Sorting Complex Tables

[Mistah_Roth]

Alright I have a script that lets you create a table of items using MySQL, and then sorting them by name or price or whatever. here is the script:

<?php

$username = "ffextreme";
$password = "dellpops";
$hostname = "localhost";
$database_name = "ffextreme_com";

/* connect to db */
mysql_connect ($hostname,$username,$password);
mysql_select_db ($database_name);

$default_sort = 'name';
$allowed_order = array ('" . $_POST["name"] . "', '" . $_POST["info"] . "', '" . $_POST["price"] . "');

if (!isset ($_GET['order']) || 
    !in_array ($_GET['order'], $allowed_order)) {
    $order = $default_sort;
} else {
    $order = $_GET['order'];
}

if ($displaytable == "ffxaccessories") {
	if(!$_GET['order_by']) {
   		$query = "SELECT name, price, description, location FROM $displaytable ORDER BY name"; 
	} else {
    	$order_by = $_GET['order_by'];
    	$query = "SELECT name, price, description, location FROM $displaytable ORDER BY $order_by"; }
}
if ($displaytable == "ffxitems") {
	if(!$_GET['order_by']) {
    	$query = "SELECT name, price, description FROM $displaytable ORDER BY name"; 
	} else {
    	$order_by = $_GET['order_by'];
    	$query = "SELECT name, price, description FROM $displaytable ORDER BY $order_by"; }
}

$result = mysql_query($query) or die(); 
$numrows = mysql_num_rows($result); 

if ($numrows == 0) {
    echo "No data to display!";
    exit;
}

$row = mysql_fetch_assoc ($result);
echo "<TABLE width=80% cellspacing=1 cellpadding=5 bgcolor=#000000 border=0>\n";
echo "<TR>\n";
foreach ($row as $heading=>$column) {

echo "<a href=index.php?displaytable=$displaytable&order_by=$heading><TD bgcolor=#395060 onmouseout=\"style.backgroundColor='#395060'\"; onmouseover=\"style.backgroundColor='#6A778A'; style.cursor='hand'\"><b>";
if (in_array ($heading, $allowed_order)) {
    echo "<font face=Verdana size=1 color=#CCCCCC>$heading</font>";
} else {
    echo "<font face=Verdana size=1 color=#CCCCCC>$heading</font>";
}                
echo "</b></TD></a>\n";
}
echo "</TR>\n";

mysql_data_seek ($result, 0);
while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc ($result)) {
    echo "<TR bgcolor=565E6B>\n";
    foreach ($row as $column) {
        echo "<TD><font face=Verdana size=1 color=#CCCCCC><strong>$column</strong></font></TD>\n";
    }
    echo "</TR>\n";
}
echo "</TABLE>\n";
?> 

But now I have to figure out how to have it organize by Name or Price again, but using complex tables, like the ones here:

http://www.ffonline.com/ff7/enemies-ab.htm (click the little arrows at the sides of each)

I have it so the entire cell with the title (Name or whatever) can be clicked to organize it by that field..

I'm not sure what to do that will let me do something like this, since my program is based on a "one row per item" thing, maybe in each row could be another table... but then how could I get the fields to show and be organized...

My question is pretty much how do I do this?

[Mistah_Roth]

can I please get some help?

[ednark]

by Name or Price again, but using complex tables,

im unsure what your script doesn't do that you want it to do

by 'tables' do you mean... more complex SQL tables..... or more complex HTML tables....

you can ORDER by col1, col2, col3

if you want to order by col1 first... then within that ordering... by col2... then within that ordering by col3.... does that answer your question...

you are already passing the $order_by variable via url in the $_GET array... and grabbing in correctly... so you know the trick on how to get this done

so please post with a more specific intent of what you want your script to do

[Mistah_Roth]

my current one is just a simple HTML table thing, like this:

<table>
<tr>
<td>Name</td>
<td>Price</td>
<td>Information</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Potion</td>
<td>10</td>
<td>Heals things</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Hi-Potion</td>
<td>20</td>
<td>Heals more things</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>X-Potion</td>
<td>100</td>
<td>Heals everything</td>
</tr>
</table>

(except it uses PHP and MySQL to get the info, but thats how it would appear on the screen) and if I click Name it will organize the rows descending by that column.

What i want it to be able to do is enter the same info (with a bit more) but it makes tables look like the ones in my link above, and still organizes by the name or price, but organizes it so each table is in order for it.