Are there potential pitfalls in using buttons as input elements in PHP forms for calculations?

When using buttons as input elements in PHP forms for calculations, one potential pitfall is that buttons do not have a value attribute like input elements do. This can make it difficult to retrieve the value of the button when processing the form data. To solve this issue, you can use hidden input fields to store the values associated with each button and then use JavaScript to update the hidden input field when a button is clicked. 

<form method="post" action="process_form.php">
  <input type="hidden" name="calculation_value" id="calculation_value" value="">
  <button type="button" onclick="updateValue(1)">Button 1</button>
  <button type="button" onclick="updateValue(2)">Button 2</button>
  <button type="button" onclick="updateValue(3)">Button 3</button>
  <input type="submit" value="Calculate">
</form>

<script>
  function updateValue(value) {
    document.getElementById("calculation_value").value = value;
  }
</script>

Keywords

buttons input elements PHP forms calculations pitfalls

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