Question

I have a table with an unknown number of rows. I’m trying to save edits to a checkbox field, select field and text field.

Here’s a sample of what a table row looks like (generalized):

<tr onMouseover="this.bgColor='#EEEEEE'"onMouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
    <input type="hidden" name="batchupdate[][item1]" value="118">
    <td><a target="blank" href="www.link.com">Link</a></td>
    <td>Name</td>
    <td><input value="" type="text" name="batchupdate[][item2]" size=35></td>
    <td>
        <select name="batchupdate[][item3]">
        <optgroup label="Group 1">
            <option >1</option>
            <option >2</option>
            <option >3</option>
            <option >4</option>
            <option >5</option>
        </optgroup>
        <optgroup label="Group 2">
            <option >6</option>
            <option >7</option>
            <option >8</option>
            <option >9</option>
        </optgroup>
        </select>                           
    </td>
    <td><input type="checkbox" value="FALSE" name="batchupdate[][item4]"></td>
</tr>

The “id” (item1) is the auto incrementing field in my postgresql database.

Here’s the php:

if(isset($_POST['savebutton'])) {
    if(isset($_POST['bachtupdate']) || is_array($_POST['batchupdate']))
    {
        foreach($_POST['batchupdate'] as $i)
        {   
            $item1 = $i['item1'];
            $item2 = $i['item2'];
            $item2 = pg_escape_string($item2);
            $item3 = $i['item3'];

            if(isset($i['item4'])){
                $item4 = "TRUE";
            } else {
                $item4 = "FALSE";
            }

        $query = "UPDATE schema.table SET field2='$item2', field3='$item3', field4='$item4' WHERE id='$item1'";

        $result = pg_query($database, $query);

        if ($result) {
            // success
        } else {
            die("Error: " .pg_last_error());
        }

There’s some other logic after this, but the query part is where it fails. I get an error that basically item3 and the id (item1) are empty, so it cannot find the row to update. Items2 and 4 work fine and I can see what they contain in the error message provided by postgres.

I found this solution online and adapted it to my own use. I’m just confused as to why some of the fields work and others don’t. Ideas?

EDIT:

This is what the output looks like with echoes (inside the foreach loop). I commented out the postgres query. Notice that it does it twice. I also noticed that the checkbox isn’t returning true. However, all the information is there…,

118 (id),
Text box 1,
Option 2,
FALSE (checkbox)

119 (id),
Text box 2,
Option 3

118 (id),
Text box 1,
Option 2,
FALSE (checkbox)

119 (id),
Text box 2,
Option 3

EDIT:

Next I’m going to try one of the following:

1. Use php to create name attributes that are unique (item11, item12, item13, etc), and increment a for loop that counts how many rows in the table there are, change the variables and perform the query. This seems way too messy, but I can’t think of anything else…,

2. Instead of doing a foreach, do a for loop as seen in other examples I’ve found. Not sure what it will change, but it’s worth a shot I guess.

I’ll report back what I found.

Answer 1

How generalized is the HTML you show?

I mean, when you write

 <input type="hidden" name="batchupdate[][item1]" value="118">

You do place something in the first key of batchupdate, do you not?

Because otherwise the POST will send out, say,

batchupdate[][item1]=118&batchupdate[][item3]=124...

which will create TWO DIFFERENT ROWS in batchupdate[], one with item1, the other with only item3, since [] is autoincrement syntax.

Each “group” of rows should have a different ID as the first index:

 <input type="hidden" name="batchupdate[row1][item1]" value="118">
 <input type="hidden" name="batchupdate[row1][item2]" value="119">
 <input type="hidden" name="batchupdate[row1][item3]" value="120">
 ...
 <input type="hidden" name="batchupdate[row2][item1]" value="123">

This will result in one entry of batchupdate with item1,2 and 3 defined and equal to 118, 119, and 120, which seems what you are looking for.