Hello.

I am trying to create a set-up where I enter, in a search box, some search parameters. After pressing submit I am taken to a page where the results are displayed. On this results page there are 2 Div Layers, where one layer displays the results in 'Master' form and the other layer displays the selected results in 'Details' form.

My problem is that after I have selected a result from the list of results produced from the search, that list then refreshes and the values entered as search parameters are lost - and the refreshed list lists the results using the default values specified if no values are entered in the search.

So for example - A search box with language and city drop down menu:

(The initial search box lists all 'English' Teachers in 'Saitama' as the default value if no other values are specified)

A search is carried out for all Spanish Teachers in Osaka - this displays a list of Spanish teachers in Osaka

After a record is selected and details shown, the list then refreshes and now displays all English teachers in Saitama - arrghh!.

Any help would be really appreciated. I can't script nor programme and do all of this through Dreamweaver so please assume I don't know much.

If that made none or little sense, a test version of the application is at

http://www.orangutanenglish.com/complexsearchpage1.htm

Many thanks for any suggestions or advice (I've been trying to work this out for a while now )

Best Regards

Hi,

I think you should put your search parameters in your selection link, so you retrieve them after each selection.

Thanks for the response Marvin.

Sorry if I seem pretty dull here, but would the selection link be:

<td><a href="results2.php?recordID=<?php echo $row_a['autonumber']; ?>"><?php echo $row_a['firstname']; ?></a></td>

and the serach parameters $language and $prefecture?

I think what I am trying to do is a lot clearer here (sorry)

http://www.orangutanenglish.com/complexsearchpage2.htm

No, i meant that you should include your "language" and "place" parameters in your link.
When you use the first form, you transmit language and place, so they can be treated, but they do not exist anymore after. That's why it doesn't work once you select someone : you give the person id, but not the language neither the place.

When you use the search form for the first time, the parameters are POSTed to the records page. As soon as the user hits a link or refreshes, those params are lost.

So you have to include those POSTed params in any links the user may hit as well.

A link in the master list reiterates these params AND the record ID params as GET values. You'll also have to accomodate some flexibility into your mysql query values so that they can receive language and prefecture values as either GET or POST values on the master/detail page.

e.g.

At the top of your master/detail page, on Lisa1.php ?, code in your flexibility for the values as either GETs or POSTs:

PHP Code:

// user has submitted the search form

if(isset($_POST['Submit'])){
$language = $_POST['language'];
$prefecture = $_POST['prefecture'];
}

// user has selected a master link

if(isset($_GET['recordID'])){
$language = $_GET['language'];
$prefecture = $_GET['prefecture'];
} 


So a master link will look like something along these lines:

PHP Code:


<a href="Lisa1.php?language=<?php echo $language; ?>&prefecture=<?php echo $prefecture; ?>&recordID=<?php echo $row_a['autonumber']; ?>"><?php echo $row_a['firstname']; ?></a>

Got it! Thanks very much for that Metho and Marvin Le Rouge.

Metho - I really appreciate the time you've taken to help me with this one. Have a superb day and thank you thank you thank you!