How to Populate a Dropdown List with Data from a MySQL Table in PHP?

Filling a Dropdown List with Data from a MySQL Table in PHP

In PHP, populating a dropdown list with the results of a MySQL query can be a straightforward task. However, it's essential to understand the process to ensure proper functionality.

Query Execution

You begin by executing your query to retrieve data from the MySQL table. In this case, your query is:

SELECT PcID FROM PC;

Database Connection

Before executing the query, you need to establish a connection to your MySQL database. Make sure you set the correct username and password based on your specific setup. For instance, if you're using a testing environment like WAMP, you may need to set the username as "root."

Looping Over Results

Once the query is executed, you use a loop to iterate through the resulting rows. For each row, you create an <option> tag with the appropriate value and label.

Dropdown Output

Finally, you wrap these <option> tags within a <select> tag to create the dropdown list. This allows you to assign a name to the select box and display the values retrieved from your query.

Complete Code Sample

Here's an example of complete PHP code that connects to a MySQL database, executes the specified query, and outputs a dropdown list filled with the retrieved data:

<?php

// Database connection details
mysql_connect('hostname', 'username', 'password');
mysql_select_db('database-name');

// SQL query
$sql = "SELECT PcID FROM PC";
$result = mysql_query($sql);

// Start dropdown list
echo "<select name='PcID'>";

// Loop through results and create options
while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result)) {
    echo "<option value='" . $row['PcID'] . "'>" . $row['PcID'] . "</option>";
}

// End dropdown list
echo "</select>";

?>

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