php - How to pre-populate a web form with data from a database -

i have form (actually 4 different forms on 4 consecutive pages, same effect) users fill in sign website. there many (100+) items in form, including text boxes, ranges, checkboxes.

once user has signed want them able edit preferences via simple 'edit' link on custom homepage. idea shown sign-up forms again, time pre-populated using data linked user account database.

is simple 'edit' link in question containing post value pass form pages:

http://www.mysite.com/something.php?edit=true 

and checking value in php on form page, , setting values in each form item if edit true?

the reason im double-checking on because seems awful lot of code go through each item in form , set value whatever in database , dont want find out later down line there quicker , less programming intensive way of doing this!

in case helps find alternative solution, im using pdo, user identified way of session variable containing (unique) email address, , form names identical database column names.

i put form inside separate php file can reused different php scripts.

inside separate php file set input values post variables.
i.e. (for example we'll call file myform.php)

<form action="<?php echo htmlspecialchars($_server['request_uri'], ent_quotes); ?>" method="post">     <input type="text" name="first_name" value="<?php echo @$_post['first_name']; ?>" >     <input type="text" name="last_name" value="<?php echo @$_post['last_name']; ?>" >     <input type="text" name="username" value="<?php echo @$_post['username']; ?>" >     <input type="submit" name="submit" value="<?php echo $submit_value; ?>" > </form> 

and on php side edit page have (this assumes db fields match input field names)

<?php foreach($db_row_fields $field_key => $field_value) {      $_post[$field_key] = $field_value; }  $submit_value = "update";  include 'myform.php'; 

obviously fields need out of db.

for sign need set $submit_value want post variables empty

$submit_value = "sign up";  include 'myform.php'; 

while using 2 different php scripts handle sign , editing make validation , form processing code reusable possible.