HTML Forum

**kyle_davis13** · 11-14-2005, 10:14 PM

I have created a form that will have 30 checkboxes. The user can select between 1 and 30 of these checkboxes. Once they have done this, I want to submit the values of the selected checkboxes to another page that analyzes the boxes that were checked. I understand that I could set up 30 URL variables but I dont think that this is best practice. What is the best way for me to do this? Write the variables to a file or XML? I am not very adept at either but if someone could point me in the right direction, that would be great. Thanks!!!

**funkdaddu** · 11-15-2005, 10:01 AM

When you create the form and it is submitted, all the data will be passed to the next page. You just need to use a scripting language to interpret the data.

**kyle_davis13** · 11-15-2005, 10:08 AM

yes, but what scripting language can I use to pass variables without having to use URL variables?

**funkdaddu** · 10:24 AM

You don't need any language to pass the variables. The normal POST function of a form does that for you. You would need a language either PHP, ASP, or another server side language. Simple example - If you submit a form with an input called "asd" using post:

Code:

<form action="nextpage.asp" method="post">
     <input type="text" name="asd"><input type="submit">
</form>

you can call write the data to the page like this:

ASP:
<% Response.Write Request.Form("asd") %>

PHP:
<?php echo $_POST["asd"]?>

Keep in mind this data is for one-time use. To store the data you'd use a database of some sort.

Form Basics:
http://webmonkey.wired.com/webmonkey...l?tw=authoring
http://webmonkey.wired.com/webmonkey...tw=programming
http://webmonkey.wired.com/webmonkey...tw=programming

**kyle_davis13** · 11-15-2005, 10:16 AM

ok. The problem is that I dont know how many variables are going to be passed. the results of the form selections will be going into my SQL statement on the action page. so how do I set up that SQL statement when I am unsure of how many variables are going to be passed?

**funkdaddu** · 11-15-2005, 10:30 AM

It doesn't matter, really. You can use a loop function to create an SQL string for any/all form data that is passed. Would you be using ASP or PHP for this? If you give an example of you code I can help out.

**kyle_davis13** · 11-15-2005, 11:35 AM

I would be using ASP. Basically, the form consists of a list of pictures. If the user likes the pictures they click the checkbox next to it. Once they have gone through all of the pictures and click submit, I want to show them a list of similar pictures that they may like. So the SQL would be something like

select *
froM similarPictures
Where similar_picture_id = 'some random number of variables

**funkdaddu** · 11-15-2005, 02:56 PM

Form page:

Code:

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">

<html>

	<head>
		<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1">
		<title>Untitled Page</title>
	</head>

	<body bgcolor="#ffffff">
		<form id="FormName" action="form.asp" method="post" name="FormName">
			<p><input type="checkbox" name="Picture" value="1"><img src="(EmptyReference!)" alt="" height="32" width="32" border="0"></p>
			<p><input type="checkbox" name="Picture" value="2"><img src="(EmptyReference!)" alt="" height="32" width="32" border="0"></p>
			<p><input type="checkbox" name="Picture" value="3"><img src="(EmptyReference!)" alt="" height="32" width="32" border="0"></p>
			<p><input type="submit" name="submitButtonName"></p>
		</form>
	</body>

</html>

asp code in "form.asp":

Code:

<%
pix = Request.Form("Picture") 'gets all the pictures checked like this: CheckBoxValue1, CheckBoxValue2, CheckBoxValue3 etc...
pix = pix 'format this how you're going to get them from your DB - I don't know how you're doing it
sql = "SELECT * FROM similarPictures WHERE similar_picture_id = " & pix
Response.Write sql 'writing out the sql to show
%>

**kyle_davis13** · 11-15-2005, 03:17 PM

wow! thanks a lot. I really expreciate your help!!!

**chrishirst** · 11-15-2005, 03:41 PM

as checkboxes only return their value when checked, the simple way is to name all checkboxes the same and the values will then be returned as a single comma seperated value string.
This can then be split into array using

Code:

dim img_name_array
img_id_array = split(request.form("chkbox_name"),",")

You can then build your SQL string with

Code:

SQLColumn = " similar_picture_id = "
strSQL = "select fieldlist from similarPictures where "
dim i
for i = 0 to ubound(img_id_array)
if i <> ubound(img_id_array) then
     strSQL = strSQL & SQLColumn & cint(img_id_array(i)) & " OR "
else 
     strSQL = strSQL & SQLColumn & cint(img_id_array(i)) 
end if
next

**chrishirst** · 11-15-2005, 03:52 PM

See that's what happens when the phone rings while writing a reply

and funkdaddu's answer would have a problem if more than one box was checked because of the commas.
If that were the case you would need to use

Code:

 
similar_picture_id IN " & pix

and some SQL servers would throw an error if similar_picture_id is a numeric value because POST values are returned as a string.

BTW can someone move this to ASP ?

**funkdaddu** · 11-15-2005, 04:07 PM

Yeah, I'm not an SQL whiz, so that fills in my blanks. I didn't know if he was going to just choose them by id or name or what.

**kyle_davis13** · 06:02 PM

I keep gettting the error that the element bandname is not defined in bandform.

Here is my code:

Code:

<table border="1">
    <tr>

        <form id="bandform" action="testaction.cfm" method="post" name="bandform">
<cfloop from="1" to="#showNum#" index="i">
    <tr>
            <td>
            <cfoutput>
                <p><input type="checkbox" name="bandname" value="#getItems.bands_id[ListGetAt(randomItems, i)]#" id="picture">#getItems.bands_name[ListGetAt(randomItems, i)]#</p>
            </cfoutput>
            </td>
    </tr>
 </cfloop>

             <p><input type="submit" name="submitButtonName"></p>

        </form>

    </tr>
    </table>

</cfif>

The above code gets me a random list of ten band id's (picture id's). Then when I try and review the results on the testaction.cfm I get the error that BANDNAME is not an element of BANDFORM. I dont understand what I am doing wrong. Here is my code on the action page:

Code:

<cfoutput>
    #bandform.bandname#
</cfoutput>

i JUST WANT TO SEE the results of the variables. What the ID was of the pictures that the user selected on the screen. Why am I getting it wrong?

**funkdaddu** · 11-15-2005, 09:36 PM

Hmmmm... I thought you were using ASP... I can't help with cold fusion, sorry.

**chrishirst** · 11-16-2005, 05:58 AM

Same here

You could try the Tek-Tips Coldfusion forum.

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