Greetings. I had an idea for an online game without knowing anything but how to surf the web when I started. I have muddled my way through servers, webhosts, webpages, html, javascript and a lot of dead ends as I learned things along the way. My question is how to set up data entry on my webpage so I have less trouble inserting the data into a MySQL database when I get to that step.

My game has two numbered tables of buttons; one 7 X 7 grid with numbers 1 to 49 and one 8 X 8 with numbers 1 to 64. Registered players select 5 numbers to match and 5 numbers to eliminate each play. Clicking on a number once turns it green, 2nd click turns it red. Data I want to collect is a total of 5 numbers in 4 catagories; 5 of 49 match, 5 of 49 eliminate, 5 of 64 match and 5 of 64 eliminate. In addition there is a radio button on the page to select even/odd (or it could be 1 or 2 or blue/grey). That is a total of 21 bits of data to send to the database each round. The game input automatically stops at noon for each round and a new db is created for the next round at that time. After the round ends a random number generator generates two sets of 5 numbers for scoring. One set for the 49 grid and one for the 64 grid. Score is correct matches minus any matching numbers in the ones eliminated.

So I do not make my job harder when I start my research into php and MySQL, how should I set up my data entry page? Is it easiest to collect data from a single form or multiple forms, arrays or tables? Should the chosen numbers go into a form with spaces between numbers, into a form with commas between the numbers? Into 4 forms, one for each set of 5 numbers? Into a table with 4 rows and 5 columns + the even/odd choice? Can I collect, sort and submit red/green numbers to the db directly from the grid without entering the numbers in a display first?

I guess you need to start with phpMyAdmin.