The light dawns.
Thank you everyone for this explanation, and the help
JJ
Mark Rees wrote:
Jack Jackson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Somehow my intent has been turned around here and I apologise.
I do not want to use *any* client side validation. I only want to do
server side validation and server side storage.
My intent was to remove the client from as much as possible of this - if
I didn't need their information I wouldn't even allow clients!! :)
What I wanted to do was this:
p. 1 : I send client page one, they send answers. SUBMIT sends to page 2
script.
p 2. Before displaying anything to the client, Page 2 script validates
input from page 1. If there are problems, page 2 script redisplays page
one questions with highlights around problems. Clicking submit then
resubmits page one data to page 2 script.
Once page 2 script validates all page 1 answers, page 2 script stores
all those answers to a SESSION, then sends PAGE 2 QUESTIONS ONLY (no
$_POST information) to client. Client answers page 2 questions and
clicking submit submits PAGE 2 QUESTIONS to page 3 script.
p 3. Before displaying anything to the client, Page 3 script validates
input from page 2 questions. If there are problems, page 3 script
redisplays page 2 questions with highlights around problems. Clicking
submit resubmits page 2 data to page 3 script.
Once page 3 script validates all page 2 answers, the script stores all
those answers to a SESSION, then sends PAGE 3 QUESTIONS ONLY (no $_POST
information) to client. Client answers page 3 questions and clicking
submit submits PAGE 3 QUESTIONS to page 4 script.
At this point, if the client goes off for a bite, or two weeks
backpacking in the Anapurna region, I'm fine, because the information is
stored in the session (I have a very small group taking this
questionnaire, all have a vested interested in filling it in, so I am
not too worried abou their going aaway from it for more than a couple
days max).
Once they complete the last set of questions, I say thanks much, get all
the information out of their SESSION, insert it into the db, send
confirmation emails all around and we're done.
Sessions are used to identify users on a single visit to a website. They are
not intended to track users who turn off their machines, then turn them on
again and visit the website again. There are various ways of doing this, and
for all I know it may be possible with sessions, but I don't recommend you
try.
Do as suggested previously by various posters, it is the simplest and most
robust solution to your problem:
1. have the user register their details first up. Store this in a db, and
use it to identify the user on any subsequent visit.
2. when each page is submitted, write the information into the db. This way
it will definitely be associated with the right user
3. Whenever a user revisits the questionnaire, make them log in, then take
them to wherever they were up to - you will be able to work this out from
the amount of data you have recorded against them.
e.g. database table
userid
question
question
question
question
question
question
Is this possible? How?
Thanks!
Marcus Bointon wrote:
On 27 Jul 2005, at 21:22, Jack Jackson wrote:
Right. Except I would rather have it working in a session because I
specifically do not want to have the form sending $_POST data back
and forth to the browser six times for several reasons. SO I'd like to
Page1 // User enters first batch of data, presses SUBMIT at bottom.
Data is cleaned and written to SESSION, user passed to Page2
repeat as necessary to last page. At last page, process and error
check newest input, then commit it, plus all previously stored
session info to db.
As has also been said, Javascript can do this really nicely. The best
example I've seen of this is in Mambo's (a popular PHP CMS) admin
interface. It uses a tabbed multi-page form with client-side
validation. It's really just one big page, so if the user has JS turned
off, they will get one big form with no client-side validation, but it
will still work. It's a really elegant way of working. It doesn't
require any server interaction between pages - nothing is submitted
until the form is complete.
See here for a howto: http://www.devx.com/webdev/Article/10483/1763/
page/1
Admittedly this approach doesn't easily allow to you abandon and resume
later (unless you get clever with JS and cookies).
For keeping data in a session, you could combine this approach with
Ajax: http://particletree.com/features/smart-validation-with-ajax
Marcus
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