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**Exbrief** · 01-25-2009, 04:13 PM

I have the following form. IT works fine, but it always has a default selection in the drop down menus. By default it is a blank, but if you submit it sends a blank to my database. I have a script set up that puts out an error if nothing is entered, but this blank is being sent. I need to make the drop downs send no data unless somethign is actually selected. How can I do this exactly?

Code:

<select name="country">
<option></option>      
<option>United States</option><br />
    <option>China</option><br />

    <option>Japan</option><br />
    <option>Germany</option><br />
    <option>India</option><br />
    <option>Brazil</option><br />
    <option>United Kingdom</option><br />
    <option>Korea</option><br />

    <option>France</option><br />
    <option>Italy</option><br />
    <option>Russia</option><br />
    <option>Mexico</option><br />
    <option>Canada</option><br />
    <option>Spain</option><br />

    <option>Indonesia</option><br />
    <option>Vietnam</option><br />
    <option>Turkey</option><br />
    <option>Australia</option><br />
    <option>Taiwan</option><br />
    <option>Philippines</option><br />

    <option>Afghanistan</option><br />
    <option>Albania</option><br />
    <option>Algeria</option><br />
    <option>American Samoa</option><br />
    <option>Andorra</option><br />
    <option>Anguilla</option><br />

    <option>Antarctica</option><br />
    <option>Antigua And Barbuda</option><br />
    <option>Argentina</option><br />
    <option>Armenia</option><br />
    <option>Aruba</option><br />
    <option>Australia</option><br />

    <option>Austria</option><br />
    <option>Azerbaijan</option><br />
    <option>Bahamas</option><br />
    <option>Bahrain</option><br />
    <option>Bangladesh</option><br />
    <option>Barbados</option><br />

    <option>Belarus</option><br />
    <option>Belgium</option><br />
    <option>Belize</option><br />
    <option>Benin</option><br />
    <option>Bermuda</option><br />
    <option>Bhutan</option><br />

    <option>Bolivia</option><br />
    <option>Bosnia and Herzegovina</option><br />
    <option>Botswana</option><br />
    <option>Bouvet Island</option><br />
    <option>Brazil</option><br />
    <option>British Indian Ocean Territory</option><br />

    <option>Brunei Darussalam</option><br />
    <option>Bulgaria</option><br />
    <option>Burkina Faso</option><br />
    <option>Burundi</option><br />
    <option>Cambodia</option><br />
    <option>Cameroon</option><br />

    <option>Canada</option><br />
    <option>Cape Verde</option><br />
    <option>Cayman Islands</option><br />
    <option>Central African Republic</option><br />
    <option>Chad</option><br />
    <option>Chile</option><br />

    <option>China</option><br />
    <option>Christmas Island</option><br />
    <option>Cocos (Keeling) Islands</option><br />
    <option>Colombia</option><br />
    <option>Comoros</option><br />
    <option>Congo</option><br />

    <option>Congo, the Democratic Republic of the</option><br />
    <option>Cook Islands</option><br />
    <option>Costa Rica</option><br />
    <option>Cote d’Ivoire</option><br />
    <option>Croatia</option><br />
    <option>Cyprus</option><br />

    <option>Czech Republic</option><br />
    <option>Denmark</option><br />
    <option>Djibouti</option><br />
    <option>Dominica</option><br />
    <option>Dominican Republic</option><br />
    <option>East Timor</option><br />

    <option>Ecuador</option><br />
    <option>Egypt</option><br />
    <option>El Salvador</option><br />
    <option>England</option><br />
    <option>Equatorial Guinea</option><br />
    <option>Eritrea</option><br />

    <option>Espana</option><br />
    <option>Estonia</option><br />
    <option>Ethiopia</option><br />
    <option>Falkland Islands</option><br />
    <option>Faroe Islands</option><br />
    <option>Fiji</option><br />

    <option>Finland</option><br />
    <option>France</option><br />
    <option>French Guiana</option><br />
    <option>French Polynesia</option><br />
    <option>French Southern Territories</option><br />
    <option>Gabon</option><br />

    <option>Gambia</option><br />
    <option>Georgia</option><br />
    <option>Germany</option><br />
    <option>Ghana</option><br />
    <option>Gibraltar</option><br />
    <option>Great Britain</option><br />

    <option>Greece</option><br />
    <option>Greenland</option><br />
    <option>Grenada</option><br />
    <option>Guadeloupe</option><br />
    <option>Guam</option><br />
    <option>Guatemala</option><br />

    <option>Guinea</option><br />
    <option>Guinea-Bissau</option><br />
    <option>Guyana</option><br />
    <option>Haiti</option><br />
    <option>Heard and Mc Donald Islands</option><br />
    <option>Honduras</option><br />

    <option>Hong Kong</option><br />
    <option>Hungary</option><br />
    <option>Iceland</option><br />
    <option>India</option><br />
    <option>Indonesia</option><br />
    <option>Ireland</option><br />

    <option>Israel</option><br />
    <option>Italy</option><br />
    <option>Jamaica</option><br />
    <option>Japan</option><br />
    <option>Jordan</option><br />
    <option>Kazakhstan</option><br />

    <option>Kenya</option><br />
    <option>Kiribati</option><br />
    <option>Korea, Republic of</option><br />
    <option>Korea (South)</option><br />
    <option>Kuwait</option><br />
    <option>Kyrgyzstan</option><br />

    <option>Lao People’s Democratic Republic</option><br />
    <option>Latvia</option><br />
    <option>Lebanon</option><br />
    <option>Lesotho</option><br />
    <option>Liberia</option><br />
    <option>Libya</option><br />

    <option>Liechtenstein</option><br />
    <option>Lithuania</option><br />
    <option>Luxembourg</option><br />
    <option>Macau</option><br />
    <option>Macedonia</option><br />
    <option>Madagascar</option><br />

    <option>Malawi</option><br />
    <option>Malaysia</option><br />
    <option>Maldives</option><br />
    <option>Mali</option><br />
    <option>Malta</option><br />
    <option>Marshall Islands</option><br />

    <option>Martinique</option><br />
    <option>Mauritania</option><br />
    <option>Mauritius</option><br />
    <option>Mayotte</option><br />
    <option>Mexico</option><br />
    <option>Micronesia, Federated States of</option><br />

    <option>Moldova, Republic of</option><br />
    <option>Monaco</option><br />
    <option>Mongolia</option><br />
    <option>Montserrat</option><br />
    <option>Morocco</option><br />
    <option>Mozambique</option><br />

    <option>Myanmar</option><br />
    <option>Namibia</option><br />
    <option>Nauru</option><br />
    <option>Nepal</option><br />
    <option>Netherlands</option><br />
    <option>Netherlands Antilles</option><br />

    <option>New Caledonia</option><br />
    <option>New Zealand</option><br />
    <option>Nicaragua</option><br />
    <option>Niger</option><br />
    <option>Nigeria</option><br />
    <option>Niue</option><br />

    <option>Norfolk Island</option><br />
    <option>Northern Ireland</option><br />
    <option>Northern Mariana Islands</option><br />
    <option>Norway</option><br />
    <option>Oman</option><br />
    <option>Pakistan</option><br />

    <option>Palau</option><br />
    <option>Panama</option><br />
    <option>Papua New Guinea</option><br />
    <option>Paraguay</option><br />
    <option>Peru</option><br />
    <option>Philippines</option><br />

    <option>Pitcairn</option><br />
    <option>Poland</option><br />
    <option>Portugal</option><br />
    <option>Puerto Rico</option><br />
    <option>Qatar</option><br />
    <option>Reunion</option><br />

    <option>Romania</option><br />
    <option>Russia</option><br />
    <option>Russian Federation</option><br />
    <option>Rwanda</option><br />
    <option>Saint Kitts and Nevis</option><br />
    <option>Saint Lucia</option><br />

    <option>Saint Vincent and the Grenadines</option><br />
    <option>Samoa (Independent)</option><br />
    <option>San Marino</option><br />
    <option>Sao Tome and Principe</option><br />
    <option>Saudi Arabia</option><br />
    <option>Scotland</option><br />

    <option>Senegal</option><br />
    <option>Serbia and Montenegro</option><br />
    <option>Seychelles</option></p>
<p>    <option>Sierra Leone</option><br />
    <option>Singapore</option><br />
    <option>Slovakia</option><br />

    <option>Slovenia</option><br />
    <option>Solomon Islands</option><br />
    <option>Somalia</option><br />
    <option>South Africa</option><br />
    <option>South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands</option><br />
    <option>South Korea</option><br />

    <option>Spain</option><br />
    <option>Sri Lanka</option><br />
    <option>St. Helena</option><br />
    <option>St. Pierre and Miquelon</option><br />
    <option>Suriname</option><br />
    <option>Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands</option><br />

    <option>Swaziland</option><br />
    <option>Sweden</option><br />
    <option>Switzerland</option><br />
    <option>Taiwan</option><br />
    <option>Tajikistan</option><br />
    <option>Tanzania</option><br />

    <option>Thailand</option><br />
    <option>Togo</option><br />
    <option>Tokelau</option><br />
    <option>Tonga</option><br />
    <option>Trinidad</option><br />
    <option>Trinidad and Tobago</option><br />

    <option>Tunisia</option><br />
    <option>Turkey</option><br />
    <option>Turkmenistan</option><br />
    <option>Turks and Caicos Islands</option><br />
    <option>Tuvalu</option><br />
    <option>Uganda</option><br />

    <option>Ukraine</option><br />
    <option>United Arab Emirates</option><br />
    <option>United Kingdom</option><br />
    <option>United States</option><br />
    <option>United States Minor Outlying Islands</option><br />
    <option>Uruguay</option><br />

    <option>Uzbekistan</option><br />
    <option>Vanuatu</option><br />
    <option>Vatican City State (Holy See)</option><br />
    <option>Venezuela</option><br />
    <option>Viet Nam</option><br />
    <option>Virgin Islands (British)</option><br />

    <option>Virgin Islands (U.S.)</option><br />
    <option>Wales</option><br />
    <option>Wallis and Futuna Islands</option><br />
    <option>Western Sahara</option><br />
    <option>Yemen</option><br />
    <option>Zambia</option><br />

    <option>Zimbabwe</option><br />
</select>

**Decaf** · 04:35 PM

Well if you assign each option with a value you will be able to check/reject if a value is submitted.

HTML Code:

<option value="hello">Hello</option>
<option value="bye">Bye</option>

*EDIT*
1) Take out the Blank option tag at the start.

2) You can set the default selected option by using the:

HTML Code:

<option value="hello" selected="selected">Hello</option>

3) I would suggest using the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 Country Codes for the value="" attributes.

4) You don't need the <br /> after each option.

5) If you alphabetize the countries it will help out the users
5.1) Or place the most common countries first but also include them below in the "full" list.

**Exbrief** · 01-25-2009, 04:36 PM

ok, how do I have NO SELECTION to start with?

**chrishirst** · 01-25-2009, 06:52 PM

put in a option of "No Selection" or "-- Select Country --" first in the options list with a value of ""

**stevej** · 01-25-2009, 07:08 PM

I don't think that there is a way to have nothing already selected. So If I were you, I would keep in the blank tag, or as Chris suggested, have something like "No Selection". Then to keep people to keep from sending blank info to the database (or whatever), you could add in some code similar to:

Code:

<?php
$country = $_POST['country'];
if($_POST['submit']){
    if($country == 'none') {
    echo "Please select a country.";
    } else {
    echo "Thank ye kindly for selecting a country...";
    }
}
?>

<form method="post">
<select name="country">
<option value="none"></option>   
<option value="1">option 1</option>
<option value="2">option 2</option>
</select>
<input type="submit" value="submit" name="submit" />
</form>

- Steve

**Exbrief** · 01-25-2009, 07:10 PM

ok, I tried that, but for some reason the form is just submitting blanks to the database. The php script stops this and returns an error message whenever there is no data to send, but for some reason the html form is telling the php script there is in fact data, when in fact there is not. Anyone have any ideas? I have to have this work correctly so I dont get 1000+ blank recods, lol.

**stevej** · 01-25-2009, 07:13 PM

Wow, that was a speedy reply. Keep in mind: that the <option value="none></option> is very important for it to work. Without the value, the code doesn't get that value it's looking for and thinks that everything's fine.

- Steve

**Decaf** · 01-25-2009, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevej

Wow, that was a speedy reply. Keep in mind: that the <option value="none></option> is very important for it to work. Without the value, the code doesn't get that value it's looking for and thinks that everything's fine.

- Steve

Yep...

**Exbrief** · 01-25-2009, 08:11 PM

it still thinks its getting some data, it is still creating database entries even with no data entered into the form.

I even just did a copy/paste of your exact code above, it still does not care.

**chrishirst** · 01-25-2009, 08:15 PM

need the PHP code you are using AND a link to the page.

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