random help

dbcoder

hey, i have a mysql db with urls of images and all there id's are set to 1

i have this script that is supposed to select a random image, but it always selects that same image all the time. I am using this for a random avatar thingie.

<?php

$thisdb = mysql_connect("localhost","user","pass");
mysql_select_db("database",$thisdb);

$sql = "SELECT * FROM randomavatars WHERE id=$set ORDER BY RAND()";
$result = mysql_query($sql,$thisdb);

$array = mysql_fetch_array($result);

// Output header for path for first image
header("Location: " . $array["path"]);

The db looks a lil like this but longer, 21 entries (the images are made up)

id | path
1 | http://www.google.com/.........
1 | http://www.yahoo.com/monkey.gif

and for the avatar file use instead of a image file is avatar.php?set=1

please help

dalecosp

Never tried order by Rand() in MySQL.

You might:

shuffle($array);

just before the 'header' function...

dbcoder

🙁 Doesn't work

WinterDragon

first off, you have a huge array... Whats the value of $array[0] ? Its the first ROW... $array[1] is the SECOND ROW, now how do we get stuff from the first row? $array[0]['path'] I guess... Don't get mad at me if it doesn't work!

dalecosp

Have you determined what the content(s) of $array are?

I might be wrong, but $array['path'] might be empty. I'm thinking $array[0]['path'], but I've been wrong many times before....

print_r($array);

WinterDragon

I just said that silly billy dalecosp 🙂 Except I didn't mention print_r() although I use it like a drunken mad god, it helps alot of times with problems I am having with arrays... niceeee

dalecosp

Yes, you did. I had already pulled up a reply box prior to your post, and got to doing something else for a moment...when I posted I discovered you'd already noticed the same thing. I apologize if you're offended 🙁 I suppose I could go back up and make up something different 😉 ...like "your Zend Optimizer configuration is bad...." 😃

WinterDragon

rofl naw, Just messin with ya, At least we're on the same playing field, and team I suppose. goal. Btw, why the name dalecosp? My middle name is dale, just wondering. shrugs

dbcoder

neither of those work... is there a totally other script i can try?

dalecosp

Originally posted by WinterDragon
rofl naw, Just messin with ya, At least we're on the same playing field, and team I suppose. goal. Btw, why the name dalecosp? My middle name is dale, just wondering. shrugs

My middle name is also Dale, and my company, DaleCo, 'the solutions people'....

dalecosp

Originally posted by dbcoder
neither of those work... is there a totally other script i can try?

Wanna show us what you've got now?

WinterDragon

dbcoder, do this...


print_r($array);

LOOK at the page, and c&p what it shows... because We don't know what the array is right now, and shrugs

lol cool dalecosp

dbcoder

Array ( [0] => 1 [id] => 1 [1] => http://www.mtv.com/shared/media/images/covers/170/410/410621.jpg [path] => http://www.mtv.com/shared/media/images/covers/170/410/410621.jpg )

dalecosp

Try this for me?

<?php 

$thisdb = mysql_connect("localhost","user","pass"); 
mysql_select_db("database",$thisdb); 

$sql = "SELECT * FROM randomavatars WHERE id=$set ORDER BY RAND()"; 
$result = mysql_query($sql,$thisdb); 
$i=mysql_num_rows($result);  //man I hate it when the laptop is upside down!
for ($j=0; $j<count($i); $j++) {
$array[$j] = mysql_fetch_array($result); 
}

// Output header for path for first image 
header("Location: " . $array[0]["path"]); 

?>

WinterDragon

oh good one dalecosp! claps at your performance Now I know a new mysql command, mysql_num_rows, btw you misspelled it, you typed: mysql_nuw_rows, Change it man 🙂

dbcoder

dude, you are awesome. I owe you. And man, you are good at this php stuff, i am such a noob.

dalecosp

Done...thanks 🙂

dalecosp

Originally posted by dbcoder
dude, you are awesome. I owe you. And man, you are good at this php stuff, i am such a noob.

We all were noobs once. When you get better at it, pass on what you've learned..... 🙂

dbcoder

actually, i may seem to be pushin it, but it does seem to be the same image for a large fraction of the tries. It's no big deal, but is there a way to fix that?

dbcoder

and the image that shows almost all the time is the first one in the data base.