php and checkboxes

Hi all, I have a table that gets populated from records of a DB. every row in the table has a checkbox and the items desc. I want the user to select the items they want and then they click on a link which registers the items they've selected in a session variable. Firstly I am not sure if this can be done on that same page or on the page to which the link calls. IE: if php can determine which checkboxes have been selected. All the checkboxes are all part of an array. this is the way it should work: 1. the user selects the items they want 2. then clicks a link to another page 3. this page then displays what was selected 4. this info must be sent in a session variable. 5. must not use a submit button as I want the info to be saved in session variable. I hope that this makes sense. TIA