[php] HTML form submit to PHP script

I am making an HTML form. I want the results to appear in the PHP script.

<form action="chk_kw.php" method="post"> <br />
    <select> name="website_string" 
        <option value="" selected="selected"></option>
    <option VALUE="abc"> ABC</option>
    <option VALUE="def"> def</option>
        <option VALUE="hij"> hij/option>   
    </select>
    <input type="submit" name="website_string"  >
</form>

The problem is I cannot get the value passed to the PHP. if I use value:

<INPUT TYPE="submit" name="website_string" value="selected" >

It always passes the text in the quotes. In this case "selected". How do I pass one of the strings from the option?

Here is what I find works

1. Set a form name

2. Use a default select option, for example...

   <option value="-1" selected>Please Select</option>

So that if the form is submitted, use of JavaScript to halt the submission process can be implemented and verified at the server too.

3. Try to use HTML5 attributes now they are supported.

This input

<input type="submit">

should be

<input name="Submit" type="submit" value="Submit">

whenever I use a form that fails, it is a failure due to the difference in calling the button name submit and name as Submit.

You should also set your enctype attribute for your form as forms fail on my web host if it's not set.

Assuming you've fixed the syntax errors (you've closed the select box before the name attribute), you're using the same name for the select box as the submit button. Give the select box a different name.

For your actual form, if you were to just post the results to your same page, it should probably work out all right. Try something like:

<form action=<?php echo htmlspecialchars($_SERVER["PHP_SELF"]);?> method="POST>

It appears that in PHP you are obtaining the value of the submit button, not the select input. If you are using GET you will want to use $_GET['website_string'] or POST would be $_POST['website_string'].

You will probably want the following HTML:

<select name="website_string">
  <option value="" selected="selected"></option>
  <option value="abc">ABC</option>
  <option value="def">def</option>
  <option value="hij">hij</option>   
</select>
<input type="submit" />

With some PHP that looks like this:

<?php

$website_string = $_POST['website_string']; // or $_GET['website_string'];

?>

<form method="POST" action="chk_kw.php">
    <select name="website_string"> 
        <option selected="selected"></option>
        <option value="abc">abc</option>
        <option value="def">def</option>
        <option value="hij">hij</option>   
    </select>
    <input type="submit">
</form>

• As your form gets more complex, you can a quick check at top of your php script using print_r($_POST);, it'll show what's being submitted an the respective element name.

• To get the submitted value of the element in question do:

  $website_string = $_POST['website_string'];