php dropdown population with first option blank

Question

can someone tell me is there a possibility to add a "blank option" once the dropdown is populated?

echo '<select name="dropdown" style="width:150px">';
            while($rec=mysql_fetch_array($run1))
                {
                $value = $rec['route'];
                echo "<option value=\"$value\">$value</option>";
                }
        echo '</select>';

what do you mean by "once the dropdown is populated"? – christopher Sep 30 '12 at 05:22 — christopher, Sep 30 '12 at 05:22

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 30 '12 at 05:16

Why can't you do it beforehand?

echo '<select name="dropdown" style="width:150px">';
echo '<option value=""></option>';
            while($rec=mysql_fetch_array($run1))
                {
                $value = $rec['route'];
                echo "<option value=\"$value\">$value</option>";
                }
        echo '</select>';

Or if you really need it after (don't know why), just add a selected option to the <option>

echo '<select name="dropdown" style="width:150px">';
                while($rec=mysql_fetch_array($run1))
                    {
                    $value = $rec['route'];
                    echo "<option value=\"$value\">$value</option>";
                    }
            echo '<option value="" selected="selected"></option>';
            echo '</select>';

Ah yea! why couldn't I crack such a simple thing! shame of ma self! lol Thanks Christopher! — Mohan Wijesena, Sep 30 '12 at 05:19
then give me more information! from what you said i could assume anything — christopher, Sep 30 '12 at 05:21

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 30 '12 at 05:19

After your while block, just add an additional echo:

echo "<option value=\"$value\"></option>";

As already mentioned, it's generally best to do this before your while loop, so the default is blank. That way you can catch when/if a user forgets to select an option.

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Sep 30 '12 at 05:17

0

simple trick, add extra line after the while loop.

while($rec=mysql_fetch_array($run1))
{
   $value = $rec['route'];
   echo "<option value=\"$value\">$value</option>";
}
echo "<option value=\"$value\"></option>";

answered Sep 30 '12 at 05:17

John Woo

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php dropdown population with first option blank

3 Answers3