Array prob

Gav

Hi,

From the query below i wish to output just one string that i wish to use as a basic description of products - i am going to use this string to pass in a hidden field within a form - I know the query is working as i tested the loop by echoing $row->eachfield and got the desired results - where i am having the problem is just returning one string in $contents. I can only get it to return either the last result found or "Array". Would this be correct below - or any other suggestions on this would be most appreciated

function display_contents($table, $session) {
$count = 0;
$query = "SELECT * FROM $table WHERE session='$session'";
$result = mysql_query($query);
while ($row = mysql_fetch_object($result)) {
$contents['quantity'][$count] = $row->quantity;
$contents['title'][$count] = $row->title;
$contents['code'][$count] = $row->code;
$count++;
}
return $contents;
}

THNKS in advance

PHPForever

The code looks ok...
Try this:

<?php
Include("Path To display_contents function");
//this will should include the file/code that contains the function

$X = display_contents;
//do a while loop here
Echo $X['code'];
// if this work then you are missing the [' '] when trying to use
// contents. I hope this will help you.
?>

Gav

Thanks for your reply PHPforever

This is great because i can now see the array elements - but the problem i still have is holding all of the array elements as one variable say $description.

I need them all in one variable say $description because i generate a html form via the php and within that form i have a hidden field called descript.

Basically doin this

echo "<input type=hidden name=descript value=$description>

and i need $description to hold all of the array elements to be able to pass this from to my credit card transaction service with a basic description of products purchased. I am limited to only 1 form parameter to pass through as my description.

any ideas or am i going about this the wrong way

Gav

PHPForever

That is great!

About that other problem...well there is a solution, however it is a bit out of the ordinary, but it is simple math.

In your case, you have no choice but to include all the data you obtain in the same variable(array), there isn't anything you could do about that as far as I understood.
So here is the solution.

Imaginarly divide your array into N-parts(parts containg different data) Now, I'm assuming that you will get data of similar type, say:

name: \
for one array ( in your case would be contents['code'])
age: /

then:

birth: \
for the other array (say contents['location']
city: /

Now you can't pass $contents['code'] and $contents['location'] as $contents because acutally they are different. However you could include them in one array which will have all the data.

It will look like that:

Array key: |1 |2 |3 |4 |5.....

Array contenet: code1 | code2 | location1| Location2

To achieve the data you loop throught the array but in a special way that will divide the elements into two different arrays:

Like that:

While ($LCV =< $ArrayLenght) (= >> you have to get this)

If ($Key == 1 or $Key == 2)
{
$NewArray = $Contents[$Key]
}
Else
{
//I hope you get the idea...
}

Please note that the actual code is a bit different. The code I provided is only a small exmple in an array with only 4 elements.
Howerver this would be my approach to solve the problem. I know I'm repeating but you have to dynamically break one array of elements info two different arrays after you have passed the array throught...

If you really insist I could write the exact code for you if you give me some time.

Weedpacket

Originally posted by Gav
Hi,

function display_contents($table, $session) {
	$count = 0;
	$query = "SELECT * FROM $table WHERE session='$session'";
	$result = mysql_query($query);
	while ($row = mysql_fetch_object($result)) {
	$contents['quantity'][$count] = $row->quantity;
	$contents['title'][$count] = $row->title;
	$contents['code'][$count] = $row->code;
	$count++;
	}
	return $contents;
	}

THNKS in advance [/B]

This is an observation, and not necessarily part of a solution, but I was thinking your data model could be improved by grouping by record, rather than by field. I.e. use

	$contents[$count]['quantity'] = $row->quantity;
	$contents[$count]['title'] = $row->title;
	$contents[$count]['code'] = $row->code;

Then each record would be represented by a single intact array, such as $contents[4].

My personal style would tend to make the function look more like:

function display_contents($table, $session) {
	$query = "SELECT quantity,title,code FROM $table WHERE session='$session'";
	$result = mysql_query($query);
	while ($row = mysql_fetch_object($result)) {
		$contents[]=array(
			'quantity'=>$row->quantity,
			'title'=>$row->title,
			'code'=>$row->code
		);
	}
	return $contents;
}

or even

function display_contents($table, $session) {
	$query = "SELECT quantity,title,code FROM $table WHERE session='$session'";
	$result = mysql_query($query);
	while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {
		$contents[]=$row;
	}
	return $contents;
}

(It wouldn't do to fold up $row and use while($contents[]=...) because then $contents would end up with a spurious false entry on the end.)

Further, if I had a unique identifier for the rows, I'd index $contents by that, instead of just a 0-based index, to make it an associative array.

But that's just me. Feel free to be different 🙂

To turn an $array into a string suitable for a form hidden field (why not use sessions?), htmlspecialchars(serialize($array)) would do the trick. If you use ' to delimit your html tag attribute values, then htmlspecialchars(...,ENT_QUOTES) is necessary (Also look at htmlentities() for a more thorough encoding). Serialize() converts PHP variable contents into strings, and htmlspecialchars() deals to characters that have a special meaning in html (and gee, I'd never have figured that out if I hadn't been told🙂) To convert back there's no unhtmlspecialchars() function, because PHP's CGI frontend will automagically do the trick. You just need to unserialize() to recreate the variable and its contents.