I'm at the point where I think I should give up on this project. I have hit dead ends at every attempt.
The basic concept is that I have an INI file that is read by my main page. My main page has two list boxes that get the option information from the INI file using php. When An option is selected in list box one, I call an on change java function that should change list box two.
I thought I could do this by having PHP create all the list boxes from the ini first, and have them set to display:none. Then the Javascript would turn the display to Block, depending on the option selection in list box one.
The problem I keep running into is Javascript not able to read directly from the INI, and PHP cannot do onclick events unless the whole page reloads.
Is this even possible to do?
Yes, it is possible to do; you just need to use AJAX techniques. Your javascript captures the events, then sends a request to your PHP via XMLHttpRequest. PHP reads the INI and echos the information, which javascript captures in its responseText and then updates the interface accordingly.
I highly recommend you research AJAX. It's good stuff.