help with data placement

Anon

here is my problem:

i am using this simple script -->

<?php

if ($message)
{
$message = ereg_replace("\r\n\r\n", "\n, $message);
$date = date("l, F j Y, h:i a");
$message = "$name -- $date$message <hr>
$fp = fopen (basename($PHP_SELF) . ".comment", "a");
fwrite ($fp, $message);
fclose ($fp);
}
@readfile(basename(($PHP_SELF . ".comment")));
?>

the "$message" is taken from a standard form and the two together make a very simple guestbook / message board.

messages are contained in a simple text file with the ".comment" extension given to it (as shown above).

my problem is that the most recent post to the board is placed at the bottom of the message list instead of the top....so that the message order goes from oldest message first to newest message last -- backwards !!!

obviously this is because i am using "a" as the fopen mode.

if i add "rewind($fp)" and change the fopen mode to r+ it writes the newest data at the top of the text file (where i want it) but it overwrites a few of the lines at the top of the file!!!

i read somwhere that you can use multiple modes in fopen, and that using a combo of "aw" as the mode should fix my problem -- adding new data to the top of the text file (which is holding the messages) without erasing any data that is already there. however, this solution never works!!!

i have tried everything that i know and still can't find a solution that works well....

can anyone help me???

Anon

the simplest way to do this is to open the file, parse it and reverse the way its written back to the file

this is a lot of overhead though but if performance is not that critical, you can use something like the following:

open and read the file
while (reading)
store messages into an array
arr = message;
// such that the oldest message is in arr[0] while the most recent is in arr[num_of_messages]
}

so to display the newest messages first, followed by succeeding messages simply write the newest message first to the file (don't use append), you need to overwrite the file!

it looks like:
// write the newest message first to the disk
write $newMsg;
for (i = num_of_messages; i >= 0; i--) {
write arr to disk
// this reverses the order and writes the oldest one (arr[0] last)
}

such that next time you call the file again to write a newer message you open the file, store it somewhere, write the newer message, and append the contents and the oldest message is always at the end.

hope that helps.

[deleted]

A simpler way would be to read the whole file into memory, then open that same file for writing, write the new entry, open the file for appending "a" and write the data you previously read into memory.

Ofcourse you'd make things much easier by using a database.