Retaining values in text box

ZOR · Jul 6, 2006

What is the prefered way to keep a value inside a text box once it has been entered. In other words you can fill a box on a form, goto another page and later return to it.

Form index.htm
<?
session_start
?>

<html><body>
<form action="process.php" method="post">
<input name="quantity" type="text" />

<input type="submit" />
</form>
</body></html>

Form Process.php
<?
session_start
?>

<html><body>
<?php
$quantity = $_POST['quantity'];
echo "Entered ". $quantity . ".<br />";
?>

</body>
<a href="index.htm">back</a><p>
</html>Form index.htm
<?
session_start
?>

<html><body>
<form action="process.php" method="post">
<input name="quantity" type="text" />

<input type="submit" />
</form>
</body></html>

Form Process.php
<?
session_start
?>

<html><body>
<?php
$quantity = $_POST['quantity'];
echo "Entered ". $quantity . ".<br />";
?>

</body>
<a href="index.htm">back</a><p>
</html>

Many thanks

sleipnir214 · Jul 6, 2006

Typically, I would store the submitted values in a session-variable and reinstantiate the value using a 'value="..."' attribute when the form is re-fetched.

Something like:

Code:

<?php
session_start();

if (isset($_POST['formfield']))
{
	if (!isset($_SESSION['field_values']))
	{
		$_SESSION['field_values'] = array();
	}
	
	$_SESSION['field_values']['formfield'] = $_POST['formfield'];
	
	header('Location:  some_other_page.php');
}
else
{
	print '<html><body>
	<form method="POST" action="' . $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'] . '">
		<input type="text" name="formfield"';
		
	if (isset($_SESSION['field_values']))
	{
		if (isset ($_SESSION['field_values']['formfield']))
		{
			print ' value="' . $_SESSION['field_values']['formfield']	 . '"';
		}
	}
	
	print '><input type="submit">
	</form></body></html>';
}
?>

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ZOR · Jul 6, 2006

Many thanks. I pasted the code into a new index.php page, put in a location address that had <a href="index.htm">back</a><p> to allow going back to the index page, however the textbox was empty. In my redirect back page I had the session_start lines in. Am I understanding your information correctly. Thanks again.

sleipnir214 · Jul 7, 2006

When you got the empty field, did you refresh? Some browsers will cache the form.

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ZOR · Jul 7, 2006

Thanks, I tried both refreshing and not refreshing the browaer, the textbox still returns empty. Maybe I should put the value entered the first time into a temporary database file and then when the page is recalled its all reloaded into another page for view/editing. Seems a long way round but I have several pages of products with text boxes to handle. Regards

sleipnir214 · Jul 8, 2006

Have you started a new thread on this problem?

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Retaining values in text box

ZOR

Technical User

sleipnir214

Programmer

ZOR

Technical User

sleipnir214

Programmer

ZOR

Technical User

sleipnir214

Programmer

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