In other words, in the fragment

  if ($asc_desc eq 'ASC') {
    $sql .= " ORDER BY $order_by ASC ";
  } 
  else {
    $sql .= " ORDER BY $order_by DESC ";
  }
[download]

What RDBMS are you using? If you're using MySQL, 'ASC' is the default sort order, and you only add DESC to alter the order.

I'm using Oracle, which also has ASC as the default sort order. I forgot about that - thanks for reminding me. I gues my next task is to determine if the same column has been pressed and if so, change the SQL statement. Regards, Stacy.

--
Ilya Martynov (http://martynov.org/)

The code here is basic and I would never use anything like it on a server. In reality I always check returned params.
By keeping code simple for as long as possible alows me to work through the problem and hopefully let others help me out :)
Stacy.

IMHO in any event it is better to post code which follows good coding practices unless it requires significant efforts. There exist danger that some newbie will just copy your code blindly. Were you added just one line which checks value of CGI parameter there could be a chance to educate him/her about proper way.

--
Ilya Martynov (http://martynov.org/)

Hi all, thanks for your suggestions. My solution is appended below. Passing the hidden field $input solved my problem...
Regards,
Stacy.

use CGI qw(:standard :netscape *table);
use CGI::Carp qw(fatalsToBrowser);
use CGI::Pretty qw( :html3 );
use strict;

my ($order_by,$sql,$order_by_check,$order_by_input);

$sql = qq{SELECT * FROM TABLE}; 

$order_by       = param('order_by');
$order_by_check = param('order_by_check');

if ($order_by) {
  $sql .= " ORDER BY $order_by ";
  if ($order_by_check eq $order_by) {
    $sql .= ' DESC ';
    $order_by_check = $order_by;
  } else {
    $sql .= ' ASC ';
    $order_by_input = "<INPUT TYPE=hidden NAME=order_by_check VALUE=\"
+$order_by\">";
  }
}

print header,
  
  start_html(),
  start_form(),
  
  center(
     start_table(),
     Tr(td(submit('order_by','FAULT_NO',)),
        td(submit('order_by','ISSUE')),
        td(submit('order_by','RESPONSE'))),
     end_table(),
     p($sql),
     $order_by_input,
    ),
  
  end_form(),
  end_html();

exit;
[download]

Instead of relying on user input for the values of the params 'order_by' and 'order_by_check', you should use a lookup table instead. Consider this: the user enters in their own values instead of using the buttons you supply:

bar.cgi?order_by=foo&order_by_check=bar

Now what? You get a database error. A lookup table is a hash that contains valid keys, the values can be any true value, :

my %lookup = (
   FAULT_NO => 'FAULT_NO',
   ISSUE    => 'ISSUE',
   RESPONSE => 'RESPONSE',
);
# task of automating the creation of the hash
# is left as an excerise to the reader ;)
[download]

Now, instead of just accepting the parameter as is from CGI.pm, you can 'filter' it:

$order_by       = $lookup{ param('order_by') };
$order_by_check = $lookup{ param('order_by_check') };

if ($order_by) {
   ...
}
...
[download]

When the user enters a value for a field that doesn't exist, the error is treated the same as if the user did not enter any value for a field at all. Works like a charm ... until you want to inform the user of that fact. :(

jeffa

L-LL-L--L-LL-L--L-LL-L--
-R--R-RR-R--R-RR-R--R-RR
B--B--B--B--B--B--B--B--
H---H---H---H---H---H---
(the triplet paradiddle with high-hat)