title: Best way to fill in a PHP/HTML form with user specific mysql saved data?
body: <p>Question: How do I get a PHP/HTML form to fill back in with previously submitted user data found in the mysql database?</p>
  
  <p>Okay, I've been browsing the internet for a couple of weeks now trying to find a tutorial or some thread out there that can help me with this.</p>
  
  <p>I'm creating a web form for a tabletop RPG game.  It is a simple form that has mostly fields and drop down menus with things like 'Character Name', 'Age', 'Gender', etc.</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><p>I have gotten it to where it will save to the mysql database.</p></li>
  <li><p>I also have it so that their is a foreign key to link the data to the
  user logged in.</p></li>
  <li><p>Now, I have a: $_REQUEST['Character'] (Character is the name of the
  form) that allows all the inputted data to be in the corresponding
  boxes after a submission in case of errors or the like (with the
  exception of the drop down menus staying on the selected items, which
  I'm reading about right now).</p></li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>But now I want it so that if the user has already created a character, when they log back in, all that information will be pulled back and filled into the form in the appropriate fields.</p>
  
  <p>What would be the best way to go about doing this?  Or could anyone point me in the right direction of another answered thread, video, what have you, that would better explain this to me?</p>
  
  <p><em>I didn't think any code would be required for you all to look at but I can post some code if need be, there is just a lot of it</em></p>