Here is a short description of the issue:
I am to make a cgi script that accepts 'orders'. These orders consist of a record that describes the general order information (ship_to's, bill_to's, etc...) and a varaible number or 'lines' that describe the actual pieces that make up the order.

OK, so far so good with the general order information. The problem I have is deciding the best way to handle the variable number of lines. Below is a list of my possible solutions, please advise which is best (experienced opinions are my favorite) or give solutions that I myself have not thought of.

• Make the script accept only one line at the creation of an order, then add the functionality of 'add_line' to the script.
• Program the script to accept the fields of the line as arrays (item_no=2&item_no=3&item_no=4&qty=12&qty=13&qty=14) and manually process them as a hash of arrays.
• Append line numbers to the fields so I can bypass hash and array manipulation entirely. i.e item_no_1=1&item_no_2=2&item_no_3=3&qty_1=11&qty_2=12&qty_3=13)

It is also planned that in the future, the definition of which fields are required for an order and for each line can be loaded from a DB so that each 'client' can have their own checks and validation for their complete orders.

I can see pros/cons to each approach, but I have tried to leave most of my opinion out. I am here to learn from others, not to stand on a soap box. :-)

the_Don
...making offers others can't rufuse.

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