this is what i have thus far


<?php
@session_start();

$hostname = "localhost";
$username = "root";
$password = "hayden";
$database = "ecng3020";



$con = mysql_connect("$hostname","$username","$password");
if (!$con)
  {
  die('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());
  }
  mysql_select_db("$database", $con);

  $q="SELECT * FROM rules Where type ='course_option'  ";
  if ($result_2=mysql_query($q))
  {
  	echo"nice";
  }
  else
  {
  	echo"shit";
  }

	while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result_2))
	{
			extract($row);
			//echo "<p>$parameters</p>";
			$e=explode(",",$parameters);
			//print_r($e);
			$_SESSION['parm']=$e;

			//$id=$_SESSION['username'];

					//$_SESSION['courses']=$_POST['coursecode_1'];

					//print_r($_SESSION['courses']);
					@$code= $e;

					if( is_array($code))
					{
							//$sum= array();

						while (list ($key, $val) = each ($code))
						{
							echo $val;
							$w="SELECT * FROM student_course WHERE course_status='pass' AND course_code='$val' AND
											id_no=806000169";

							if ($result1=mysql_query($w))
							  {
								echo"nice";
							  }
							  else
							  {
								echo"shit";
							  }

							   while($row1 = mysql_fetch_assoc($result1))
								{
									  extract($row1);
										echo "<p>$course_status</p>";
										echo "<p>$course_code</p>";
										//$first=array();
										$first[]=$course_code;
										//echo $y;
											//echo "<p>hi</p>";
											//print_r($first);


								}
						}
					}



			  print_r($first);
			  		$_SESSION['first']=$first;

	}




	function form()
 {
$hostname = "localhost";
$username = "root";
$password = "hayden";
$database = "ecng3020";


$courses_options = "";
$con = mysql_connect("$hostname","$username","$password");
if (!$con)
  {
  die('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());
  }
  mysql_select_db("$database", $con);

  $courses_options .= "<option value=\"NULL\">Course :</option>\n";
	$try="Select course_code,course_name FROM courses";
   $rsrcResult = mysql_query($try);
$courses_options .= "<select name=coursecode_1[]  size=4 multiple>";
   while($row = mysql_fetch_row($rsrcResult)) {

		$strA=$row[0];
		$strB=$row[1];




	 $courses_options .= "<option value=\"$strA\">$strB</option>\n";
   }

   $courses_options .= "</select>";


 echo <<<EOB
 <form method=post action=''>
 <p>$courses_options</p>


  <p>
  	<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Submit" />
		<input type="reset" name="Reset" value="Cancel" />
  </p>
</form>
EOB;

}

form();


if ($_POST['submit'] == 'Submit')
{

$hostname = "localhost";
$username = "root";
$password = "hayden";
$database = "ecng3020";

	$con = mysql_connect("$hostname","$username","$password");
	if (!$con)
 	 {
  		die('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());
  	}

	mysql_select_db("$database", $con);

					//$id=$_SESSION['username'];
					@$code= $_POST['coursecode_1'];
					$_SESSION['courses']=$_POST['coursecode_1'];

					//print_r($_SESSION['courses']);


					if( is_array($code))
					{
							//$sum= array();

						while (list ($key, $val) = each ($code))
						{
							//echo $val;
							//$second[]=$_POST['coursecode_1'];
							//print_r($_POST['coursecode_1']);
							$_SESSION['second']=$_POST['coursecode_1'];
						}
					}
}

$new=array_merge($_SESSION['second'],$_SESSION['first']);
print_r($new);


$hostname = "localhost";
$username = "root";
$password = "hayden";
$database = "ecng3020";



$con = mysql_connect("$hostname","$username","$password");
if (!$con)
  {
  die('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());
  }
  mysql_select_db("$database", $con);


$q="SELECT * FROM rules Where type ='course_option' AND label='comms courses' ";
  if ($result_2=mysql_query($q))
  {
  	echo"nice";
  }
  else
  {
  	echo"shit";
  }

	($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result_2))

			extract($row);
			//echo "<p>$parameters</p>";
			$o=explode(",",$parameters);
			//print_r($e);




	for ($i=0;$i<count($new);$i++)
	{
		 if ($new[$i]==$o[$i])
		 {
		 	echo "<p>option complete</p>";
		 }
	}
?>