POST Variables are lost after sort

Hello,

I have an HTML table that is being constructed from a MySQL table and
displays a form that includes a check box on 1 of the fields on the form for
each record. I have included in this PHP program a javascript routine called
sorttable.js which is something I found on the internet for sorting tables
and works quite well. The HTML table includes a check box on each record so
the user can select certain records for passing to the next process. This
works fine unless I sort the table on some column and then the POST
variables are lost. When I run the following code there are no POST
variables that will echo except the submit button.

foreach ($_POST as $varName => $value){
echo ($varName . " = " . $value);
}

However, if I don't sort the table the POST variables will be echoed for
every record in the table. I'm not sure why this is happening or how to go
about solving it. When I check certain records on the form and then sort the
table the checks themself don't disappear only the POST variables do. This
prevents me from looping thru the ARRAY to determine the value of the POST
check box for each record to see if it was checked. If I run the above code
but don't sort it I will have several hundred POST variables (several for
each record).

Could someone give me an idea on how to solve this or offer some sort of
work-around??

Thanks Very Much!

Vic

Here's the entire script:

addEvent(window, "load", sortables_init);

var SORT_COLUMN_INDEX;

function sortables_init() {
// Find all tables with class sortable and make them sortable
if (!document.getElementsByTagName) return;
tbls = document.getElementsByTagName("table");
for (ti=0;ti<tbls.length;ti++) {
thisTbl = tbls[ti];
if (((' '+thisTbl.className+' ').indexOf("sortable") != -1) &&
(thisTbl.id)) {
//initTable(thisTbl.id);
ts_makeSortable(thisTbl);
}
}
}

function ts_makeSortable(table) {
if (table.rows && table.rows.length > 0) {
var firstRow = table.rows[0];
}
if (!firstRow) return;

// We have a first row: assume it's the header, and make its contents
clickable links
for (var i=0;i<firstRow.cells.length;i++) {
var cell = firstRow.cells[i];
var txt = ts_getInnerText(cell);
cell.innerHTML = '<a href="#" class="sortheader" '+
'onclick="ts_resortTable(this, '+i+');return false;">' +
txt+'<span class="sortarrow">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></a>';
}
}

function ts_getInnerText(el) {
//alert("ts_getInnerText");
//document.write (typeof e1);
if (typeof el == "string") return el;
if (typeof el == "undefined") { return el };
//document.write (typeof e1);
if (el.innerText) return el.innerText; //Not needed but it is faster
var str = "";

var cs = el.childNodes;
var l = cs.length;
for (var i = 0; i < l; i++) {
switch (cs[i].nodeType) {
case 1: //ELEMENT_NODE
str += ts_getInnerText(cs[i]);
break;
case 3: //TEXT_NODE
str += cs[i].nodeValue;
break;
}
}
//alert ("Exit - ts_getInnerText(el)");
return str;
}

function ts_resortTable(lnk,clid) {
//alert("ts_resortTable");
// get the span
var span;
for (var ci=0;ci<lnk.childNodes.length;ci++) {
if (lnk.childNodes[ci].tagName &&
lnk.childNodes[ci].tagName.toLowerCase() == 'span') span =
lnk.childNodes[ci];
}
var spantext = ts_getInnerText(span);
var td = lnk.parentNode;
var column = clid || td.cellIndex;
var table = getParent(td,'TABLE');

// Work out a type for the column
if (table.rows.length <= 1) return;
var itm = ts_getInnerText(table.rows[1].cells[column]);
sortfn = ts_sort_caseinsensitive;
if (itm.match(/^\d\d[\/-]\d\d[\/-]\d\d\d\d$/)) sortfn = ts_sort_date;
if (itm.match(/^\d\d[\/-]\d\d[\/-]\d\d$/)) sortfn = ts_sort_date;
if (itm.match(/^[£$]/)) sortfn = ts_sort_currency;
if (itm.match(/^[\d\.]+$/)) sortfn = ts_sort_numeric;
SORT_COLUMN_INDEX = column;
var firstRow = new Array();
var newRows = new Array();
for (i=0;i<table.rows[0].length;i++) { firstRow[i] = table.rows[0][i]; }
for (j=1;j<table.rows.length;j++) { newRows[j-1] = table.rows[j]; }

newRows.sort(sortfn);

if (span.getAttribute("sortdir") == 'down') {
ARROW = '&nbsp;&nbsp;&uarr;';
newRows.reverse();
span.setAttribute('sortdir','up');
} else {
ARROW = '&nbsp;&nbsp;&darr;';
span.setAttribute('sortdir','down');
}

// We appendChild rows that already exist to the tbody, so it moves them
rather than creating new ones
// don't do sortbottom rows
for (i=0;i<newRows.length;i++) { if (!newRows[i].className ||
(newRows[i].className && (newRows[i].className.indexOf('sortbottom')
== -1))) table.tBodies[0].appendChild(newRows[i]);}
// do sortbottom rows only
for (i=0;i<newRows.length;i++) { if (newRows[i].className &&
(newRows[i].className.indexOf('sortbottom') != -1))
table.tBodies[0].appendChild(newRows[i]);}

// Delete any other arrows there may be showing
var allspans = document.getElementsByTagName("span");
for (var ci=0;ci<allspans.length;ci++) {
if (allspans[ci].className == 'sortarrow') {
if (getParent(allspans[ci],"table") == getParent(lnk,"table"))
{ // in the same table as us?
allspans[ci].innerHTML = '&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;';
}
}
}
//alert ("All Done - Insert arrow");
span.innerHTML = ARROW;
}

function getParent(el, pTagName) {
if (el == null) return null;
else if (el.nodeType == 1 && el.tagName.toLowerCase() ==
pTagName.toLowerCase()) // Gecko bug, supposed to be uppercase
return el;
else
return getParent(el.parentNode, pTagName);
}
function ts_sort_date(a,b) {
// y2k notes: two digit years less than 50 are treated as 20XX, greater
than 50 are treated as 19XX
aa = ts_getInnerText(a.cells[SORT_COLUMN_INDEX]);
bb = ts_getInnerText(b.cells[SORT_COLUMN_INDEX]);
if (aa.length == 10) {
dt1 = aa.substr(6,4)+aa.substr(3,2)+aa.substr(0,2);
} else {
yr = aa.substr(6,2);
if (parseInt(yr) < 50) { yr = '20'+yr; } else { yr = '19'+yr; }
dt1 = yr+aa.substr(3,2)+aa.substr(0,2);
}
if (bb.length == 10) {
dt2 = bb.substr(6,4)+bb.substr(3,2)+bb.substr(0,2);
} else {
yr = bb.substr(6,2);
if (parseInt(yr) < 50) { yr = '20'+yr; } else { yr = '19'+yr; }
dt2 = yr+bb.substr(3,2)+bb.substr(0,2);
}
if (dt1==dt2) return 0;
if (dt1<dt2) return -1;
return 1;
}

function ts_sort_currency(a,b) {
aa = ts_getInnerText(a.cells[SORT_COLUMN_INDEX]).replace(/[^0-9.]/g,'');
bb = ts_getInnerText(b.cells[SORT_COLUMN_INDEX]).replace(/[^0-9.]/g,'');
return parseFloat(aa) - parseFloat(bb);
}

function ts_sort_numeric(a,b) {
aa = parseFloat(ts_getInnerText(a.cells[SORT_COLUMN_INDEX]));
if (isNaN(aa)) aa = 0;
bb = parseFloat(ts_getInnerText(b.cells[SORT_COLUMN_INDEX]));
if (isNaN(bb)) bb = 0;
return aa-bb;
}

function ts_sort_caseinsensitive(a,b) {
//alert("ts_sort_caseinsensitive");
aa = ts_getInnerText(a.cells[SORT_COLUMN_INDEX]).toLowerCase();
// document.write (SORT_COLUMN_INDEX);
bb = ts_getInnerText(b.cells[SORT_COLUMN_INDEX]).toLowerCase();
if (aa==bb) return 0;
if (aa<bb) return -1;
return 1;
}

function ts_sort_default(a,b) {
//alert("ts_sort_default");
aa = ts_getInnerText(a.cells[SORT_COLUMN_INDEX]);
bb = ts_getInnerText(b.cells[SORT_COLUMN_INDEX]);
if (aa==bb) return 0;
if (aa<bb) return -1;
return 1;
}


function addEvent(elm, evType, fn, useCapture)
// addEvent and removeEvent
// cross-browser event handling for IE5+, NS6 and Mozilla
// By Scott Andrew
{
if (elm.addEventListener){
elm.addEventListener(evType, fn, useCapture);
return true;
} else if (elm.attachEvent){
var r = elm.attachEvent("on"+evType, fn);
return r;
} else {
alert("Handler could not be removed");
}
}