Hi,
I have a HTML/PHP/MYSQL setup where I want to use a value chosen from one HTML <SELECT> to restrict values shown in the next HTML <SELECT>. It's a reasonably common requirement but I just can't get it. A good example is where the user chooses a country and then the next choice is restricted to valid states for that country and then when they choose a state the next choice is only valid cities for that state.

I can do the database queries Ok, but its knowing exactly what to query for that bugs me.

<td valign="middle">
        <select name="ttypec" id="ttypec" onchange="return getTypeCPtr();\">
            <?php  typec_list('con','no');   ?>
        </select> 
    </td>
    <td valign="middle">
        <select name="tcomp">
            <?php   comp_list('con','no',$TCPtr);   ?>
        </select>
    </td>
// javascript
function getTypeCPtr()
{
    var sel = document.getElementById("ttypec").value;

    window.alert("value chosen is -" + sel + "--");
//    document.getElementById("ttypecret").innerHTML = sel;

    return sel;
}

In this bit of code "getTypeCPtr()" is a javascript routine that can correctly identify the choice made in the select statement that is assembled by the PHP code "typec_list()"
What I want to do is get that choice (by number or string) and use it in the php routine "comp_list()" to restrict that choices shown in that list.

As you can see, the javascript has a return statement, but how can I get that value in the HTML/PHP code to pass it to the next bit of code.

Maybe this isn't the best way to do what I want, so I would welcome comments on that as well. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
thegerm

You can send the value to PHP that returns getTypeCPtr using AJAX, then with PHP gererate something and echo back to your page. I suggest learning jQuery AJAX. Actually for me teh simplest way to use AJAX is to use jquer post method.

http://api.jquery.com/jQuery.post/

$.post("test.php", { name: "John", time: "2pm" },
   function(data) {
     alert("Data Loaded: " + data);
   });

you make a php file that gets the information through $_POST - the information is name and time in this case. You the do what you want with it in php. And then use

echo 'something';

thats what you echoed will be variable data and in this case it will be alerted.

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