How to have unique id's for POSTing when displaying many table rows?

How to deal with multiple records and posting values?
(I'm fairly new to html/php etc. so maybe there is a simple answer?

I have a page showing several records - each table record is contained
within a separate form and has action buttons that submit (for
update/delete etc).

I generate the html using a php loop, which adds the loop counter to
inputs name and id (to ensure unique id's).
This results in the $_POST array receiving results as "budgetname1", or
"budgetname2" etc.

Do I have to parse the POST array, when what i really want is just
"budgetname" in the POST array, no matter which record the user clicks
on (the values tell me what i need!).
Although the page works if I assign the same id's in each form, the HTML
spec seems to suggest that a) id's must be unique in the document, b)
that name and id must be the same, and c) that "[]" characters are not
permitted in HTML 4.01

So do I have to step thru the POST array checking all the keys looking
for a substring match of the key to "budgetname%" or similar??

I guess this must be a common problem with multi-row tables on a page,
but what's the best solution?
thanks
chris

Second_Chance wrote:
> I have a page showing several records - each table record is
contained
> within a separate form and has action buttons that submit (for
> update/delete etc).
>
> I generate the html using a php loop, which adds the loop counter to
> inputs name and id (to ensure unique id's).
> This results in the $_POST array receiving results as "budgetname1",
or
> "budgetname2" etc.
>
> Do I have to parse the POST array, when what i really want is just
> "budgetname" in the POST array, no matter which record the user
clicks
> on (the values tell me what i need!).
> Although the page works if I assign the same id's in each form, the
HTML
> spec seems to suggest that a) id's must be unique in the document

id attributes of HTML controls don't affect the POST variable name,
only the name attribute. So just make all the name attributes the same.

> b) that name and id must be the same

Where does it say that??

> and c) that "[]" characters are not permitted in HTML 4.01

And where does it say that?
Using [0], [1], [2], etc. is the recommended way of getting an array as
a POST variable in PHP.

--
Oli

Oli Filth wrote:

> Second_Chance wrote:
>
>>I have a page showing several records - each table record is
>
> contained
>
>>within a separate form and has action buttons that submit (for
>>update/delete etc).
>>
>>I generate the html using a php loop, which adds the loop counter to
>>inputs name and id (to ensure unique id's).
>>This results in the $_POST array receiving results as "budgetname1",
>
> or
>
>>"budgetname2" etc.
>>
>>Do I have to parse the POST array, when what i really want is just
>>"budgetname" in the POST array, no matter which record the user
>
> clicks
>
>>on (the values tell me what i need!).
>>Although the page works if I assign the same id's in each form, the
>
> HTML
>
>>spec seems to suggest that a) id's must be unique in the document
>
>
> id attributes of HTML controls don't affect the POST variable name,
> only the name attribute. So just make all the name attributes the same.
>
>
>>b) that name and id must be the same
>
>
> Where does it say that??
>
> > and c) that "[]" characters are not permitted in HTML 4.01
>
> And where does it say that?
> Using [0], [1], [2], etc. is the recommended way of getting an array as
> a POST variable in PHP.
>

Oli, thanks for reply..

re c) I read the following at:

http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/types.html#type-id
"ID and NAME tokens must begin with a letter ([A-Za-z]) and may be
followed by any number of letters, digits ([0-9]), hyphens ("-"),
underscores ("_"), colons (":"), and periods ("."). "

from which I assume [] are not ok

re b) that name and id must be the same

I can't find the section, think was in the same spec.. and said that if
both name and id attributes are set they should be the same (and name
was now deprecated..)
the last bit is here:
from this page:

www.w3.org/TR/html4/interact/forms/html#h-17.1

name = cdata [CI]
This attribute names the element so that it may be referred to from
style sheets or scripts. Note. This attribute has been included for
backwards compatibility. Applications should use the id attribute to
identify elements.

However, I am quite new at this, so will follow your suggestions
many thanks
Chris

Second_Chance wrote:
> Oli Filth wrote:
<...SNIP...>

> Oli, thanks for reply..
>
> re c) I read the following at:
>
> http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/types.html#type-id
> "ID and NAME tokens must begin with a letter ([A-Za-z]) and may be
> followed by any number of letters, digits ([0-9]), hyphens ("-"),
> underscores ("_"), colons (":"), and periods ("."). "
>
> from which I assume [] are not ok

Hmm, you're absolutely right, it does say that, I'd never noticed that
before! Which is bizarre, cos the HTML validator has never complained!

>
> re b) that name and id must be the same
>
> I can't find the section, think was in the same spec.. and said that
if
> both name and id attributes are set they should be the same (and name

> was now deprecated..)
> the last bit is here:
> from this page:
>
> www.w3.org/TR/html4/interact/forms/html#h-17.1
>
> name = cdata [CI]
> This attribute names the element so that it may be referred to from
> style sheets or scripts. Note. This attribute has been included for
> backwards compatibility. Applications should use the id attribute to
> identify elements.

That's referring to the name attribute for the <FORM> element, not the
individual <INPUT>, <TEXTAREA> and <SELECT> controls within it.

--
Oli