asked on

Delete database entries using checkboxes

I am tring to make a gernic php script that I can use to delete entries in my sql db.

This is what have so far.

This first bit of code calls the inc file. This html passes the name of the database that I want to delete from.
The second bit of code builds the table from the db and adds check boxes and then passes that on to another page that would delete each record (havn't built that part yet, but that is easy once I get this problem fixed).

Here is my problem:
I want to detete the each record that is checked. I want to delete it by the key ID (first column when built). I don't know how to pass that info into an array and then pass that array to the next page.

I will also need to know how many were passed to the array to know how many times to loop through the delete part. I was thinking about using javascript to count the number of boxes checked and pass the number as a hidden field.

Any help would be great! I am tring to keep this a gernic as possible so that I can use this through out my site.

**************html**************************
<?php
include('./../remove_db.inc');
?>

<HTML>
<head>
<title>Delete a Card</title>
</head>
<body>
<CENTER>
<H2>Delete a Card</H2>
</CENTER>
<?php
display_db_query("Card_Numbers");
?>

**************remove_db.inc**************************
<?php
//This script will get the information out of the card type table and display it in a select menu
include('./database.inc');
//connect to the database
mysql_connect($HOSTNAME, $USER, $PASSWORD) or die("Unable to connect to the database");

//select the db
mysql_select_db("$DATABASE");

//----------------------------Display table----------------------
function display_db_query($tablename){

$query_string = "SELECT * FROM $tablename";

//perform db query
$results = mysql_query($query_string) or die("display_db_query:" . mysql_error());

//find the number of columns
$column_count = mysql_num_fields($results) or die("display_db_query:" . mysql_error());

//start of form
print("<FORM METHOD=POST ACTION=\"delete.php\">\n<BR>\n");

//Start of table
print("<TABLE BORDER=1>\n");
      print("\t<TR>\n");

            for ($column_num = 0; $column_num < $column_count; $column_num++){
            $field_name = mysql_field_name($results, $column_num);
            print("\t\t<TH>$field_name</TH>\n");
            }
      print("\t\t<TH>Delete</TH>\n");
      print("\t</TR>\n");

//print body of table
$counter = 0;
while($row = mysql_fetch_row($results)){
      print("\t<TR ALIGN=LEFT VALIGN=TOP>\n");
                  for ($i = 0; $i < $column_count; $i++){
                  print("\t\t<TD>$row[$i]</TD>\n");
                  }
      //set name to ID of each record
      $ItemToDelete = $row[0];

      print("\t\t<TD><INPUT TYPE=CHECKBOX NAME=\"$ItemToDelete\" VALUE=\"$ItemToDelete\"></TD>\n");
      print("\t</TR>\n");
      $counter++;
      }

print("</TABLE>\n");
print("<INPUT TYPE=\"submit\" NAME=\"submit\" VALUE=\"SUBMIT\">\n<BR>\n");
print("</FORM>\n");
}
?>

SOLUTION

hernst42

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jomama247

ASKER

I can't use the brackets [] in html. How do you get around this?

Boris Aranovich

Sure you can.

<input type="checkbox" name="deleteItem[]" value="id1" id="someUniqueID1" /><label for="someUniqueID1">some label</label><br />
<input type="checkbox" name="deleteItem[]" value="id2" id="someUniqueID2" /><label for="someUniqueID2">some label</label><br />
<input type="checkbox" name="deleteItem[]" value="id3" id="someUniqueID3" /><label for="someUniqueID3">some label</label><br />
<input type="checkbox" name="deleteItem[]" value="id4" id="someUniqueID4" /><label for="someUniqueID4">some label</label><br />
<input type="checkbox" name="deleteItem[]" value="id5" id="someUniqueID5" /><label for="someUniqueID5">some label</label><br />

now in the PHP after you'll submit the form, you'll get $_POST['deleteItem'] as an array with the selected IDs...
for example, if you check none, you'll get !isset($_POST['deleteItem']).
if you'll check the 2nd and 4th, you'll get:
$_POST['deleteItem'] = array(
'id2',
'id4'
)

etc.

jomama247

ASKER

Sorry about the array thing in html. I got that to work. I however, cannot get the info out of the array after a I pass it to the next page.

This is the code I have:
$ItemsToDelete = $_POST['deleteItems'];
            $Size = 1 + count($ItemsToDelete);
            $nameOfFields = $_POST['nameOfFields'];
            print("Name of the field to delete from: $nameOfFields <BR>");
            print("Number of items to delete: $Size <BR>");
            for ( $i = 0; $i <= $Size; $i++){
                  print("ID to Delete: $ItemsToDelete[$i] <BR>");
            }

When I view it this is what I get:
Name of the field to delete from: Card_Numbers_ID
Number of items to delete: 1
ID to Delete:
ID to Delete:

Any ideas?

roki

There is a typo your code:

$ItemsToDelete = $_POST['deleteItems'];

should be $ItemsToDelete = $_POST['deleteItem']; (note - there is no 's' after Item)

This is on the basis of using Nomaed's code example above.

So, you could write:

$ItemsToDelete = $_POST['deleteItem'];
$Size = count($ItemsToDelete);
$nameOfFields = $_POST['nameOfFields'];
print("Name of the field to delete from: $nameOfFields <BR>");
print("Number of items to delete: $Size <BR>");
for ( $i = 0; $i < $Size; $i++){
print("ID to Delete: $ItemsToDelete[$i] <BR>");
}

Hopefully this should work.

Roki

jomama247

ASKER

Thanks for your help Roki, but I have an 's' on deleteItems.

Here is the newest copy of the code:

<?php
include('./database.inc');
//connect to the database
mysql_connect($HOSTNAME, $USER, $PASSWORD) or die("Unable to connect to the database");

//select the db
mysql_select_db("$DATABASE");

function display_db_query($tablename){

$query_string = "SELECT * FROM $tablename";

//perform db query
$results = mysql_query($query_string) or die("display_db_query:" . mysql_error());

//find the number of columns
$column_count = mysql_num_fields($results) or die("display_db_query:" . mysql_error());

//start of form
print("<FORM METHOD=POST ACTION=\"../delete.php\">\n<BR>\n");

//Start of table
print("<TABLE BORDER=1>\n");
      print("\t<TR>\n");
            for ($column_num = 0; $column_num < $column_count; $column_num++){
            $field_name = mysql_field_name($results, $column_num);
            $nameOfFields[] = $field_name;
            print("\t\t<TH>$field_name</TH>\n");
            }
      print("\t\t<TH>Delete</TH>\n");
      print("\t</TR>\n");

//print body of table
$counter = 0;
while($row = mysql_fetch_row($results)){
      print("\t<TR ALIGN=LEFT VALIGN=TOP>\n");
                  for ($i = 0; $i < $column_count; $i++){
                  print("\t\t<TD>$row[$i]</TD>\n");
                  }
      //set name to ID of each record
      $ItemToDelete = $row[0];
      $deleteItems[] = $ItemToDelete;

      print("\t\t<TD><INPUT TYPE=CHECKBOX NAME=\"$deleteItems[$counter]\" VALUE=\"$deleteItems[$counter]\"></TD>\n");
      print("\t</TR>\n");
      $counter++;
      }
print("</TABLE>\n");
print("<INPUT TYPE=\"HIDDEN\" NAME=\"tablename\" VALUE=\"$tablename\">");
print("<INPUT TYPE=\"HIDDEN\" NAME=\"nameOfFields\" VALUE=\"$nameOfFields[0]\">");
print("<INPUT TYPE=\"submit\" NAME=\"submit\" VALUE=\"SUBMIT\">\n<BR>\n");
print("</FORM>\n");
}
?>

Boris Aranovich

no no:

change:
print("\t\t<TD><INPUT TYPE=CHECKBOX NAME=\"$deleteItems[$counter]\" VALUE=\"$deleteItems[$counter]\"></TD>\n");

to:
print("\t\t<TD><INPUT TYPE=CHECKBOX NAME=\"deleteItems[]\" VALUE=\"$deleteItems[$counter]\"></TD>\n");

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Boris Aranovich

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jomama247

ASKER

Thanks for all your help Nomaed. It works like a champ!

Joe