Javascript/PHP onSubmit - which button was pressed?

Question

I have a form which has 3 buttons:

<input type='submit' name='mconfirm' value='  Confirm   '>

<input type='submit' name='modify' value='  Modify   '>

<input type='button' name='cancel' value='  Cancel  ' onClick='goVachSub();'></td></tr>

The form also does something along the lines of:

<form name='achievement_modify' method='post' onSubmit='return check_num();' action='".$_SERVER['PHP_SELF']."'>

When either submit buttons are pressed, the check_num() function is run which some checks against some requirements happens. However, I do not need these checks to run when the modify button is pressed, however I still have the modify button as a submit button because of the action='".$_SERVER['PHP_SELF'] which retains all my forms data.

I am looking for a way to either modify check_num such that if it can figure out that modify was pressed on submit, it will not execute the check_num code. Change it such that it is something like: if modifyPressed, do nothing. else check_num code. Or change modify such that it isn't a submit button still able to retain form data.

What actually happens in my form is it has a bunch of text and drop downs, then the user would submit it. The inputted data would be displayed again and then the three mentioned buttons would appear (Confirm, Modify, Cancel) and Modify should take it back to the text and drop downs again with the data intact.

Answer 1

<?php
echo (isset($_POST['mconfirm']))?("mconfirm was pressed"):("mconfirm wasn't pressed");
?>

using isset on $_POST['nameattr'] will tell you if the button has been submitted or not.

Assuming you pressed the "mconfirm" submit button, the above code will eco "mconfirm was pressed".

Approach without ternary operator:

    <?php
if (isset($_POST['mconfirm'])) {
            // mconfirm was pressed
        }
        elseif (isset($_POST['modify'])) {
            // modify was pressed
        }
        else {
            // noone of them was pressed
        }
?>

It can also be done with javascript, of course, but if you DON'T need to check it exactly when the user click the button then it's fine to do that with php.

Hope this helps.

Edit after the comment: fine, then use javascript, when I firstly checked the post that wasn't written.

check which button is pressed with jQuery (jQuery is in the tags, if I'm not going wrong):

$('input[name=mconfirm]').click(function(){
// mconfirm was pressed, check what you need
});

fiddle: http://jsfiddle.net/hEQ4Q/

To get the value:

$('input[name=ciccio]').click(function(){
    alert($(this).val()); 
});

Answer 2

Basically the best solution as your need is to add check on button click not on form submit.

<input type='submit' name='mconfirm' value='  Confirm   ' onclick="return check_num();">

<input type='submit' name='modify' value='  Modify   '>

<input type='button' name='cancel' value='  Cancel  ' onClick='goVachSub(); return check_num();'>

Or in jquery

$('your form selector').find('input[type="submit"]').click(function(e){
      var name=this.name;
      if(name!="modify"){
         //do your check
      }
});

Unfortunately there is no solution for this as event object does not contain data about the submit button through which the form submit has been triggered, as you can also call a form submit through javascript without clicking any submit button.

For mozilla only if you form submit is triggered by submit button.

<form name='achievement_modify' method='post' onSubmit='return check_num(event);' action='".$_SERVER['PHP_SELF']."'>

//on your check_num function

function check_num(e){
    var targetBtn=e.explicitOriginalTarget;
    if(targetBtn.name!="modify"){
      //do stuff
    }
}

Best way is to handle it is through button only, but if you even want which button is clicked, set click event on all button which will set variable or attribute in form which will hwlp to identify which one is clicked. For ex: jquery example

var form=$('your form selector');
form.find('input[type="submit"]').click(function(e){
      var name=this.name;
      form.attr("data-triggeredBy",name);
});

//than in your check num function
function check_num(){
   var btnName=$('your form selector').attr("data-triggeredBy");
   if(btnName!="modify"){
     //do stuff
   }
}