insert to database in php mysql

You should insert outside the while loop with one statement only. Try this one.

$query = mysqli_query ( $conn, $row ) or die ( mysqli_error ( $conn ) );
echo "<div class='col-md-4 col-md-offset-1' >";
echo "<table class='table table-hover table-striped table-bordered'>

<tr class='info'>

</tr>";
//insert outside while loop
$insert = "INSERT INTO shortlist(name,job,points) VALUES ";
$values = array();
while ( $row = mysqli_fetch_array ( $query ) ) {
    $name = $row ['name'];
    $job = $row ['refNo'];
    echo "<tr>";
    echo "<td>" . $row ['name'] . "</td>";
    echo "<td>" . $row ['refNo'] . "</td>";
    echo "<form method='post' action='selection.php'>";
    echo "<td>" . "<input type='text' name='essential' class='form-control' width='100%' required>" . "</td>";
    echo "<td>" . "<input type='text' name='desirable' class='form-control' width='100%' required>" . "</td>";
    echo "<input type='hidden' name='name' value='" . $name . "'>";
    echo "<input type='hidden' name='job' value='" . $job . "'>";
    echo "</tr>";
    if (isset ( $_POST ['submit'] )) {
        $name = $_POST ['name'];
        $job = $_POST ['job'];
        $essential = $_POST ['essential'];
        $desirable = $_POST ['desirable'];
        //fetch values
        $values[] = "('" . $name . "','" . $job . "','" . ($essential + $desirable) . "')";
        if ($query) {
            header ( "location:index.php" );
        }
    }
}
echo "</table>";
echo "<input type='submit' class='btn btn-success' name='submit' value='Submit'>";
"</form>";

echo "</div>";
// implode and append all the values, will generate a sql like 'insert into table_name (column_group) values (val_group_1),(val_group_2)'
$insert .= implode(',',$values); 
//insert multiple rows at one time
$query = mysqli_query ( $conn, $insert ) or die ( mysqli_error ( $conn ) );
mysqli_close ( $conn );
?>

You are using simple name not array in your form input Your generated form looks like

<form method='post' action='selection.php'>
<input type='text' name='essential' >
<input type='text' name='desirable' >
</form>

So only last value is saved in the form input You should use array of names in input form like That

<form method='post' action='selection.php'>
<input type='text' name='essential[]' >
<input type='text' name='desirable[]' >
</form>

in this way all values will be saved in name array like i am showing essential array output

// printed output

Array (

[0] => First input value

[1] => Second input value

[2] => Third input value

) you can print whole posted array by print_r() function this will help you more in storing multiple record

You are try to seperate two value of column using + . It is use as

  $essential=$_POST['essential'];
  $desirable=$_POST['desirable'];
  $val=$essential+$desirable;
  $insert="INSERT INTO shortlist(`name`,`job`,`points`) VALUES('".$name."','".$job."','".$val."')";

Note:

• If you want to pursue the logic you want with your code, you can just remove the if(!$query) condition. If your query is true, it will go to index.php and will not be able to continue the loop. So only the first data will be inserted.
• If you still want the user to be redirect to index.php after the insert query, you can try this:

Code:

...END OF YOUR INSERT AND WHILE LOOP HERE...

if(isset($_POST["submit"])){
  header("LOCATION:index.php");
}

Merging the replies from @EasonLuo and @AnkitArjaria, putting the fields out as arrays and doing a single insert after looping through the input:-

<?php
include('includes/conn.php');
echo "<div class='col-md-4 col-md-offset-1' >";
echo "<form method='post' action='selection.php'>";
echo "<table class='table table-hover table-striped table-bordered'>
<tr class='info'>
</tr>";
$values = array();
if(isset($_POST['submit']))
{
    foreach($_POST['name'] AS $key=>$value)
    {
        $name = mysqli_real_escape_string($conn, $_POST['name'][$key]);
        $job = mysqli_real_escape_string($conn, $_POST['job'][$key]);
        $essential = (int)$_POST['essential'][$key];
        $desirable =(int)$_POST['desirable'][$key];
        $values[] = "('$name','$job',".($essential + $desirable).")";
    }
    if (count($values) > 0)
    {
        $insert = "INSERT INTO shortlist(name,job,points) VALUES ".implode(', ', $values);
        $query = mysqli_query($conn,$insert) or die(mysqli_error($conn));
        if($query)
        {
            header("location:index.php");
        }
    }
}

$row = "SELECT name,refNo,department FROM profile WHERE department='$getid'";
$query = mysqli_query($conn,$row)  or die(mysqli_error($conn));
$cnt = 0;

while($row=mysqli_fetch_array($query))
{
    $cnt++;
    $name = $row['name'];
    $job = $row['refNo'];
    echo "<tr>";
    echo "<td>".$row['name']."</td>";
    echo "<td>".$row['refNo']."</td>";
    echo "<td>"."<input type='text' name='essential[$cnt]' class='form-control' width='100%' required>"."</td>";
    echo "<td>"."<input type='text' name='desirable[$cnt]' class='form-control' width='100%' required>"."</td>";
    echo "<input type='hidden' name='name[$cnt]' value='".$name."'>";
    echo "<input type='hidden' name='job[$cnt]' value='".$job."'>";
    echo "</tr>";
}
echo "</table>";
echo "<input type='submit' class='btn btn-success' name='submit' value='Submit'>";
"</form>";
echo "</div>";
mysqli_close($conn);
?>