How to Pass PHP String Variable To JS From an Onclick Event

Question

This might have a simple answer, however I cannot figure out the correct syntax. I have the following onclick event echoed on a php page:

$ratelink = text string...
echo '<div><span id="anything" onclick="updatePos('.$ratelink.')">Save</div>';

On my JS page, I have the function:

function updatePos(ratelink)
{
  alert(ratelink); 
}

My problem is that when $ratelink is a number, the variable will pass with no problems. However, when $ratelink is a text string, like in the above example, nothing gets passed and the alert doesn't execute.

I think the following ('.$ratelink.') needs to be in a different syntax to pass text, but I don't know the exact format.

Solution

You need to enclose the string in quotes when passing to the JS function, as well as in PHP:

$ratelink = 'text string...';
echo '<div><span id="anything" onclick="updatePos(\''.$ratelink.'\')">Save</div>';