how to divide the content of a reversed array in half?

marcnyc

Hello, I have a list of interviews divided by   which are inside a file that I open, read, enter into an array, reverse the order of and then print on the screen in the reversed order (the newest one first).
This is the code:

$filelocation = 'interviews.inc';
	// Open the datafile and read the content
	$file_pointer = fopen($filelocation,"r");
	$content = fread($file_pointer, filesize($filelocation));
	fclose($file_pointer);
	// Remove the slashes PHP automatically puts before special characters
	$content=stripslashes($content);
	// Put the entries into the array lines
	$lines = explode("&nbsp;",$content);
	// Define and fill the reverse array (showing the last entry first)
	$rev = array();
              $f=0;
              for ($i=sizeof($lines)-1;$i>=1;$i--){
              $rev[$f]=$lines[$i];
              $f++;
              }
	$lines=$rev;
	for($l=0;$l<count($lines);$l++) { 
	echo '<li>'.$lines[$l];
	}

This list is getting long and for aesthetical purposes I have been thinking of dividing the list into a table with two columns.

Here is my problem. Can somebody suggest the code to do that?

I am assuming I have to divide an array into two different parts either before or after the reversal and then print one part between the first <td> tag and the other in the second column.

What I don't know is how to do this, especially because this array changes in size constantly so there is no way to know where to cut precisely and I don't know hot to determine 50% of an undefinite value, if you know what I mean...

xblue

I understand you want it to be (assuming 5 items total)
item1 item4
item2 item5
item3
is that correct?

// dummy array
$array = array('item1', 'item2', 'item3', 'item4', 'item5');

echo "<table><tr><td>";
// if array size is 5, this should display element 0, 1, and 2
for ($i=0; $i < ceil(count($array)/2); $i++){
    echo $array[$i].'<br />';
}
echo "</td></tr><tr><td>";
// this should display element 3 and 4
for ($i=ceil(count($array)/2); $i < count($array); $i++){
    echo $array[$i].'<br />';
}
echo "</td></tr></table>";

it is not tested, but hopefully gives you an idea.

tomhath

Not that it will make a lot of difference, but there's no need for the $rev array. Just echo from the original array as you loop from the end to the front:

for ($i=sizeof($lines)-1;$i>=1;$i--){
 echo $array[$i]...

marcnyc

Actually I was thinking that I would like to have

item5 item2
item4 item1
item3

Where 5 is the latest in date (and therefore the last one in the original file from where the items are fread from before being put into an array and reversed).

xblue

well, then either reverse your array, or modify the 'for' conditions to start with count($array)-1 and decrement, as tomhath suggested.

you still can use count($array)/2 to identify half the size of the array.

marcnyc

xblue your code works great, thank you VERY much!

I have one question that is more like a general question about a doubt I had for a long time... I see you used as opposed to . I have seen this used many times in other scripts and I never understood how that is different and why and when I should use . Could you be so kind and explain so I can get rid of my doubt? Thanks a lot!

xblue

it does not matter much. old browser would ignore the slash as an attribute the don't understand, and all newer browsers will accept just as well. in simple words:

most tags require a closing tag with the slash, like <h1> </h1>

some tags don't, like <img ...> or , so they are regarded as "self-closing", and the slash indicates there is no closing tag to come.

marcnyc

I see, so shouldn't it be ??

But basically you are saying I don't need to worry about and I can just keep using ?

xblue

question 1, no doesn't make sense, it would only be for both.

question 2: bingo!