'remmed' out...:
PHP 4.1.1
Apache 1.3.23
MySQL Client API version 3.23.39

mysql_connect($ DBhost,$DBuser, $DBpass) or die("Unable to connect to
database"); // make connection to database
mysql_select_db ($DBName) or die("Unable to select database $DBName");
// select database
// if (mysqli_connect _errno())
// {
// echo 'Error: Could not connect to database. Please report this
problem.';
// exit;
// }
Everything on my form worked fine on my development machine with the
newer versions of PHP, MySQL, and Apache. When I ran it on the server
with older versions, my query hung up.

QUESTION: The part that specifically hangs is "if
(mysqli_connect _errno())" of which I have to think something is there
that wasn't in the older versions so... Does anyone know an
equivalent line that will work on the older PHP ??? TIA

[Dave]

Chris (Chris <coverland914 @ yahoo.com>) decided we needed to hear...

Built on machine and works fine:
PHP 5.0.4
Apache 2.0.53
MySQL Client API version 4.1.7

Running on a server with the code below hanging up unless it's
'remmed' out...:
PHP 4.1.1
Apache 1.3.23
MySQL Client API version 3.23.39

mysql_connect($ DBhost,$DBuser, $DBpass) or die("Unable to connect to
database"); // make connection to database
mysql_select_db ($DBName) or die("Unable to select database $DBName");
You don't need the code below in any case, since you have already
tested if your connection and database selection worked or not in
the lines above. However, you might wish to add the return value from
mysql_error() to the strings you output from die - that will
report the cause of any error more effectively.
// select database
// if (mysqli_connect _errno())
// {
// echo 'Error: Could not connect to database. Please report this
problem.';
// exit;
// }
Everything on my form worked fine on my development machine with the
newer versions of PHP, MySQL, and Apache. When I ran it on the server
with older versions, my query hung up.

QUESTION: The part that specifically hangs is "if
(mysqli_connect _errno())" of which I have to think something is there
that wasn't in the older versions so... Does anyone know an
equivalent line that will work on the older PHP ??? TIA

The mysqli library is seperate from the mysql library and provides
different (improved) functions - so you probably shouldn't be mixing
up using both sets of functions anyway - use one or the other, but
not both together. The reason the call doesn't work in the older
version of PHP is probably that its not compiled in or enabled.

--
Dave <da**@REMOVEbun dook.com>
(Remove REMOVE for email address)