displaying data from mysql database when link is clicked

[Guest dana]

very new to php.

Basically I have two divs [sidebar and content]. The sidebar contain a accordian style navigation made up of ul's and li's. My table contains 5 fields:id,name,generic,url and tier. I am able to get the data to display from the database. I want to be able to display the different data in the content div whenever the link is clicked in the navigation bar! I just can't get them to work together.

 

In the content area of the page is the following code:

 

<?php

while($website_row = mysql_fetch_array($website_result))

{

?>

<?php echo $website_row['generic']." of ".$website_row['name']; ?>

<?php } ?>

 

In the navigation bar is code similar to this:

 

United States

Canada

Mexico

 

I am not sure what code to put in the navigation area so that when someone click on the United State or Canada, etc. it will display the data in the content area without loading a whole new page.

 

It seems simple enough but I don't know enough to figure it out. Hope someone can help. I would greatly appreciate it. thanx

[jlhaslip]

Well, in the olden days, you would be using a Frameset and a target of the content area frame, but these are not the olden days, so things have changed.

PHP is a server-sdie scripting language and it requires the link to be processed back at the server, so that would be out of the question, apparently.

That leaves javascript, or AJAX, which is javascript with http requests and junk, which does not require a full page request, however, it might not be the wisest thing to do here.

Simply refresh the current page with a php request and pass the contents as a query string.

 

To simplify the issue, have a look at using a Content Management System would be my suggestion.

[cornetofreak]

heya,

 

if i understand you correctly this is what id do,

 

index.php contains 2 divs

 

in menu div id have

 

>
</pre>
<ul>
United States
Canada
Mexico
</ul>

 

and within the leftbar i would do

 

<?php 
$allowed = array("ca","us","mx");
$location = $_GET['location'];

if( in_array( $location , $allowed ) ){
     if(file_exists($location.".php")){
             $file = $location.".php";
             include "$file";
     }else{
             include "us.php";
     }
}

?>

this way when you click a menu on your left bar it will be sent to the url and as the new page loads up php will read the value of location in the url and check it to make sure that it allowed to be included.

 

hope this helps!