Searching a Database.... Simple questions

[artsapimp]

After a lot of help from this group and others I have successfully learned how to connect to an access database, write, update, and delete records. Thanks. But I still have questions. Please help below if you can.

1. I need to be able to search the records for a few different options and obviously display the results. The way I have it setup is a drop down box populated with 3 options for search criteria. I also have a text box which is where the user will input what they want to search for. Please help with the code necessary for this to work. Thank you.

<select name="search">
<option value="PhoneNumber">Phone Number"</option>
<option value="CustomerLastName">Customer's Last Name</option>
<opiton value="TicketNumber">Ticket Number</option>
</select>
...
<input type="text" name="criteria">

2. I also have been using checkboxes on one of my pages, but when I try to edit the entries the checkboxes always show empty.

<input type="checkbox" name="error" value="629">Error 629<br>
<input type="checkbox" name="error" value="691">Error 691<br>

Thank you for any help

[parksie]

Use a value of 1 or 0 for the checkbox.

[artsapimp]

You mean like this?

<input type="checkbox" name="error" value="1">Error 629<br>
<input type="checkbox" name="error" value="0">Error 691<br>

I don't see how changing to this will change anything, so please help me with more information if you can. thank you.

[parksie]

I think I'm getting confused here . Do you need to show a checkbox as checked on the form?

[artsapimp]

Sort of. When someone is filling out the form for the first time it's obviously going to be unchecked. But if they need to update a previously enterred record it should come up as it was enterred the first time. I would use...

<input type="text" name="RepName" value="<%= rst("RepName")%>">

if it was a text box and it would then get the information from the database to populate the box. I don't know how to use checkboxes like this because the value is already used in the checkbox code.

Sorry if I can't explain it very well. I'm trying.

[parksie]

Aha. Got it. Right - in your DB, if you have a Boolean value, then use that whether or not to insert a 'checked' into the tag:

<input type=checkbox name=chkMyBox checked>

Miss out the checked for an unselected box.

Yeah, the value argument of the checkbox is what is returned to the server when the page is processed. I don't think setting this at design time (in the HTML code makes any difference). Each checkbox returns 1, 0, true or false when the form is submitted.
I think each checkbox should have a different name too. You seem to be using checkboxes like option buttons. They're not the same. A group of option buttons all have the same name but different values. The value of the one the user clicked is what is returned to the server, and (as parksie points out) you set which one is selected at startup with the checked argument.
Check boxes work independently of each other. They must all have different names and each one sends a true or false value to the server depending on its state when you submit the form.

[Edited by matthewralston on 08-07-2000 at 05:17 AM]

[artsapimp]

Thank you both. You are exactly right and that's where I'm getting lost. I am using it as a radio button. I now know the fix. thanks again.