How to make form elements "remember" selection ?

Question

I am using php to build a "change classifieds" page right now.

I use Mysql as a db.

Currently I use PHP to fetch all mysql information about the classified, and then I output it like this:

  $table.="
   <select name='year' id='year'>
     <option id='2000' value='2000'>2000</option>
     <option id='2001' value='2001'>2001</option>
     <option id='2002' value='2002'>2002</option>
   </select>";

   echo $table;

I have a picture upload tool which submits the page to itself, and at the same time uploads the picture, and shows it at the bottom of the page. The problem is, whenever this is done, the user must fill in all information again, because they are "forgotten".

I know about input type="text" where you simply can do something like this:

   <input type="text" name="text" value="<?php echo $_POST['text'];?>">

but what about selects? Radios? etc?

What should I do here?

Thanks

Answer 1

You can conditionnally echo selected in PHP, depending on the value to select.

Answer 2

You can set the selected attribute to "selected" to make it the default/current selection:

<option id="2000" value="2000" selected="selected">2000</option>

php example:

$options = array( '2000' => '2000', '2001' => '2001', '2002' => '2002' );
$selected = '2001';
$select = '<select name="year" id="year">';

foreach ( $options as $key => $value )
{
    $select .= '  <option value="' . $key . ( $key == $selected ? '" selected="selected">' : '">' ) . $value . '</option>';
}

$select .= '</select>';

Answer 3

<option 
  id='2000'
  value='2000'
  <?php if(isset($year) && $year === '2000') echo 'selected="selected"'?>
>2000</option>

Where $year contains the year from wherever. This assumes $year is a string. If $year is an integer change the condition to:

  if(isset($year) && $year === 2000)

For radio buttons and checkboxes just replace selected="selected" with checked="checked".

Answer 4

For selects, it is a bit more intense you need to loop through the data and check if the value equals the selected value (at least that is the easiest to do). But you could apply a similar technique as seen with the checkbox / radio.

<input type="radio" name="radio1" value="1" <?php echo (!empty($_POST['radio1']))?'checked':''?>> 
<input type="checkbox" name="chkbox1" value="1" <?php echo (!empty($_POST['chkbox1']))?'checked':''?>>

Since you are creating the table PHP side here is the code:

  $years = array('2000', '2001', '2002');

  $table .= "<select name='year' id='year'>";
  foreach ($years as $year) {
      $table .= "<option id='" . $year . "' value='" . $year . "' " . 
            (($_POST['year'] == $year)?'selected':'') . ">" . $year . "</option>\n";
  }

  $table.="</select>";

Should get you on the right track for select statements. The ? and : make up the ternary operator which is a shortened if / else statement.

Answer 5

<?php

$selected[$_GET['year']] = "selected='selected'";

$table.="
 <select name='year' id='year'>
   <option id='2000' value='2000' " . $selected['2000'] . ">2000</option>
   <option id='2001' value='2001' " . $selected['2001'] . ">2001</option>
   <option id='2002' value='2002' " . $selected['2002'] . ">2002</option>
 </select>";

echo $table;
?>