Using $_GET variable to determine which index in an array to reference

I am getting data via $_GET['value'] and I want that value to represent a variable of an array.

I'm building a sort by drop-down menu with 3 options.

I want to search an array for a match.

So if the $_GET['value'] == 'name' then I want to search my array for 'name' and use that value as the data sent to my query.

Sort By:

<开发者_StackOverflow;select name='1' value='name'>Name</select>
<select name='1' value='manufacturer'>Brand</select>

So when php gets the values of the select menu I want to do an array search for that name and use its value to represent a variable to be sent to my query.

Determine if the value received in $_GET is in your array, then retrieve it by the index.

// Your values are stored in this array
$your_array = array("name" => "some name", "place" => "some place");

// Check if the `value` is a key in your array
if (array_key_exists($_GET['value'], $your_array)) {
   $search_value = $your_array[$_GET['value']];
}
else {
  // Not found.. Use some default value instead.
}

You can check if the value is in the array by using in_array() method

Example:

$yourArray = array(...);

if ($_GET['value'] == 'name') {
   if (in_array($theName,$yourArray)) {
      // build your query
   }
}

if (isset($_GET['value'])) {
     if ($value = $your_array[$_GET['value']]) {
         //do something by this $value
     }
}
else {
   echo 'nothing';
}