Help needed with a form!

Hi,

I have created the following simple form:

<?php
echo "<form method = 'post' action = 'search_results.php'>"; 
echo "<table>";
	echo "<tr>";
		echo "<td>";
			echo "Property Type";
		echo "</td>";
		echo "<td>";
			echo "<select name = 'type'>";
				echo "<option value = 'n'>No Preference</option>";
	
				$sql = "SELECT DISTINCT `PR_Type` FROM `Properties`";
				
				$db = mysql_connect("localhost", "*****", "*****");
	
				mysql_select_db('dolphinr_Dolphin',$db);
				mysql_error();
				$rst = mysql_query($sql, $db);

				while($row = mysql_fetch_array($rst))
				{	
					echo "<option value = '" . $row['PR_Type'] . "'>" . $row['PR_Type'] . ""; 
				}
			echo "</select>";
		echo "</td>";
	echo "</tr>";
	echo "<tr>";
		echo "<td>";
			echo "Bedrooms";
		echo "</td>";
		echo "<td>";
			echo "<select name = 'bedrooms'>";
				echo "<option value = 'n'>No Preference</option>";
				echo "<option value = '1'>1</option>";
				echo "<option value = '2'>2</option>";
				echo "<option value = '3'>3</option>";
				echo "<option value = '4'>4</option>";
				echo "<option value = '5'>5</option>";
			echo "</select>";
		echo "</td>";
	echo "</tr>";
	echo "<tr>";
		echo "<td>";
			echo "Furnished";
		echo "</td>";
		echo "<td>";
			echo "<select name = 'furnished'>";
				echo "<option value = 'n'>No Preference</option>";
				echo "<option value = 'yes'>Yes</option>";
				echo "<option value = 'no'>No</option>";
				echo "<option value = 'partial'>Partial</option>";
			echo "</select>";
		echo "</td>";
	echo "</tr>";
	echo "<tr>";
		echo "<td>";
			echo "Rent Type";
		echo "</td>";
		echo "<td>";
			echo "<select name = 'rent'>";
				echo "<option value = 'n'>Student</option>";
				echo "<option value = 'r'>Residential</option>";
			echo "</select>";
		echo "</td>";
	echo "</tr>";
	echo "<tr>";
		echo "<td>";
			echo "Price Range";
		echo "</td>";
		echo "<td>";
			echo "<select name = 'price'>";
				echo "<option value = 'n'>No Preference</option>";
				echo "<option value = '30'>up to £30 pw</option>";
				echo "<option value = '40'>up to £40 pw</option>";
				echo "<option value = '50'>up to £50 pw</option>";
				echo "<option value = '60'>up to £60 pw</option>";
				echo "<option value = '70'>up to £70 pw</option>";
				echo "<option value = '80'>up to £80 pw</option>";
				echo "<option value = '90'>up to £90 pw</option>";
				echo "<option value = '100'>up to £100 pw</option>";
			echo "</select>";
		echo "</td>";
	echo "</tr>";
	echo "<tr>";
		echo "<td>";
			echo "<input type = 'submit' value = 'Click to Search'>";
		echo "</td>";
	echo "</tr>";
echo "</form>";
?>

PHP:

This script works fine and all the selections made through the drop down menus are posted to the search_results script.

The problem I'm having is with the query within the search_results script. If the user selects "No Preference" in any of the drop down menus how do I represent this in the select query to find the matching data? The reason I'm having difficulty is because no data within the database has the value of "No Preference. If the user selects "No Preference" I want the query to select any value for that field as I cannot simply leave the said field out of the query.

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

Regards.

 

Short answer, you don't represent it in the select query. You leave it off.

If you post the search_results.php code I can help you specifically, but generally this is how it should work.

First, validate all the incoming data. Don't ever trust it to be what you expect it to be.

After that you should build your select query, specifically the 'WHERE' portion of it. For every input on the form you will create another part of your 'WHERE' clause. If the value of that data designates 'No Preference' you don't include that portion of the 'WHERE' clause. For example:

if (($_POST['bedrooms']>=1) && ($_POST['bedrooms']<=5)) $sql.=" AND (bedrooms=".$_POST['bedrooms'].")";

PHP:

 

How would that work exactly?

The query I am trying to build in the search_results script looks like this:

$sql = "SELECT * FROM `Properties`
WHERE `PR_Type` = '" . $type . "'"
if(bedrooms != 'n') $sql.= "AND `PR_Bedrooms` = '" . $bedrooms . "'";

I get the following syntax error though:

Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_IF in /***/****/****/search_results.php on line 10

 

$sql = "SELECT * FROM `Properties`
WHERE `PR_Type` = '" . $type . "'"
if($bedrooms != 'n') $sql.= "AND `PR_Bedrooms` = '" . $bedrooms . "'";

you had bedrooms instead of $bedrooms ?

 

Still getting the syntax error even with that SELECT statement.

 

not sure but could be because because you havent used any curly brackes so the conditional statment aint gona work.


$sql = "SELECT * FROM `Properties`
WHERE `PR_Type` = '" . $type . "'" ";
if($bedrooms != 'n') {
$sql.= "AND `PR_Bedrooms` = '" . $bedrooms . "'"
};

try adding .mysql_error() in the statment so you can see what the problem is !

 

$sql = 'SELECT * FROM Properties WHERE PR_Type = "' . $type . '"';
$sql.=Append($bedrooms,'Bedrooms');

function Append($Var,$Name)
{
if($Var!='n')
return ' AND `PR_'.$Name.'` = "' . $Var . '"';
}

That should REALLY make it easier to append new variables...

Hit me up on IM or messenger(in my profile) if you need more help.