need some help with a dynamically populated dropdown menu...

[websurfer]

Hello, all: I need some help with a dynamically populated dropdown menu...

I have managed to dynamically populate the dropdown menu from my item_categories table, and it works fine, EXCEPT once I have entered an item and want to bring it back into the form to UPDATE it, how do I make it so the category for the item is remembered and automatically appears as "selected"

Basically there are 2 tables:

the "item_category" table that hold the list of categories with their respective ID's, like this:

category_id category_name
1 art
2 clothing
3 misc

and second "item" table that hold the products, and is related to the "item_category" table thru the category ID's like this:

item_id title category
109 painting 1
110 drawing 1
111 hat 2

So, as you see in the 'select" form drop down menu script below, the categories are pulled from the 'item_categorty" table just fine, BUT how do I make it so when I bring up, let's say, item #111 the right category appears already as selected???

Appreciate any help!!

thanks!

<SELECT name="category" id="category"> <?php

$query=("select * from item_category order by category_name, category_name desc");

$result=mysql_query($query) or die ("Unable to Make the Query:" . mysql_error() ); 

while($row=mysql_fetch_array($result)){ 

echo "<OPTION VALUE=".$row['category_name'].">".$row['category_name']."</OPTION>";
}
?>
</SELECT>

[ryan_vietnow]

what do you mean "bring up"?

[websurfer]

hi, Ryan...

by bring it up, I mean for the menu to automatically "select" the category that an item has already been labeled as... as in, if I was to UPDATE and item and that item is under "art" category, when it shows back in form, "art" category should already appear as "selected"...

[ryan_vietnow]

if what you mean when you update something that new update thing will be the selected one,try adding a counter in your loop so if the counter is 1,it won't be labeled like selected:

$counter=0;
while($row=mysql_fetch_array($result)){
if ($counter==0) //first one(selected)
{
echo "<OPTION VALUE=".$row['category_name']." selected='selected'>".$row['category_name']."</OPTION>";
}

else //not selected
{
echo "<OPTION VALUE=".$row['category_name'].">".$row['category_name']."</OPTION>";
}
}

I hope I'm getting what you mean.