How to get multiple selected values of select box in php?

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Given a list of items and the task is to retrieve the multiple selected value from a select box using PHP.
Use multiple attribute in HTML to select multiple value from drop down list. Selecting multiple values in HTML depends on operating system and browser.

For window users – hold down + CTRL key to select multiple option
For mac users – hold down command key to select multiple option

Example: This example creates a list of items using HTML.

html

<html>
    <body>
        <form method = "post" action = "name.php">
            <h4>SELECT SUBJECTS</h4>
            <!--Using multiple to select multiple value-->
            <select name = "subject" multiple size = 6>  
                <option value = "english">ENGLISH</option>
                <option value = "maths">MATHS</option>
                <option value = "computer">COMPUTER</option>
                <option value = "physics">PHYSICS</option>
                <option value = "chemistry">CHEMISTRY</option>
                <option value = "hindi">HINDI</option>
            </select>
            <input type = "submit" name = "submit" value = Submit>
        </form>
    </body>
</html>

Now, the task is to retrieve or print multiple selected value from list. Use form method and loop to retrieve selected value in PHP.
Example:

php

<html>
    <body>
        <!--name.php to be called on form submission-->
        <form method = 'post'> 
            <h4>SELECT SUBJECTS</h4>
             
            <select name = 'subject[]' multiple size = 6>  
                <option value = 'english'>ENGLISH</option>
                <option value = 'maths'>MATHS</option>
                <option value = 'computer'>COMPUTER</option>
                <option value = 'physics'>PHYSICS</option>
                <option value = 'chemistry'>CHEMISTRY</option>
                <option value = 'hindi'>HINDI</option>
            </select>
            <input type = 'submit' name = 'submit' value = Submit>
        </form>
    </body>
</html>
<?php
     
    // Check if form is submitted successfully
    if(isset($_POST["submit"])) 
    {
        // Check if any option is selected
        if(isset($_POST["subject"])) 
        {
            // Retrieving each selected option
            foreach ($_POST['subject'] as $subject) 
                print "You selected $subject<br/>";
        }
    else
        echo "Select an option first !!";
    }
?>

Output:

Note: The form can be submitted using $_GET method. It depends on the form method=”?” value.

PHP is a server-side scripting language designed specifically for web development. You can learn PHP from the ground up by following this PHP Tutorial and PHP Examples.