dynamically populate drop-down list and dynamically include html file

[Yi Chen]

We have a drop down list on a PHP page, with several product names, and
when people click one item, we will refresh the same page with the
product name as parameter, and in turn we want to include a HTML file
into the content area of the same page.

I know it is recommended to put everything into database, but we want
the web site to be very "portable", so the drop-downlist and the
content should both in text files.

Let's say the drop-down list will be poplulated from the product.txt
file, and there will be a file for each corresponding item in the
drop-down list. From the user point of view, if he wants to add a new
product, he will just need to open the product.txt file, and add a new
line with the product name, "Laptop", then add a new text file named
"laptop" in the same folder which contains the HTML fragment to be
included in the content area.

What is the easiest way to do this?

[Jerry Stuckle]

Yi Chen wrote:

We have a drop down list on a PHP page, with several product names, and
when people click one item, we will refresh the same page with the
product name as parameter, and in turn we want to include a HTML file
into the content area of the same page.

I know it is recommended to put everything into database, but we want
the web site to be very "portable", so the drop-downlist and the
content should both in text files.

Let's say the drop-down list will be poplulated from the product.txt
file, and there will be a file for each corresponding item in the
drop-down list. From the user point of view, if he wants to add a new
product, he will just need to open the product.txt file, and add a new
line with the product name, "Laptop", then add a new text file named
"laptop" in the same folder which contains the HTML fragment to be
included in the content area.

What is the easiest way to do this?

I'd use a database. The vast majority of sites use MySQL for a
database, but if you want it to be portable you can use the PEAR::MDB2
package. It's portable to many different databases.

You could do it with a flat file, but it will make your job a lot harder
(and the data much more prone to errors).
--
==================
Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle
JDS Computer Training Corp.
js*******@attglobal.net
==================

[IchBin]

Jerry Stuckle wrote:

Yi Chen wrote:

>We have a drop down list on a PHP page, with several product names, and
when people click one item, we will refresh the same page with the
product name as parameter, and in turn we want to include a HTML file
into the content area of the same page.

I know it is recommended to put everything into database, but we want
the web site to be very "portable", so the drop-downlist and the
content should both in text files.

Let's say the drop-down list will be poplulated from the product.txt
file, and there will be a file for each corresponding item in the
drop-down list. From the user point of view, if he wants to add a new
product, he will just need to open the product.txt file, and add a new
line with the product name, "Laptop", then add a new text file named
"laptop" in the same folder which contains the HTML fragment to be
included in the content area.
What is the easiest way to do this?

I'd use a database. The vast majority of sites use MySQL for a
database, but if you want it to be portable you can use the PEAR::MDB2
package. It's portable to many different databases.

You could do it with a flat file, but it will make your job a lot harder
(and the data much more prone to errors).

If you opt to use PEAR::MDB2 you may want to look at PEAR HTML_QuickForm
for loading the dropdown. You can do it using three lines of code. Here
I am loading a Category dropdown. Take a peek at the Docs.
// Create a HTML <Selectand define the DB column and label
$s =& $form->createElement('select','u_category','Category:' );
//
// Load the <Selectfrom DB with SQL select
$s->loadQuery($MDB2, $category_dropdown_select);
//
// Add the <Selectobject to the HTML Form
$form->addElement($s);

--
Thanks in Advance...
IchBin, Pocono Lake, Pa, USA http://weconsultants.phpnet.us
'If there is one, Knowledge is the "Fountain of Youth"'
-William E. Taylor, Regular Guy (1952-)

[bobmct]

Yi Chen wrote:

We have a drop down list on a PHP page, with several product names, and
when people click one item, we will refresh the same page with the
product name as parameter, and in turn we want to include a HTML file
into the content area of the same page.

I know it is recommended to put everything into database, but we want
the web site to be very "portable", so the drop-downlist and the
content should both in text files.

Let's say the drop-down list will be poplulated from the product.txt
file, and there will be a file for each corresponding item in the
drop-down list. From the user point of view, if he wants to add a new
product, he will just need to open the product.txt file, and add a new
line with the product name, "Laptop", then add a new text file named
"laptop" in the same folder which contains the HTML fragment to be
included in the content area.

What is the easiest way to do this?

By far the easiest and slickest way to accomplish this is with AJAX. Search
the javascript group for ajax or better yet, search for mybic.php and
download and install. It is a function for using ajax and allows you to
access your host and receive content then dynamically populate virtually
anything (I like to populate drop down lists)... all without the user
having to click anything and without having to refresh the screen.

Good luck.