Retain drop-down list values in PHP without using array - php

Question

I have a drop-down list containing all the countries in the world. The first few countries are:
Country: <select name="Country">
<option value="Afghanistan">Afghanistan</option>
<option value="Aland Islands">Aland Islands</option>
<option value="Albania">Albania</option>
<option value="Algeria">Algeria</option>
<option value="American Samoa">American Samoa</option>
<option value="Andorra">Andorra</option>
<option value="Angola">Angola</option>
<option value="Anguilla">Anguilla</option>
</select>
Forming an array would require over 200 elements. Is there a way to retain the drop-down value in PHP after a form post without using an array? Thank you.

Answer 1

You really are best using an array, it won't take any real noticable time to iterate through 200 items
Something like this should keep the selected item after post
<select name="country" method="POST">
<?php
for($i=0;$i<count($countries);$i++)
{
$selected="";
if($countries[$i]==$_POST['country'])
{
$selected="selected";
}
?><option <?php echo $selected;?> value="<?php echo $countries[$i];?>"><?php echo $countries[$i];?></option><?php
}
?>
</select>