How to retrieve jquery ajax response to php variable?

Question

How to pass an jquery ajax response after success into a php variable. this is my code :

process.php

    $start = "";
    $end = "";
    if(isset($_POST['tampStart']))
    {
        $start = $_POST['tampStart'];
    }
    if(isset($_POST['tampEnd']))
    {
        $end = $_POST['tampEnd'];
    }

    $SQL = "SELECT * FROM `values` WHERE date BETWEEN '".$start."' and '".$end."'";
    $result = mysql_query($SQL);

    $prefix = '';
    while ( $row = mysql_fetch_assoc( $result ) ) {
        $prefix .= "[\n"."'".$row['month']."'".', '.$row['days']."]".",";
    }

    echo rtrim($prefix, ",");

index.php

    var dStart = $('#textInput1').val();
var dEnd = $('#textInput2').val();

var form_data = {
    tampStart: dStart,
    tampEnd: dEnd
};

$.ajax({
    url: 'process.php',
    type: 'POST',
    async : true, 
    data: form_data,
    dataType: 'text',
    success: function(resp){                            
        $('#content').html(resp); 
        //pass to php variable ?
    }
});

there is no problem when I put the response into a div ($('#content').append(resp);), but how to put the response into an php variable. Thanks for advance..

update my Highcharts code :

function createChart(datan) {
                 //alert(datan);       
                    Highcharts.setOptions({
                        lang: {
                            drillUpText: 'Back to {series.name}'
                        }
                    });

                    var options = {

                        chart: {
                            height: 300
                        },

                        title: {
                            text: 'Highcharts Drilldown Plugin'
                        },

                        xAxis: {
                            categories: true
                        },

                        drilldown: {
                            series: [{
                                id: 'fruits',
                                name: 'Fruits',
                                data: [datan]  //here #*
                            }, {
                                id: 'cars',
                                name: 'Cars',
                                data: [{
                                    name: 'Toyota', 
                                    y: 4,
                                    drilldown: 'toyota'
                                },
                                ['Volkswagen', 3],
                                ['Opel', 5]
                                ]
                            }, {
                                id: 'toyota',
                                name: 'Toyota',
                                data: [
                                    ['RAV4', 3],
                                    ['Corolla', 1],
                                    ['Carina', 4],
                                    ['Land Cruiser', 5]
                                ]
                            }]
                        },

                        legend: {
                            enabled: false
                        },

                        plotOptions: {
                            series: {
                                dataLabels: {
                                    enabled: true
                                },
                                shadow: false
                            },
                            pie: {
                                size: '80%'
                            }
                        },

                        series: [{
                            name: 'Overview',
                            colorByPoint: true,
                            data: [{
                                name: 'Fruits',
                                y: 10,
                                drilldown: 'fruits'
                            }, {
                                name: 'Cars',
                                y: 12,
                                drilldown: 'cars'
                            }, {
                                name: 'Countries',
                                y: 8
                            }]
                        }]
                    };

                    // Column chart
                    options.chart.renderTo = 'container1';
                    options.chart.type = 'column';
                    var chart1 = new Highcharts.Chart(options);

                }

I make the highcharts config to a function. when I alert(datan), its shown the data from ajax response, but when I put on Drilldown option data (see sign #* above), the highchart config cant read it..

Answer 1

PHP runs on server not on client so the thing you asking is possible only on server. You have to customize this code for your need it gives framework.

$.ajax({
    url: 'process.php',
    type: 'POST',
    async : true, 
    data: form_data,
    dataType: 'text',
    success: function(resp){                            
       // $('#content').html(resp); 
        createChart(resp);
    }
});
var chart;
function createChart(data) {
var options = {

    chart: {
        height: 300
    },

    title: {
        text: 'Highcharts Drilldown Plugin'
    },

    xAxis: {
        categories: true
    },

    drilldown: {
        series: data}
};


options.chart.renderTo = 'content';
options.chart.type = 'column';
var chart1 = new Highcharts.Chart(options);



}

Answer 2

Javascript is a client side scripting. You can't assign the javascript value directly to the php variable.

1. One way is to set a SESSION variable in PHP. In your case in process.php file.
2. Another way is to use Database/files.

Answer 3

Well, if you really want to do it this way, you can set a cookie with the desired variable in Javascript and afterwards access it with PHP.

But, there is another way. You can do whatever you want on the client side and when you want to transmit the variable to server-side, just open an ajax connection on the php page which will handle the variable and hand it the actual variable through POST data.