System Advice: Best Way To Approach This Problem?

[antwan1986]

Hi everyone and thanks for reading!

I've been handed a freelance job to make a purchase order system for an interior designer. Currently whenever they run out of stock they use a spreadsheet to generate a fax like page, print it and then fax it off. She now wants this system updated and to send via emails instead of fax.

The one particular problem I'm having trouble grasping a solution to is the actual purchase order. The purchase order needs to be sent and then stored in a database for future reference, that seems easy enough but the problem is the contents of the actual order. I've attached a screenshot.

As you can see the client has a large spacious table-like area to type in what they need, but I'm wondering how I would offer this to the client in an on-line system, and also if there would be a way of coding some sort of "add more items" or "remove items" to add or delete some lines.

I'm just looking for some guidance as to how I will go about recreating this sort of easy to fill in form, or something that offers similar flexibility. I'm hoping the solution will be easy enough to put into a mail() and also store in a database!

Thanks in advance,

Anthony

[heenix]

Hey,

I'm not sure if your asking how to do this from an interface point-of-view or from a programatic view on storing the data? The form on the screenshot does look quite out of date though.. it looks like you can split the main box into three fields easily, and get away with it?

The first being reference, the second being order notes and the third being a list of ordered items and their attached quantity number.

Thanks,
Christopher Lord

[antwan1986]

Hi Christopher,

I'm looking at it from both angles actually. So your saying the easiest way is to have three text boxes?

Would there be any way of adding new boxes and removing them dynamically? Lets say I only supply three rows of boxes but this particular order has five items the client need's ordered if you see what I'm saying?

Perhaps theres some JavaScript method or maybe before I take the client to the add new form theres a box saying "How many items will you be ordering?". I'd lean to the JavaScript one incase the client half-way through filling the form said "Oh no I forgot one that I need!"

Thanks,

Anthony

[heenix]

Hi Ant,

It depends on how nice it needs to look really. I personally would just take users to another page to add a new item to the list, then return them to the full list. If it does need to add and update there and then, I'd look into AJAX to do it. I only really mess with AJAX if I've got the time or if it's a requirement.

Chris.