PHP Dynamic Variable Names

Luke_Tudor

Hi a [tricky] bit of php code...

I have a number of variables past from a form called;

txtCatalogue1
txtCatalogue2
txtCatalogye3

These are text boxes. I want to get the contents of each of these text boxes in a loop.
I want the code, to be able to handle the adition of new textboxes using the same convention.

Therefore, I want code to loop and get the variable txtCatalogue{i} where i is a counter variable.
So How can I create a variable name dynamically?

I sort of guest this code, but it doesn't work. Any ideas?

$i=0;						// initialise counter variable
while ($txtCatalogue{$i} != ""){		// FOR EACH catalogue do
	if ($txtCatalogue{$i} == "request"){	//  if requested, write request in email
		print $i;			//    print count variable if txtcataloguei equals request
	}					//  end of if
	$i++;					// inc counter variable
}						// end while

Any help apriciated.
Luke Tudor.

jmcneese

$fields = array("txtCatalogue1","txtCatalogue2","txtCatalogue3");

foreach($fields as $field) {
    if(!empty($field) and $field == "request") {
        echo "$field\n";
    }
}

figment

Try this 🙂

<?php
	$i=0;
	while (${"txtCatalogue".$i} != ""){
		if (${"txtCatalogue".$i} == "request"){
			print $i;
		}
		$i++;
	}
?>

(there are some possable issues with the structure of that while loop however.....)

acidbox

Figment,

I like your idea, but what if the dynamic variable names are not an ordered number?

For isntance, I am doing the same thing, however, my variables are similar to this:

cid_4423429
cid_9362854
cid_1481853

I would like to run the same loop process, but I cannot figure out how to dynamically call these variables.

Weedpacket

Use jmcneese's method - now all you need to do is build his $fields array.

$fields = array();
// $HTTP_POST_VARS if using a
// version of PHP before 4.1.
//
// $_GET if that's the method the form uses.
foreach($_POST as $field)
{ // Match fields with names starting 'cid_'
  if(substr($field,0,4)=='cid_')
    $fields[]=$field;
}

...and see jmcneese for the rest.

Of course, you could combine this loop with that of jmcneese, by replacing the $fields[]=$field line abovewith the body of jmcneese's loop; but the savings probably aren't worth the more messier-looking code.