Title: PHP, Javascript and WordPress problem
Last modified: August 20, 2016

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# PHP, Javascript and WordPress problem

 *  [adminmark](https://wordpress.org/support/users/adminmark/)
 * (@adminmark)
 * [14 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-javascript-and-wordpress-problem/)
 * I’m brand new with PHP and now had to jump into the ocean with no swimming lessons.
   So I appreciate the help! I’m having a problem with a PHP page on our WordPress
   site.
 * I am trying to populate a second dropdown with database values based on the first
   one. I have a couple problems, but let me deal with the first one:
 * All the tutorials say the best way to do this is with a form reload on a Javascript
   onchange event. But…. WordPress is changing names for the site by stripping extensions
   and adding a trailing “/”. For example, my page is named state_selection.php.
   WordPress turns the address to /state-selection/.
 * When I reload the page on the form reload, my value is like this: /state-selection/?
   state=VA. It comes back as Error 404 since that’s not the page.
 * I know I have other issues since the Submit button doesn’t show on the first 
   load of the page. Here is my code:
 * The JS script is in the header.php file:
    <SCRIPT language=JavaScript> function
   reload(form){ var val=form.state.options[form.state.options.selectedIndex].value;
   self.location=’state_selection.php?state=’ + val ; } </script>
 * I have tried
    self.location=’state-selection/?state=’ + val ;
 * But I still get the Error 404.
 * Is there any way to pass the state value without a reload form?
 * BTW, I have done the state select as an array, and when that didn’t work, I did
   a straight HTML box. I abbreviated it here for sake of space.
 * Here is the main page code:
    <?php /* Template Name: State and Employer Selection*/?
   >
 * <?php get_header(); ?>
 * <div id=”main_content”>
    <div class=”stateemp”> <p>PLEASE SELECT YOUR STATE IN
   THE DROP DOWN BOX BELOW:</p>
 * <form action=”state_selection.php” method=”post” name=”state”>
    <select name=”
   state” onchange=”reload(this.form)”> <option value=”” selected=”selected”>Select
   state</option> <option value=”AL”>Alabama</option> <option value=”AK”>Alaska</
   option> <option value=”AZ”>Arizona</option> <option value=”AR”>Arkansas</option
   > <option value=”CA”>California</option> <option value=”CO”>Colorado</option>
   </select>
 * <p>PLEASE SELECT YOUR EMPLOYER’S NAME:</p>
 * <select name=’employer’>
    <option value=”>Choose Employer</option>
 * <?php
 * // set database server access variables:
    $host = “localhost”; $user = “youradmi”;
   $pass = “Admin8Partners”; $db = “youradmi_demographics”;
 * // open connection
    $connection = mysql_connect($host, $user, $pass) or die (“
   Unable to connect!”);
 * // select database
    mysql_select_db($db) or die (“Unable to select database!”);
 * $state=$_GET[‘state’];
 * // create query
    if(isset($state) and strlen($state) > 0){ $quer=mysql_query(“
   SELECT distinct name FROM employer_state state=$state order by name”); }else {
   $quer=mysql_query(“SELECT distinct name order by name”); }
 * // execute query
    $result = mysql_query($query) or die (“<p>Error in query: $
   query. “.mysql_error());
 * // printing the list box select command
 * while($nt=mysql_fetch_array($result)){//Array or records stored in $nt
    echo “
   <option value=$nt[id]>$nt[name]</option>”; }
 * // close connection
    mysql_close($connection);
 * ?>
 * </select>
 * <input type=”submit” name=”mysubmit” value=”Submit Form” />
    </form> </div> </
   div>
 * <?php get_sidebar(); ?>
    <?php get_footer(); ?>
 * Thank you for your help!

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

 *  [Jonas Grumby](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ss_minnow/)
 * (@ss_minnow)
 * [14 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-javascript-and-wordpress-problem/#post-2343347)
 * [http://scribu.net/wordpress/query-multiple-taxonomies](http://scribu.net/wordpress/query-multiple-taxonomies)
 *  Thread Starter [adminmark](https://wordpress.org/support/users/adminmark/)
 * (@adminmark)
 * [14 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-javascript-and-wordpress-problem/#post-2343350)
 * Thank you, but it says it does not work with our version of WordPress.
 *  [mchelles](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mchelles/)
 * (@mchelles)
 * [14 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-javascript-and-wordpress-problem/#post-2343376)
 * Have you tried the gravity forms plugin? That is what I would use. If nothing
   else, maybe look at some other plugins that are free that might have some code
   that would help you – TDO Mini Forms is kind of buggy in some server environments(
   not sure if it is 3.2.1 compatible either) but it might help you find an answer:
 * [http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/tdo-mini-forms/](http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/tdo-mini-forms/)
 *  Thread Starter [adminmark](https://wordpress.org/support/users/adminmark/)
 * (@adminmark)
 * [14 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-javascript-and-wordpress-problem/#post-2343400)
 * Thanks for replying!
 * Gravity forms look great! Unfortunately, it won’t let me fill a dropdown from
   a database based on a selection in another dropdown. 🙁
 *  [mchelles](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mchelles/)
 * (@mchelles)
 * [14 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-javascript-and-wordpress-problem/#post-2343412)
 * I don’t know the full details of your project, but if all you want to do is display
   one form with a list based on what they chose from the first drop down menu, 
   you can definitely do that with Gravity Forms, I just tested it 🙂
 * To do it you just set up one drop down listing all of your states, then you set
   up a drop down for each state with a list of the employers, then under advanced
   settings choose which state it is for from the first drop down menu you made.
 * Anyways, that is just what I would do. Especially nice also because you could
   easily add to/change later.

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

The topic ‘PHP, Javascript and WordPress problem’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [forms](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/forms/)
 * [javascript](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/javascript/)
 * [MySQL](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/mysql/)
 * [php](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/php/)

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 5 replies
 * 3 participants
 * Last reply from: [mchelles](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mchelles/)
 * Last activity: [14 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-javascript-and-wordpress-problem/#post-2343412)
 * Status: not resolved

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