Just use SQL select statements with your favorite scripting language (JSP,
ASP, PHP, Perl..).

There are several ways to do this depending on the design of your Database.
Assuming a rationalized DB with tables  called product_family (and a field
called 'product'), a separate table for each family (e.g. a 'gizmo' table, a
'widget' table, a 'dodah' table..etc. ), and a table for 'parts', the calls
are:

SELECT DISTINCT product FROM product_family ORDER BY product ;

read the result recordset into a select box. The user selects 'Gizmo'

SELECT DISTINCT product_name FROM gizmo ;

read the result into a select box, the user selects 'Red Gizmo'

SELECT * FROM parts WHERE product='Red Gizmo'

read this recordset into a table.

heres a link to start you on databases and SQL
http://www.1keydata.com/sql/sql.html

Here's a webmonkey link on PHP
http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/programming/php/

Here's an ASP tutorial
http://www.w3schools.com/asp/asp_intro.asp

Here is Suns JSP pages.
http://java.sun.com/products/jsp/docs.html

I'm sure you can also do this in Coldfusion, but I have never believed in
paying for something that I can  do better for free!

HTH,

Frank
----- Original Message -----
From: "Melanie Gann" <mgann(at)second-street.com>
To: <hwg-techniques(at)hwg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2002 2:44 PM
Subject: ASP: Filtering Pulldown Select Lists


> I have a product hierarchy:
>
>          Product Family-+
>                         |
>                         Products--+
>                                   |
>                                   Parts
>
> The user selects the Product family, and I want to filter the next
> select list to products in that family. Likewise I want the parts
> select list to belong only to that product.
>
> Javascript allows you do to this nicely with arrays. However, I want to
> use data from the database.
>
> Any advice (or articles you can point me to) is appreciated.
>
> Regards,
> Melanie
>
>
>
> Second Street Web Design
> http://www.second-street.com
>
>

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