multiple drop down menu with multiple select

[phpnewbie26]

My current form has one multiple select drop down menu as well as few other drop down menus that are single select. Originally I had it so that the multiple select menu was first, but this created the problem that when I went to select the other drop down menus, the selections i made on the multiple select one would clear. Then I had tried putting the multiple select menu last so that the selections wouldn't clear but then after clicking the submit button(and going to the next page which is supposed to display the choices), it shows nothing. No selection from the multiple select menu went through. I would prefer to do it the first way and here is my code. Assume that my item[] is already created. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

<?php
// Get the posted data, if any, or initialize as null or today's date
   ($type = @$_POST['Type']) or $type = 1;
   ($item = @$_POST['Item']) or $item = 1;
   ($name = @$_POST['name']) or $name = "all";
   ($firstdate = @$_POST['firstdate']) or $firstdate=date("ymd");
   ($lastdate = @$_POST['lastdate']) or $lastdate = date("ymd");
   ($userchoice = @$_POST['userchoice']) or $userchoice = "no";
   ($hourchoice = @$_POST['hourchoice']) or $hourchoice = "no";
   ($ratechoice = @$_POST['ratechoice']) or $ratechoice = "no";
   ($amountchoice = @$_POST['amountchoice']) or $amountchoice = "no";
   ($commentchoice= @$_POST['commentchoice']) or $commentchoice = "no";
   $choices=array('no','yes');
 
// Open the form element
echo '<form action="" method="post"> ';  
echo '<p>User(Type username or all): <input type="text" name="name" value="', htmlentities($name),'"/><br//></p>';
echo '<p>Start of Period (yymmdd): <input type="text" name="firstdate" value="', htmlentities($firstdate),'"/><br//></p>';
echo '<p>End of Period(yymmdd): <input type="text" name="lastdate" value="', htmlentities($lastdate),'"/><br//></p>';
 
// Print first select
echo '<select name="Type" onchange="submit();">';
echo '<option value="">- All projects -</option>';
foreach(array_keys($items) as $_type) {
    // Check if this type was selected last submit
    $selected = ($type == $_type ? 'selected="selected"' : '');
 
    // Print this type as an option
    echo '<option value="'. $_type .'" '. $selected .'>'. $_type .'</option>';
   }
echo '</select>';
 
// Print the second select
echo '<select name="Item[]" multiple="multiple">';
echo '<option value="">- All phases -</option>';
if($type) {
    foreach($items[$type] as $_item) {
        // Check if this item was selected last submit
        $selected = ($item == $_item ? 'selected="selected"' : '');
 
        // Print this item as an option
        echo '<option value="'. $_item .'" '. $selected .'>'. $_item .'</option>';
       }
   }
echo '</select>';
echo "<br><br>";
 
echo 'Display Users ';   
echo '<select name="userchoice" onchange="submit();">';
foreach($choices as $key=>$_selection) {
       // Check if this type was selected last submit
       $selected = ($userchoice == $_selection ? 'selected="selected"' : '');
 
       // Print this type as an option
       echo '<option value="'. $_selection .'" '. $selected .'>'. $_selection .'</option>';
   }
   echo '</select>';
   echo '<br>';
   echo '<br>';
 
echo 'Display Hours ';   
echo '<select name="hourchoice" onchange="submit();">';
 
   foreach($choices as $key=>$_selection) {
       // Check if this type was selected last submit
       $selected = ($hourchoice == $_selection ? 'selected="selected"' : '');
 
       // Print this type as an option
       echo '<option value="'. $_selection .'" '. $selected .'>'. $_selection .'</option>';
   }
 echo '</select>';
 echo '<br>';
 echo '<br>';
 echo '</form>';
 
echo '<form action="test.php" method="post"> ';
echo'<p><input type="submit" value="Selections"/></p>';
echo '</form>';
?>
 

[dlite922]

Here's your updated code:

Things to keep in mind:
1. Your selection button was in another form, that contained only that button, so yes, nothing would have posted even if you did print_r($_POST); which is a good way to check what's in your POST.

2. You can't compare variable $_item to array $item, you must traverse the array and compare each value or use a function that does it for you, such as in_array(), array_search(), etc.

3. Why so many echos? leave HTML as HTML, and PHP as PHP.

4. Your Welcome:

 
<?php
 
// to test: 
$projects = array('Type 1' => array('Phase 1','Phase 2','Phase 3'),'Type 2' => array('Phase 4','Phase 5'));
 
 
// Get the posted data, if any, or initialize as null or today's date
($type = @$_POST['Type']) or $type = '';
($item = @$_POST['Item']) or $item = '';
($name = @$_POST['name']) or $name = "all";
($firstdate = @$_POST['firstdate']) or $firstdate=date("ymd");
($lastdate = @$_POST['lastdate']) or $lastdate = date("ymd");
($userchoice = @$_POST['userchoice']) or $userchoice = "no";
($hourchoice = @$_POST['hourchoice']) or $hourchoice = "no";
($ratechoice = @$_POST['ratechoice']) or $ratechoice = "no";
($amountchoice = @$_POST['amountchoice']) or $amountchoice = "no";
($commentchoice= @$_POST['commentchoice']) or $commentchoice = "no";
$choices=array('no','yes');
 
?>
 
<form action="" method="post" >
<p>User(Type username or all): <input type="text" name="name" value="<?php echo $name?>"/><br/></p>
<p>Start of Period (yymmdd): <input type="text" name="firstdate" value="<?php echo $firstdate?>"/><br//></p>
<p>End of Period(yymmdd): <input type="text" name="lastdate" value="<?php echo $lastdate?>"/><br/></p>
 
<select name="Type" onchange="submit();">
<option value="">- All projects -</option>
<?php
foreach(array_keys($projects) as $_type) {
    // Check if this type was selected last submit
    $selected = ($type == $_type ? 'selected="selected"' : ''); 
    // Print this type as an option
    echo "<option value='$_type' $selected>$_type</option>";
   }
?>
</select>
 
<select name="Item[]" multiple="multiple">
<option value="">- All phases -</option>
<?php
if($type) {
    foreach($projects[$type] as $_item) {
        // Check if this item was selected last submit
        $selected = (in_array($_item,$item) ? 'selected="selected"' : '');
 
        // Print this item as an option
        echo "<option value='$_item' $selected>$_item</option>";
       }
   }
?>
</select>
<br/><br/>
 
Display Users
<select name="userchoice" onchange="submit();">
<?php
foreach($choices as $key=>$_selection) {
       // Check if this type was selected last submit
       $selected = ($userchoice == $_selection ? 'selected="selected"' : '');
 
       // Print this type as an option
       echo "<option value='$_selection' $selected>$_selection</option>";
   }
?>
</select>
<br>
<br>
 
Display Hours
<select name="hourchoice" onchange="submit();">
<?php 
   foreach($choices as $key=>$_selection) {
       // Check if this type was selected last submit
       $selected = ($hourchoice == $_selection ? 'selected="selected"' : '');
 
       // Print this type as an option
       echo "<option value='$_selection' $selected>$_selection</option>";
   }
?>
</select>
<br>
<br>
<p><input type="submit" value="Selections"/></p>
 
</form>
 
 
 

Dan

[phpnewbie26]

Thanks!=) But I was wondering how it is supposed to get to my test.php page after I click submit?

Velora

[dlite922]

point your form there. Your current form says action="", it should say action="pagewhereyouwantittogo.php"


Dan

[phpnewbie26]

I tried that before, but the problem arises as I select from any of the other drop down menus because I have onchange="submit()"; for all the drop down menus. So when I select anything, it would automatically bring me to the test.php page.

Velora

[dlite922]

ok then,

1. Learn and Use AJAX to fill your drop down

2. Use JavaScript to change the form action when you click a button.

It's never too late to learn JavaScript.



Dan

[dlite922]

Did you figure this out yet?



Dan