In my code, I have two forms for users to select options. The first variable will save but as soon as the user submits the second form, the variable from the first form is no longer saved.
<div class = "school">
<h3>Please select the university you previously attended</h3>
<form action = "" method = "post" name = "school_form">
<select name="school" size ="10">
<?php
//shows options for $selected_school
$sql = "SELECT DISTINCT school FROM data;";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $sql);
$resultCheck = mysqli_num_rows($result);
if ($resultCheck > 0){
while($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result)){
// inserts all data as array
echo "<option>". $row['school'] ."</option>";
}
}
?>
</select>
<br>
<input type ="submit" name = "submit_school" value = "Enter">
</form>
<?php
//saves selected option as $selected_school
if(isset($_POST['submit_school'])){
$selected_school = mysqli_real_escape_string($conn, $_POST['school']);
echo "You have selected: " .$selected_school;
}
?>
</div>
<div class ="courses">
<h3>Please select the courses you took</h3>
<form action = "" method ="post" name ="course_form">
<?php
//user shown options for courses
$sql2 = "SELECT transfer_course, transfer_title FROM data WHERE school = ? ORDER BY transfer_course ASC";
$stmt = mysqli_stmt_init($conn);
if(!mysqli_stmt_prepare($stmt, $sql2)) {
echo "SQL statement failed";
} else {
mysqli_stmt_bind_param($stmt, "s", $selected_school);
mysqli_stmt_execute($stmt);
$result2 = mysqli_stmt_get_result($stmt);
while($row2 = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result2)){
echo "<input type='checkbox' name ='boxes[]' value = '" . $row2['transfer_course'] . "' >" . $row2['transfer_course'] . "<br>";
}
}
?>
<br>
<input type ="submit" name = "submit_courses" value = "Enter">
</form>
<br>
<?php
//saved selected option(s) as $selected_course
if(isset($_POST['submit_courses'])){//to run PHP script on submit
if(!empty($_POST['boxes'])){
foreach($_POST['boxes'] as $selected_course){
echo "You have selected: " . $selected_course . "</br>";
}
}
}
?>
</div>
<div class = "output">
<h3>Course Equivalency</h3>
<?php
$sql3 = "SELECT arcadia_course, arcadia_title FROM data WHERE school = " . $selected_school . " AND transfer_course = " . $selected_course . "";
$result3 = mysqli_query($conn, $sql3);
if($result3)
{
while($row3 = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result3)){
echo $row3['arcadia_course'] . " " . $row3['arcadia_title'] . "<br>";
}
} else {
echo "failed";
echo $sql3;
}
?>
So by the time I get to my next sql statement
$sql3 = "SELECT arcadia_course, arcadia_title FROM data WHERE school = " . $selected_school . " AND transfer_course = " . $selected_course . "";
When the school is selected, it saves the variable, but when the course is selected, $selected_school becomes blank again.
I already have session_start() at the top of the page.