retain form values upon page reload

added two lines....

line 13 which grabs the previous selection which you've called 'school' from the $_Request variable (always present)

and

line 23 which compares the current value with the schoolid previously choosen to see if it should show as selected now.... and inserts the string "selected" into the option so it looks like:

<OPTION selected VALUE=1>

<script language="javascript">

function reload(form)
{
var schoolsel=form.school.options[form.school.options.selectedIndex].value; 
self.location='add.php?school=' + schoolsel;
}
</script>

//----PART OF FORM

<?php 
	$current_selection = (isset($_REQUEST{'school'})?$_REQUEST{'school'}:"");
	echo "<tr><td><label>School: </label></td><td><select id='school' name='school' onchange='reload(this.form)'><option value=''>Select School</option>";
			while ($s=odbc_fetch_array($query))
				{
					$schoolname = $s['sname'];
					$schoolid = $s['sid'];
					if($schoolid==@$selschool){
					echo "<option selected='selected' value=".$schoolid.">".$schoolname."</option>";}
				         	else
						{
							$selected = ($current_selection == $schoolid?"selected":"");
							echo "<option $selected value=".$schoolid.">".$schoolname."</option>";
						}
										
					} echo "</select></td></tr>";
				
//***********************START DEPARTMENT DROPDOWN
				
						echo "<tr><td><label>Department:</label> </td><td>
							<select name='deptselect'><option value=''>Select Department</option>";
							while($d=odbc_fetch_array($deptqry))
								{					
									$depts = $d['dname'];
									$deptid = $d['did'];
									$schoolsid = $d['schools_sid'];
									echo "<option value=".$deptid.">".$depts."</option>";
								}
							echo "</select></td></tr>";
						
?>

Select allOpen in new window

I misread your code ... it is simplified below

<script language="javascript">
function reload(form){
      var schoolsel=form.school.options[form.school.options.selectedIndex].value;
      self.location='add.php?school=' + schoolsel;
}
</script>

//----PART OF FORM

<?php
      $current_selection = (isset($_REQUEST{'school'})?$_REQUEST{'school'}:"");
      echo "<tr><td><label>School: </label></td><td><select id='school' name='school' onchange='reload(this.form)'><option value=''>Select School</option>";
      while ($s=odbc_fetch_array($query))      {
                  $schoolname = $s['sname'];
                  $schoolid = $s['sid'];
                  $selected = (strcmp($current_selection,"$schoolid")==0?"selected":"");
                  echo "<option $selected value=".$schoolid.">".$schoolname."</option>";            
      }
      echo "</select></td></tr>";
                        
//***********************START DEPARTMENT DROPDOWN
      echo "<tr><td><label>Department:</label> </td><td>
      <select name='deptselect'><option value=''>Select Department</option>";
      while($d=odbc_fetch_array($deptqry))            {                              
                  $depts = $d['dname'];
                  $deptid = $d['did'];
                  $schoolsid = $d['schools_sid'];
                  echo "<option value=".$deptid.">".$depts."</option>";
            }
      echo "</select></td></tr>";                        
?>

Thank you; however, when the page reloads when I select a school, the values previously entered (fname, lname, title, etc...) disappears.

what I do and would advise you to do is submit the whole form, instead of appending the 'schoolsel' to the self.location in javascript.

form.submit();

This can be done for the SELECT's onchange as shown below


Then on the submission, show the same form with any previously filled out fields like in this example 'fname'

so the PHP would look like below, except you need all of the above query stuff in there.  Since you haven't shown where you set fname or lname or title this is a sample of how to get previous values from $_REQUEST and use them in the form.  If they haven't entered anything it will be blank and if they have it will have the value they submitted on the form.

$fname_input = (isset($_REQUEST{'fname'})?$_REQUEST{'fname'}:"");

print <<< endofstraighttext
<FORM action=add.php method=post>
<SELECT name=school onchange="javascript:this.form.submit();">
     <OPTION value=1>school name 1</OPTION>
</SELECT>
<INPUT type=text name=fname value=$fname_input>
</FORM>
endofstraighttext

I set all variables to the Post value:

$fname =  $_POST['name'];
$lname = $_POST['lname'];

I did what you suggest and still nothing.  I may be doing something wrong.  I commented out the javascript all together and used the onchange example.  Still no luck.  

$fname = $_POST['fname']; is the variable for first name

PERFECT!!!   If I only had a brain. I'm learning though...thank you soooooooo much ropenner!!!!!!  

ropenner was very patient!