# Retrieving a record for editing

First, we need to retrieve the record to be edited. There is an **id** field in the **employees** table that has a unique number for each row, and this field is used to identify the row (being the primary key).

We also included a hidden field in the **views\emplistall.dt** file: the **id** field, which has the value of the **id** field in the **employees** table, and which we can use as a key to retrieve the record so we can populate the form with the employee data:

              `input(type="hidden", name="id", value="#{e.id}")`

We can use that hidden field then. 

Edit **source\empcontrol.d** and append this method:

```
  void getEditEmployee(int id)
  {
    Employee e = empModel.getEmployee(id);
    render!("empedit.dt", e, departments, paygrades, provinces);
  }
```

This method calls the **empModel.getEmployee()** method with the **id** as the argument, then receives the returned Employee with the needed data, which is used to populate the form **empedit.dt**, which we should create next.

Edit **source\empmodel.d** and append this method:

```d
  Employee getEmployee(int id)
  {
    string sql = "select * from employees where id=?";
    Prepared pstmt = conn.prepare(sql);
    pstmt.setArgs(id);
    Employee e;
    Row[] rows = conn.query(pstmt).array;
    if(rows.length == 0) return e;
    return prepareEmployee(rows[0]);
  }
```

Then create **views\empedit.dt**.

```
extends layout
block maincontent
  include cssformgrid.dt
  div.form-grid-wrapper
    h2.center-align Edit employee details
    form.form-grid(method="post",action="edit_employee",enctype="multipart/form-data")
      label.form-grid-label Department
      select#deprt.form-grid-input(name="e_deprt", value="#{e.deprt}")
        -foreach(dep; departments)
          -if(dep == e.deprt)
            option(value="#{dep}", selected) #{dep}
          -else
            option(value="#{dep}") #{dep}
      label.form-grid-label Salary grade
      select#paygd.form-grid-input(name="e_paygd", value="#{e.paygd}")
        -foreach(pay; paygrades)
          -if(pay == e.paygd)
            option(value="#{pay}", selected) #{pay}
          -else
            option(value="#{pay}") #{pay}
      label.form-grid-label Email address
      input.form-grid-input(type="email", name="e_email", value="#{e.email}")
      label.form-grid-label Password
      input.form-grid-input(type="password", name="e_pword", value="#{e.pword}")
      label.form-grid-label First name
      input.form-grid-input(type="text", name="e_fname", value="#{e.fname}")
      label.form-grid-label Last name
      input.form-grid-input(type="text", name="e_lname", value="#{e.lname}")
      label.form-grid-label Phone
      input.form-grid-input(type="text", name="e_phone", value="#{e.phone}")
      label.form-grid-label Street address (no city)
      input.form-grid-input(type="text", name="e_street", value="#{e.street}")
      label.form-grid-label City
      input.form-grid-input(type="text", name="e_city", value="#{e.city}")
      label.form-grid-label Province
      select#province.form-grid-input(name="e_province", value="#{e.province}")
        -foreach(prov; provinces)
          -if(prov[0] == e.province)
            option(value="#{prov[0]}", selected) #{prov[1]}
          -else
            option(value="#{prov[0]}") #{prov[1]}
      label.form-grid-label Postal code
      input.form-grid-input(type="text", name="e_postcode", value="#{e.postcode}")
      label.form-grid-label ID Picture
      input.form-grid-input(type="file", name="picture")
      input(type="hidden", name="e_photo", value="#{e.photo}")
      input(type="hidden", name="e_id", value="#{e.id}")
      div
      div
        a(href="all_employees")
          button.form-grid-button(type="button") Cancel
        input.form-grid-button(type="submit", value="Submit")
```

The form is displayed using the **Employee** data that was passed to it.

Compile, run and refresh the browser and click on a pencil icon to edit a record.

Great, a record was opened for editing.

<figure><img src="https://3936448450-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FjGPCKHCWMHsDLNzX2hV8%2Fuploads%2FUv9MLG6j16iNLil1i9Ll%2Fimage62.png?alt=media&#x26;token=c48181a3-013e-4eda-a546-a99a6673b3e0" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

But after clicking Submit, we get this error:

<figure><img src="https://3936448450-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FjGPCKHCWMHsDLNzX2hV8%2Fuploads%2F9jGHhIJIji2KbDZtqZpl%2Fimage51.png?alt=media&#x26;token=494fabf8-1cd0-4131-a5ed-5158c4b6463a" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Because we haven’t defined the method to save the changes to the database. Let’s do that next.<br>