I didn't even know exactly what section to put this in but I think this would be the right place. So for my clients I am offering a set of 20 different designs of a certain item they can pick from after buying a subscription from me. I want them to be able to select one of the designs and that I automatically receive their selection once they choose it.

I want the designs to be displayed in a portfolio grid type of way so it looks nice. Reason I'm asking is cause i'm serving many clients so I need this to run as smoothly and automated as possible.

On e-commerce websites this would be a matter of selecting a product and me getting the information after they check out. Since I don't have a store but run a normal agency website, what other ways would there be for me to receive individual client selections from a certain page with 20 different options?

I was thinking maybe some sort of way where there needs to be js attached from a form below the page, to each individual picture? So once they choose a picture the form automatically gets filled in with the image caption name?

I'm thinking aloud. I really hope someone can help me with this. Which one of you is creative and smart enough to solve my problem?

There are quite a few ways, it depends how you want to store the selection and other information required. I'm pretty confident an SQL database would be fine, one table with the 20 options (each with a unique id) and a table for orders which stores the additional information along with the id of the option selected?

Are they just placing an order or are they making a payment as well?

There are lots of ways to do this:

1. Use a simple shopping cart system but bypass payments
2. Use a simple email form with 20 options
3. If your site runs on a CMS create a channel/section to hold 20 entries, one for each item.
- each item then has it's own entry page where you could perhaps add more images/info about that design
- add a simple email form to each page the collects the clients name, email address and option, client clicks to submit the form and job done.

On 1/29/2019 at 9:33 PM, BlueDreamer said:

There are lots of ways to do this:

1. Use a simple shopping cart system but bypass payments
2. Use a simple email form with 20 options
3. If your site runs on a CMS create a channel/section to hold 20 entries, one for each item.
- each item then has it's own entry page where you could perhaps add more images/info about that design
- add a simple email form to each page the collects the clients name, email address and option, client clicks to submit the form and job done.

This helped me. Thank you.

On 1/29/2019 at 9:12 AM, BrowserBugs said:

There are quite a few ways, it depends how you want to store the selection and other information required. I'm pretty confident an SQL database would be fine, one table with the 20 options (each with a unique id) and a table for orders which stores the additional information along with the id of the option selected?

Thanks for thinking along. I'm gonna try to come up with a better solution though.

On 1/29/2019 at 9:51 AM, fisicx said:

Are they just placing an order or are they making a payment as well?

No payment, just picking so I get the option they choose.

40 minutes ago, Labelarot45 said:

No payment, just picking so I get the option they choose.

In which case maybe a simple session cookie to store their choices and then an email which inputs their selections to you if they can choose multiple or if it's only ever 1 selection with 1 email then a button select to a form.

Edit: Even if not using a db a simple php array could hold the options;

<?php
$choices = array(
	array('name' => "Option One", 'value' => 1, 'image' => "image-one.jpg"),
	array('name' => "Option Two", 'value' => 2, 'image' => "image-two.png"),
	array('name' => "Option Three", 'value' => 3, 'image' => "image-three.jpg")
);
?>

could also use the array to validate selected options before submitting an email.

<?php 
$opt = 5; // e.g. 5
if(!in_array($opt, array_column($choices, 'value'))) { // search value in the array
    echo $opt . " is not an option"; // 5 isn't in choices values.
} ?>

also use the array to make a form select list or output the list of options

<ul>
<?php foreach($options as $o) { ?>
  <li><?php echo $o['name']; ?></li>
<?php } ?>
</ul>

 

Edited January 31, 20197 yr by BrowserBugs