PHP Language - form button names as variables

Author

form button names as variables

PhilM

2004-07-27, 3:58 pm

perhaps I am just a little tired, but I am having trouble with my form
buttons.

Firstly I name them like this
name=\"round".$counter."heats\"
which results in variables
$round1heats
$round2heats
$round3heats
etc...
now, when I select button named ... "round1heats" ... I want to use the
variable $round1heats to remove the button "round1heats", and display heats
set for the round. To do that I assumed that I would have to:-
IF(isset($round1heats)){
show other stuff instead etc
}else{
generate and print html for button "round1heats"
}

My problem is, since all this is dynamic, since the number of heats is
variable, and is dependant on DB entries, how do I generate the $round1heats
used in the isset() so that it is recognised as a variable by the isset().
I have tried, to concat the bits as I have done in the naming of the button,
but, unsurprisingly, it spits out errors ;)
[note, $counter is still available, and is limited to the number of rounds
registered in DB.]
OR, have I been barking up the wrong tree altogether?

I hope that made a bit of sense .

PhilM

Andrew Crowe

2004-07-27, 3:58 pm

There are a few things you could try to improve the routine.

One is to use $_GET or $_POST instead of using registered global variables,
as these are considered much more secure.

For example, if your form tag is method="post" then you would do

IF(array_key_exists("round{$count}heats",$_POST)){
show other stuff instead etc
}else{
generate and print html for button "round1heats"
}

One thing to note is that if the submit buttons are type="image" then the
form will post round1heats.x, round1heats.y or round1heats_x,
round1heats_y to correspond to the x and y pos that the user clicked on the
image, so that'd need to be taken into consideration as well.

Finally if these buttons need to stay the same if the database changes a
lot, then you should load all the database info you need into a session and
then draw the buttons from that rather then from the database each time.

--
Regards,
Andrew Crowe

Nel

2004-07-27, 3:58 pm

"PhilM" <philm@nospam.com.am> wrote in message
news:41066686$0$18191$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
> perhaps I am just a little tired, but I am having trouble with my form
> buttons.
>
> Firstly I name them like this
> name=\"round".$counter."heats\"
> which results in variables
> $round1heats
> $round2heats
> $round3heats
> etc...
> now, when I select button named ... "round1heats" ... I want to use the
> variable $round1heats to remove the button "round1heats", and display
heats
> set for the round. To do that I assumed that I would have to:-
> IF(isset($round1heats)){
> show other stuff instead etc
> }else{
> generate and print html for button "round1heats"
> }
>
> My problem is, since all this is dynamic, since the number of heats is
> variable, and is dependant on DB entries, how do I generate the
$round1heats
> used in the isset() so that it is recognised as a variable by the isset().
> I have tried, to concat the bits as I have done in the naming of the
button,
> but, unsurprisingly, it spits out errors ;)
> [note, $counter is still available, and is limited to the number of rounds
> registered in DB.]
> OR, have I been barking up the wrong tree altogether?
>
> I hope that made a bit of sense .
>
> PhilM
>
Try using arrays and then working through the arrays in order.

name=\"round[$counter]\"

so you get
name="round[1]"
name="round[2]"
etc.

Then you can set a loop to work through $round[$loopnumber] to see which is
set etc.

See http://www.php.net/manual/en/ref.array.php

Nel.

PhilM

2004-07-27, 3:58 pm

"Andrew Crowe" <andrewcrowe_uk@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:41066e8d$0$26230$afc38c87@news.easynet.co.uk...
> There are a few things you could try to improve the routine.
>
> One is to use $_GET or $_POST instead of using registered global
variables,
> as these are considered much more secure.
>
> For example, if your form tag is method="post" then you would do
>
> IF(array_key_exists("round{$count}heats",$_POST)){
> show other stuff instead etc
> }else{
> generate and print html for button "round1heats"
> }
>
>
>
> One thing to note is that if the submit buttons are type="image" then the
> form will post round1heats.x, round1heats.y or round1heats_x,
> round1heats_y to correspond to the x and y pos that the user clicked on
the
> image, so that'd need to be taken into consideration as well.
>
>
> Finally if these buttons need to stay the same if the database changes a
> lot, then you should load all the database info you need into a session
and
> then draw the buttons from that rather then from the database each time.
>
> --
> Regards,
> Andrew Crowe
>
>
Many thanks. My head doesn't hurt as much now ;)
I am using method="post".
I am not using images, tho that is something to remember. (Am using styles
to make hrefs and form buttons look identical.)
these buttons are generated when certain other conditions are met, and are
only on display when a competition is edited. ie not a full time presence as
part of any template. When there is the need to edit the heats in a round,
the button is redundant when the heats are displayed, as I have another that
will pass info back.

Tried the code, and works a treat.
Once again, many thanks.

PhilM

Luciano Tolomei

2004-07-27, 8:55 pm

you could do simply as you are doing putting in html : name=round1heats ...
and then makin in the php code something like:

for ($i=0;$i<$max_rows;$i++) {
if (isset($_POST["round".$i."heats"]) && $_POST["round".$i."heats"] !=
"") {
//do something
else //do something else
}

if you use register global ON this will work too:
....
$name = "round".$i."heats";
if (isset($$name) && $$name != "") {
....

or you can use array in the form...
or a lot of other things.
but i suggest to you to spend some more time in it and build a good
object to work with your forms or look at something like this:
http://pear.php.net/package/HTML_QuickForm

bye
Luciano

PhilM wrote:

> perhaps I am just a little tired, but I am having trouble with my form
> buttons.
>
> Firstly I name them like this
> name=\"round".$counter."heats\"
> which results in variables
> $round1heats
> $round2heats
> $round3heats
> etc...
> now, when I select button named ... "round1heats" ... I want to use the
> variable $round1heats to remove the button "round1heats", and display heats
> set for the round. To do that I assumed that I would have to:-
> IF(isset($round1heats)){
> show other stuff instead etc
> }else{
> generate and print html for button "round1heats"
> }
>
> My problem is, since all this is dynamic, since the number of heats is
> variable, and is dependant on DB entries, how do I generate the $round1heats
> used in the isset() so that it is recognised as a variable by the isset().
> I have tried, to concat the bits as I have done in the naming of the button,
> but, unsurprisingly, it spits out errors ;)
> [note, $counter is still available, and is limited to the number of rounds
> registered in DB.]
> OR, have I been barking up the wrong tree altogether?
>
> I hope that made a bit of sense .
>
> PhilM
>
>

PhilM

2004-07-28, 3:56 pm

"Luciano Tolomei" <tolomei@newmediatrio.it> wrote in message
news:8hzNc.100871$G%.77635@tornado.fastwebnet.it...
> you could do simply as you are doing putting in html : name=round1heats
....
> and then makin in the php code something like:
>
> for ($i=0;$i<$max_rows;$i++) {
> if (isset($_POST["round".$i."heats"]) && $_POST["round".$i."heats"] !=
> "") {
> //do something
> else //do something else
> }
>
> if you use register global ON this will work too:
> ...
> $name = "round".$i."heats";
> if (isset($$name) && $$name != "") {
> ...
>
>
> or you can use array in the form...
> or a lot of other things.
> but i suggest to you to spend some more time in it and build a good
> object to work with your forms or look at something like this:
> http://pear.php.net/package/HTML_QuickForm
>
>
> bye
> Luciano
>
>
thanks for this. I almost started to look at variable variables.
I suppose that is really where I was heading.
regards,
PhilM

[color=darkred]
> PhilM wrote:
>
heats[color=darkred]
$round1heats[color=darkred]
isset().[color=darkred]
button,[color=darkred]
rounds[color=darkred]

steve

2004-07-28, 8:56 pm

"PhilM" wrote:[color=darkred]
> "Luciano Tolomei" <tolomei@newmediatrio.it> wrote in message
> news:8hzNc.100871$G%.77635@tornado.fastwebnet.it...
> name=round1heats
> ....
> $_POST["round".$i."heats"] !=
> good
> thanks for this. I almost started to look at variable variables.
> I suppose that is really where I was heading.
> regards,
> PhilM
>
>
>
>
> with my form
> to use the
> and display
> heats
> to:-
> of heats is
> the
> $round1heats
> by the
> isset().
> naming of the
> button,
> number of
> rounds

Phil, register_globals is going away, and is a security threat. I
would not turn it on. Use $_POST.

Nel’s solution IMHO is the most elegant. No need to have many
variable names or variable variables. Take a 2nd look at Nel’s.

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steve

2004-07-28, 8:56 pm

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