Copying a Multi-Dimentional Array

Anon

I'm currently working on a project where all I have access to is a flat text file database. Its got 709 rows with 50 columns each. When searching I loop through one row at a time, checking the column that contains the property I want. I then want to copy that row and all its columns from the one array into another array to be used later.

What I can't seem to do is do the copy. I either get an error, timeout, or the new array returns Array.

Any help would be useful.

$filename = "cards.txt";
function splice($filename){
if(file_exists($filename)){
global $value; $value=array("0");
global $counter; $counter = 0;
$rows=file($filename);
for($num=0;$num < count($rows); $num++){
$column=explode("|",$rows[$num]);
$value[$num]=$column;
}
}
}
splice($filename);

if($submit == "Submit Query"){
if ($search[first] && !$all){
for($i = 0; $i <= count($value); $i++){
if($value[$i][1] == "1st Edition"){
//copy $value[$i][*] to another array
}
}
$counter++;
}
}

Mark

Anon

Wait till you hear how easy this is!

If the array is called $value.
Simply do this :

$new_array = $value;

THAT'S IT! sigh, it happened to me too.

Good luck,
COPE

Anon

Acutally that doesn't work. That works if you are copying the entire array but not if you're copying specific records for a $results array. The code that works (after much agonising testing) is:

for($i = 0; $i <= 709; $i++){
if($value[$i][0] == $SearchQuery){
for($a=0;$a<=50;$a++){
$results[$i][] = $value[$i][$a];
}
}
}

This copies the row if the first property in the row is equal to the search query.

Its then followed by:

for($i = 0; $i <= 709; $i++){
for($x = 0; $x <= 50; $x++){
if($results[$i][$x] != ""){
$value[$i][] = $results[$i][$x];
} else {
unset($value[$i][$x]);
}
}
}

To set $value to only the search results so that they can be searched again and narrowed down. Once narrowed down then:

asort($value); // don't think this line actually works but its not doing any harm
for($i = 0; $i <= 709; $i++){
if($value[$i][0] != ""){
echo $value[$i][0];
echo " \n";
}
}

Something that should be noted with this script is that you can NOT do count($value) in the for $i loops. The reason is it will only count the lines that are not blank. This means that it won't loop through the right number of times in future narrowing searches.

Mark

Anon

answered your own question, lol. Did you need me to help you tighten the code up?

One thing I knowticed that doesn't seem right is :

for($i = 0; $i <= 709; $i++){
for($x = 0; $x <= 50; $x++){
if($results[$i][$x] != ""){
$value[$i][] = $results[$i][$x];
} else {
unset($value[$i][$x]);
}
}
}

so you unset value? if no result found? but that seems like your resivoir after the serch is filtered.

Second it would be more dynamic if you use:

array_count_values(array)

retuns an array containing the values of the array as keys and their frequency as values

then you asort() the array in assending order.

the if that array is NOI empty echo it.. to be honest it's hard to grasp the pourpose of the code. You are matching a result , from somwhere with an array made from a flat file.

then combing that array for the result. So there are duplicate matches, throught the result array?

Then last but not least you echo the 2nd key (value) of the value array from 0 - 709. That's slightly confusing.

If you cond write the functionality as you invision it, it would allow me to be more usful. Well, hope I can help.

COPE

Anon

Have you tried using the command:

in_array(value , array)

returns :
Boolean

Indicates if the specified value exists in the supplied array

COPE

Anon

COPE wrote:

answered your own question, lol. Did you need me to help you tighten the code up?
-------------------------------

Ya, I did it the hard way... tested, retested, and tested again the behavior of various commands.

COPE wrote:

One thing I knowticed that doesn't seem right is :

for($i = 0; $i <= 709; $i++){
for($x = 0; $x <= 50; $x++){
if($results[$i][$x] != ""){
$value[$i][] = $results[$i][$x];
} else {
unset($value[$i][$x]);
}
}
}

so you unset value? if no result found? but that seems like your resivoir after the serch is filtered.
-------------------------------

It is, what I'm doing is searching 50 possible card properties. There are groups of properties to search by, once that group is searched the above code is put in (part I left out checks if more than one of those properties is checked to array_merge into $value, if not do the above code.). the check on results to see if its null is to make sure the same record in $value is cleared, otherwise it will remain in there when it comes time to display the final results or search by another group of properties.

COPE wrote:

Second it would be more dynamic if you use:

array_count_values(array)

retuns an array containing the values of the array as keys and their frequency as values

then you asort() the array in assending order.
-------------------------------

I thought of this, there are two problems that arise, one is its a multi-dimentional array, array_count_values($value) will return $value(Array=>709), what use is this? And it will also not return anything when a record is unset so it will not return the correct number of records in the array, just the ones with values.

COPE wrote:

the if that array is NOI empty echo it.. to be honest it's hard to grasp the pourpose of the code. You are matching a result , from somwhere with an array made from a flat file.

then combing that array for the result. So there are duplicate matches, throught the result array?

Then last but not least you echo the 2nd key (value) of th....
-------------------------------

If you take a look at www.ga-games.org/test.php it may help you grasp what I'm trying to do. I've got it all worked out except for how to do a search by user input. Everything seems to do exact value of $array[][*], not be able to search through the field for the input. ie: user enters trig it would search and find $value[0][0] == "Trigger Happy" Jack.

Mark

Anon

COPE wrote:

Have you tried using the command:

in_array(value , array)

returns :
Boolean

Indicates if the specified value exists in the supplied array

COPE
-------------------------------

Again since its a multi-dimentional array it would have to be looped over, and all it does is tells me if its there, once I've found that out I've got to do exactly what I've just done (perhaps a more efficient way of doing it is possible but I don't know it 🙂.

What is lost on most people when I talk about this is that $value[0] returns Array as there is an array of 50 in each instance of $value. Most people would think that if $value[0] = Jack then $value[0][0] would return J. In this case $value[0][0] = Jack and $value[0][0][0] returns J.

Mark