saving form fields state

you use wrong code.
use following code:

echo $_POST['first_name']

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but if you using browser's back button it may be don't work.

Hi re-searcher

i tried it but it does not work.
are you sure you understand my question? i am not trying to send a variable from one page to another.
i just hit the browser back button and all the fields are empty! i am trying to keep the inputs (save state).

Oh sorry,
do you using no-cache in header or HTML attributes?

There are two moving parts in play here.  One is the form script and the other is the action script.  Your form (HTML) submits information to your action script (PHP).  In order to achieve what you want, you will need to create two-way intelligent communication between the form and action script.  And you may find that the browser "back" button is not that great an idea -- you may want a direct link from the action script back to the form script.

One way you can create the intelligent communication would be to use a data base or the PHP session.  You can experiment with this script to see how it works.
http://www.laprbass.com/RAY_temp_refael.php

HTH, ~Ray

<?php // RAY_temp_refael.php
error_reporting(E_ALL);

// ALWAYS START THE SESSION ON EVERY PAGE UNCONDITIONALLY
session_start();

// SET A DEFAULT VALUE
$cheese = NULL;

// IF THE FORM HAS BEEN POSTED RUN THE ACTION SCRIPT
if (!empty($_POST["cheese"]))
{
    // STORE THE POST DATA IN THE SESSION
    $_SESSION["cheese"] = $_POST["cheese"];

    // AND ANY OTHER PROCESSING YOU NEED HERE
    var_dump($_SESSION["cheese"]);

}   // END OF THE ACTION SCRIPT

// SET UP THE FORM SCRIPT USING HEREDOC NOTATION
if (isset($_SESSION["cheese"])) $cheese = $_SESSION["cheese"];

$form = <<<ENDFORM
<form method="post">
WHAT KIND OF CHEESE?
<input name="cheese" value="$cheese" />
<input type="submit" />
</form>
<a href="{$_SERVER["PHP_SELF"]}">Click here</a> to reload the page.
ENDFORM;

echo $form;

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Hello Ray_Paseur, thank you so much for that!

you are right but i am not sure you understood the issue.
lets say i have 2 pages:

1). the form page - in php
2). the script page - in php - a script that deals with the form after the user click "submit".

i have some (server-side) validation checking for example if the email is not empty and it is valid.
in case it is empty and or is not valid i echo something like this:

"email is missing. please click here to go back  and fill in your email address".

when the user click "go back" he returns to the "PAGE 1" -> the form page.
all the fields are empty and he have to fill them all again..... that is the exact issue.

i hope this is clear now. thank you once more.