creating new version of page each time they click on a link

[evestudent]

Ok. So, I've built some tables in MySQL, a list of mammals, amphibians and reptiles.

When people visit the Mammals page (mammals.php), I want there to be a list of Mammal common names (common_name), and if they click on that common_name, a new version of mammals.php is displayed that writes all the info we have for that specific mammal.

I know how to write the list of mammal common names. I know how to write all the info for that mammal to a static page.

However, I can't figure out how to make clicking the echo'd common_name a link to a new instance of mammal.php.

I really don't want to make 100+ pages, one for each mammal, amphibian and reptile. I want to create a function that can be used for all three.


while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result))
{
echo "<tr>";
echo "<td>" . $row['common_name'] . "</td>";
echo "</tr>";
}
echo

Where do I put in the POST, the Variable, the link, the function?

There must be a simple way to use 'common_name' in the naming paradigm for the on-click variable, such as $Common_Name = $result, but one that creates a unique instance of that variable on-click, so that the function can use that info to compare it to the table values and WHERE they are equal, write a new instance of the page.

No, this is not for an assignment. This is for a professor's side project website. Yeay me

[mlseim]

echo "<td><a href='show.php?name={$row['common_name']}&type=mammal'>{$row['common_name']}</td>";

Then you have a php script called "show.php" that gets the name.

PHP Code:

<?php
// connect to database .... at the top of script

$name=mysql_real_escape_string($_GET['name']);
$type=mysql_real_escape_string($_GET['type']);


// do the query 
$query="SELECT * FROM $type WHERE common_name='$name' ";

// blah blah

// loop through the result (you should only have 1 row) and display the information.

.

[evestudent]

Awesome! Give me a minute to test it and I'll post if I have a clue or not

[evestudent]

Success!

At least in part.

Now it doesn't recognize the comparison of common_name to $name in show.php, because it wants to change all spaces in that name to "%20", like "Box Turtle" becomes "Box%20Turtle", so when we select where common_name is equal to $name, they are different, so it doesn't list anything.

Anyway to fix this?

[evestudent]

Well, I tested the value of $name by echoing it before writing the table, and $name does not contain the %20, just regular spaces, so no worries there. However, it still is pulling no value for the comparison of common_name and $name. I'll keep puttering.

[evestudent]

Argh!

Here's the place where it's hanging up on show.php....

echo $name;
echo $type;

// do the query
$query="SELECT * FROM $type WHERE common_name='" . $name . "'";

echo $name . "<br>";

Everything before the query works, so we have solid usable values for $name and $type, so it should work in the query.

But, everything after the query doesn't work. It selects nothing, thinking there are no instances where $name and common_name are the same.

Any suggestions?

[evestudent]

YEAY!

Hubby Jim helped me to see that I'd forgotten the mysql_query in my query

It works!

[mlseim]

You should also know that you can combine, or JOIN tables when doing queries.
I didn't mention that before because it seems like you're a total beginner. What
you're doing now with separate queries is fine. You'll discover more advanced things
as time goes by.

Google will be your best source of examples and tutorials.