PHP drop down selection - php

Question

I've set up a php form that registers a project to our database, it has a drop down that populates from our customer/supplier databases.
I've also set up a function to edit these projects, the problem I have is that when I go to my edit page it just displays the customer/supplier name and not in the drop down but a value box - is there a way to have the edit page display the dropdown but also be selected on the original supplier/customer?
Register project page
<?php
$result = mysql_query('SELECT name FROM customers ORDER BY name ASC');
echo '<select name='client'>';
while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result))
{ `
echo '<option value = ''.$row[name].''>'.$row[name].'</option>';
}`
echo '</select>';
?>
Edit page
<input type='text' name='client' value='<?php echo $client; ?>'/>
I tried a few tutorials and code tweaks but kept getting errors. I am aware of my sql injection problem, at the moment this site is internal.
Any help would be appreciated.
thanks

Answer 1

instead of $row[name] you should use $row['name']
$client= "<select name='client'>"; // you had error here also.
while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result))
{
$client.= "<option value = '".$row['name']."'>'".$row['name'].'</option>';
}
$client.= '</select>';
now echo $client to get dropdown.no need of constructing separate select tag now.
for selected use like this:
$client1= "<select name='client'>";
while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result))
{
if($row['name'] == $clientValue){
$client.= "<option selected='selected' value = '".$row['name']."'>'".$row['name'].'</option>';
}else{
$client1.= "<option value = '".$row['name']."'>'".$row['name'].'</option>';
}
}
$client1.= '</select>';
on echo of $client1 you will get selected based on the value $clientValue which you have to pass.

Answer 2

On your edit page:
<?php
$result = mysql_query('SELECT name FROM customers ORDER BY name ASC');
echo "<select name=\"customer\">";
while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result))
{
if ($row['name'] == $client)
{
echo "<option selected value=\"" . $row['name'] . "\">" . $row['name'] . "</option>";
}
else
{
echo "<option value=\"" . $row['name'] . "\">" . $row['name'] . "</option>";
}
}
echo "</select>";
?>

Answer 3

I also suggest that you change the old extension for mysql. I can't see no SQL Injection problem for now, but you should take care of it even if it is internal, because, from different reasons you will forget to sanitize it later. If you are writing it, then write it correctly.
Now for the problem, you are not using the quotes correctly, hence the errors. Do not use the same type of quotes, but change them, like so:
echo '<select name="client">';
Or if you use double quotes for concatenation, use single inside.
In case you have to use the same, escape them with \

Answer 4

For starters, you have a syntax error here:
echo '<select name='client'>';
(There are probably more quoting errors throughout the code, but I digress...)
As for using a drop-down, what you're looking for is the selected attribute. When you're building the page elements to display the form on the "edit" page, presumably you have the values that you're looking to display. When your loop finds an element which matches the value, select it:
while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result))
{
if ($knownValue == $row[name]) {
echo '<option selected value = ''.$row["name"].''>'.$row["name"].'</option>';
} else {
echo '<option value = ''.$row["name"].''>'.$row["name"].'</option>';
}
}