PHP Lists and Fields problem

[denizengt]

I have a page called "Edit_Entry.php". Within this I have a drop down list of names from a simple addressbook table in my database. This table contains simply, a name and a number.

I have two text fields in the page below the drop down list named "name" and "number".

What I'm trying to do, is when you select a name from the list, the two text fields automatically display the name and number associated with this. I have an edit button, so the user can edit these text fields contents and then submit it back into the database, therefore updating the entry.

My issue is, I don't know how to automatically update those two text feilds with the details associated with the selected name in the drop down list.

Can anyone give me some assistance?

[Jeff Wheeler]

You'll want to do an ajax request to PHP communicating with your database. Here's a great tutorial that does something very similar:
http://www.webpasties.com/xmlHttpRequest/

[denizengt]

Is that crossbrowser compatible?

It also seems a bit much to simply update two text fields on a dropdown choice.

[Jeff Wheeler]

Yes for #1, and no for #2. Everybody uses it… it's the latest big thing. ;)

[denizengt]

*suspicious* Everyone does it eh? DO I LOOK LIKE A SHEEP TO YOU?!! :D

Alright, I'll give it a whirl :)

[Jeff Wheeler]

It's called Ajax, and it's the foundation for just about every "web 2.0" app you'll find.

http://www.google.com/search?q=ajax&sourceid=mozilla2&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

[denizengt]

I cannot get this AJAX to work at all. All I want to do, is what I wrote above - I don't care if it needs to refresh the page to populate the fields, as its for admin use anyway. I don't want to use XML.