How to make a form in php accepting indefinite inputs?

Hi,

New to PHP, I was trying to figure out how to make such a form:

Data: [ ] [add][done]

When I enter a data and click the [add] button, the data gets
added to a list (and preferably the updated list is displayed
on the same page). This repeats until I click [done] button.

Any suggestions, directions?

Thanks,
Ge

"Ge B" <geb@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:107d794f.0501241323.162c40cf@posting.google.c om...
> Hi,
>
> New to PHP, I was trying to figure out how to make such a form:
>
> Data: [ ] [add][done]
>
> When I enter a data and click the [add] button, the data gets
> added to a list (and preferably the updated list is displayed
> on the same page). This repeats until I click [done] button.
>
> Any suggestions, directions?
>
> Thanks,
> Ge

You might want to ask this in a Javascript/DHTML group. A server-side only
solution would be very tideous to use.

Ge B wrote:
> Hi,
>
> New to PHP, I was trying to figure out how to make such a form:
>
> Data: [ ] [add][done]
>
> When I enter a data and click the [add] button, the data gets
> added to a list (and preferably the updated list is displayed
> on the same page). This repeats until I click [done] button.
>
> Any suggestions, directions?

yourpage.php:

________________

<?php
if (isset($_POST['action'])) {

// data is entered into database whichever button is pressed

$clean_data = validate_data($_POST['data']);
insert_into_database($clean_data);

if ($_POST['action'] == "done") {

header("Location: http://server/otherpage.php");
exit();
}
}

show_list_of_data_from_database();
?>

<form action="" method="post"> <!-- action="" means this same page -->

<p>
<label for="data">Data:</label><input type="text" name="data" id="data"
value="" />

<input type="submit" name="action" value="add" />
<input type="submit" name="action" value="done" />
</p>
</form>


>
> Thanks,
> Ge

Thanks for the suggestion. I see the point is use database to store
the list. But is there any way that I can store and pass along the list
without going into the database first?

Yes, a portion of the list will eventually go into the database, but at
this stage, I perfer not if I can...

Further suggestions?

Thanks!
Ge

Ge B wrote:
>
> New to PHP, I was trying to figure out how to make such a form:
>
> Data: [ ] [add][done]
>
> When I enter a data and click the [add] button, the data gets
> added to a list (and preferably the updated list is displayed
> on the same page). This repeats until I click [done] button.
>
> Any suggestions, directions?

Use JavaScript to modify the form on the client side
and submit it to the server when done.

Cheers,
NC

What about using a SESSION array. For instance,
$_SESSION['valid'][$name]. Thus, to adapt Dani's script above:

if (isset($_POST['action'])) {

// data is entered into database whichever button is pressed

$clean_data = validate_data($_POST['data']);
$_SESSION['valid']['data'] = $clean data ;

if ($_POST['action'] == "done") {

header("Location: http://server/otherpage.php");
exit();
}

Once the user hits done, you'd have the $_SESSION['valid'] array all
ready to drop in the database or do with as you please.
Any obvious drawbacks to that?

Tom

Ge wrote:
> Thanks for the suggestion. I see the point is use database to store
> the list. But is there any way that I can store and pass along the
list
> without going into the database first?
>
> Yes, a portion of the list will eventually go into the database, but
at
> this stage, I perfer not if I can...

Try this modification of the above code:
<?php
session_start();
$tmp = (isset($_SESSION['tmp']))?$_SESSION['tmp']:array();
if (isset($_POST['action'])) {
// data is added onto the $tmp array whichever button is
pressed


if ($_POST['data'] != '' )$tmp[] =
htmlentities(stripslashes($_POST['data']));


if ($_POST['action'] == "done") {
// clean_data($tmp);
// insert_into_database($tmp);
echo 'The final list of data entered is:<br>'."\n";
for ($i=0;$i<count($tmp);$i++)
echo 'Data: ' . $tmp[$i] . "<br>\n";
unset($_SESSION['tmp']);
exit();
}

$_SESSION['tmp'] = $tmp;

}

for ($i=0;$i<count($tmp);$i++)
echo 'Data: ' . $tmp[$i] . "<br>\n";

?>

<form style="margin-top:0;padding-top:0" action="<? echo
$_SERVER['PHP_SELF'] ?>" method="post">
<label for="data">Data:</label><input type="text" name="data" id="data"
value="" />&nbsp;
<input type="submit" name="action" value="add" />&nbsp;<input
type="submit" name="action" value="done" />
</form>

Ken (posting from Google Groups Beta which unindents code :-( )