PHP Learning curve

Friends, I am a beginner and I need:A sample code with a textbox and submit button - I figured out how to get thiis.After clicking on submit, it should ech text entered in the above text box on the same page - Please help me in doing this.

 

Could you explain more?

 

In fact I have never used PHP and working hard on a project. Let me explain the entire thing what I am looking at.

Here is a function:
<?php
$total =0;
mysql_connect ("localhost", "wysiwyg", "password") or die ('Error: '

.mysql_error());
mysql_select_db ("network");

function getTotalLeg($memid,$leg){
$sql="select member_id from members where parent_id='".$memid."' and

leg_position='".$leg."'";
$res=mysql_query($sql) or exit( mysql_error() );
global $total;
$total=$total+mysql_num_rows($res);
$row=mysql_fetch_array($res);
if($row['member_id']!=''){
getTotalLeg ($row['member_id'],'l');
getTotalLeg ($row['member_id'],'r');
}
return $total;
}
Here is the function call
<?php
echo "left = ";
echo getTotalLeg("mlm10006","l");
echo "<br/>";
$total =0;
echo "right = ";
echo getTotalLeg("mlm10006","r");
?>

The current echo statments prints value of r and l. Instead of echoing what I need, I need to have a textbox which will have mlm1006 as the userinput on clicking on submit button, it should return a value Left = xx and Right = xx