Search an array?

eternalprophet

Search an array?
I need to get data from an input form into an array. I got all the information input, but now I need to be able to search it....this is what I have.

FORM PAGE:

PHP PAGE

<?php
$states[0] = $HTTP_POST_VARS["states0"];
$states[1] = $HTTP_POST_VARS["states1"];
$states[2] = $HTTP_POST_VARS["states2"];
$states[3] = $HTTP_POST_VARS["states3"];
$states[4] = $HTTP_POST_VARS["states4"];
$states[5] = $HTTP_POST_VARS["states5"];
$states[6] = $HTTP_POST_VARS["states6"];
?>

I have added an echo statement to the end so I know all the values are being added. My question is, I have to search the array for a word that ends in xas, and move it to element 0 in the array.

I am sort of confused on how to search them. I was thinking a regular expression maybe?

if(ereg('^xas', $state, $xas){
$states[0] = $xas
}

But if you search a string and it matches, then it only returns true. How can I search the string, and if there is a match, isolate that array element and move it to a different element (say from 5 to 0)?

I am very confused on this, regular expressions are above me, heh.

eternalprophet

I changed the php page to:

for (x=0;x<=strlen($states);++x) {
if(ereg('^xas', $states[x]){
$states[0] = $states[x]
print "Match Found"
}
else
{
print "No Match in \$states[x]"
}

echo $states[2];
echo $states[3];
echo $states[4];
echo $states[5];
echo $states[6];
echo $states[0];
echo $states[1];

I made a shot with the regular expression, but I still need guidance I am sure.

I get parse error on line 11. Sniff.

Suggestions?

ir4z0r

<?php 
  $states[0] = $_POST["states0"]; 
  $states[1] = $_POST["states1"]; 
  $states[2] = $_POST["states2"]; 
  $states[3] = $_POST["states3"]; 
  $states[4] = $_POST["states4"]; 
  $states[5] = $_POST["states5"]; 
  $states[6] = $_POST["states6"];
  $states[7] = $_POST["states7"];

  for ($x=0; $x < sizeof($states); $x++)
  {
    if(strpos($states[$x], "xas"))
    { 
      $states[0] = $states[$x];
      echo "Match Found";
    }
    else 
    { 
      echo "No Match in \$states[" . $x . "]";
    }
  }

  echo $states[2] . "<br>"; 
  echo $states[3] . "<br>"; 
  echo $states[4] . "<br>"; 
  echo $states[5] . "<br>"; 
  echo $states[6] . "<br>"; 
  echo $states[0] . "<br>"; 
  echo $states[1]; 

?>

this searches for an occurence of "xas" in the entries

eternalprophet

Thanks alot, but how could I do it where it only checks to see if the word ends in xas? I know there are no states that have xas at the beginning or whatnot, but it would be cool if I could make it more flexible.

In theory I could just get the length of the individual element $states[4] or whatnot, and if it was 10 characters long I could search to see if xas was in 7 8 and 9?

I have no way to test anything php at my work, but is that feasable?

ir4z0r

<?php 
  $states[0] = $_POST["states0"]; 
  $states[1] = $_POST["states1"]; 
  $states[2] = $_POST["states2"]; 
  $states[3] = $_POST["states3"]; 
  $states[4] = $_POST["states4"]; 
  $states[5] = $_POST["states5"]; 
  $states[6] = $_POST["states6"];
  $states[7] = $_POST["states7"];

  $search = "xas";

  for ($x=0; $x < sizeof($states); $x++)
  {
    if(substr($states[$x],strlen($states[$x]) - strlen($search)) == $search)
    { 
      $states[0] = $states[$x];
      echo "Match Found";
    }
    else 
    { 
      echo "No Match in \$states[" . $x . "]";
    }
  }

  echo $states[2] . "<br>"; 
  echo $states[3] . "<br>"; 
  echo $states[4] . "<br>"; 
  echo $states[5] . "<br>"; 
  echo $states[6] . "<br>"; 
  echo $states[0] . "<br>"; 
  echo $states[1]; 
?>

"substring from length of $states-field minus the length of searchstring"
UNTESTED

eternalprophet

if(substr($states[$x],strlen($states[$x]) - strlen($search)) == $search)

$states[$x] is the current element in the array
strlen($states[$x]) is the length of the current element -
strlen($search) length of the $search variable, in this case 3...

So that basically gets the length of the current array element, subtracts the length of what you are looking for (so if it was 4, would start the search 4 letters from the back) and checks to see if there is a match?

If I wanted to search for just one letter, say m, could I do.

$search = "m"
--Other code--
if(substr($states[$x],0) == $search)
--Other code--

Once again, still at work so I cannot test.

ir4z0r

your explanation is correct, your adapted code (probably) not

if(substr($states[$x],0) == $search) would compare the whole
string with $search

in general:
String = substr (origString, startposition[, lengthOfSub])

last parameter is optional, if not given, it's till the end of the string

eternalprophet

<?php 
  $states[0] = $_POST["states0"]; 
  $states[1] = $_POST["states1"]; 
  $states[2] = $_POST["states2"]; 
  $states[3] = $_POST["states3"]; 
  $states[4] = $_POST["states4"]; 
  $states[5] = $_POST["states5"]; 
  $states[6] = $_POST["states6"];
  $states[7] = $_POST["states7"];

  $cond1 = "xas";

  for ($x=0; $x < sizeof($states); $x++)
  {
    if(substr($states[$x],strlen($states[$x]) - strlen($cond1)) == $cond1)
    { 
      $states[0] = $states[$x];
      echo "Match Found in \$states[" . $x . "] for *xas<br>";
    }
    else 
    { 
      echo "No Match in \$states[" . $x . "] for *xas<br>";
    }
  }

  $cond2 = "k";
  $cond3 = "s";

  for ($x=0; $x < sizeof($states); $x++)
  {
    if(substr($states[$x], 0, strlen($cond2)) == $cond2 && substr($states[$x], strlen($states[$x]) - strlen($cond2)) == $cond2)
    {
      $states[1] = $states[$x];
      echo "Match Found in \$states[" . $x . "] for k*s<br>";
    }
    else
    {
      echo "No Match in \$states[" . $x . "] for k*s<br>";
    }
}

  echo $states[3] . "<br>"; 
  echo $states[4] . "<br>"; 
  echo $states[5] . "<br>"; 
  echo $states[6] . "<br>"; 
  echo $states[7] . "<br>"; 
  echo $states[0] . "<br>"; 
  echo $states[1] . "<br>"; 
  echo $states[2] . "<br>";
?>

I added this part:

  $cond2 = "k";
  $cond3 = "s";

  for ($x=0; $x < sizeof($states); $x++)
  {
    if(substr($states[$x], 0, strlen($cond2)) == $cond2 && substr($states[$x], strlen($states[$x]) - strlen($cond2)) == $cond2)
    {
      $states[1] = $states[$x];
      echo "Match Found in \$states[" . $x . "] for k*s<br>";
    }
    else
    {
      echo "No Match in \$states[" . $x . "] for k*s<br>";
    }
}

I have looked in the manual and at the example provided by ir4z04...I am sorta proud of myself even though it doesn't work, I made a good effort 🙂

Can anyone tell me where they see the error so I can try to fix it myself?

Thanks

ir4z0r

the only issue I noticed:

if you have several conditions in your if-clause, use () around single cond.

i.e.: if ((1 == 1) && (2==2)) ...

if your "match search" gets further complicated, I'd use regex, but
until now, I think it's okay 🙂

eternalprophet

$cond2 = "k";
  $cond3 = "s";

  for ($x=0; $x < sizeof($states); $x++)
  {
    if((substr($states[$x], 0, strlen($cond2)) == $cond2) && (substr($states[$x], strlen($states[$x]) - strlen($cond2)) == $cond2))
    {
      $states[1] = $states[$x];
      echo "Match Found in \$states[" . $x . "] for k*s<br>";
    }
    else
    {
      echo "No Match in \$states[" . $x . "] for k*s<br>";
    }
}

I tried enclosing it like that but it didn't work. Suggestions?

ir4z0r

no idea 🙁

maybe that's the point where we start using regex 😃

if (preg_match("/^{${cond2}.*${cond3}$/",$str))} echo "found";

the search pattern is always enclosed by /
^ at the pattern beginning means that the pattern has to match
right from the first character ("kblas" matches, "blakblas" doesn't)
the last $ means the same for the last character
. is any character, * means 0 to any number of occurences
the variables are enclosed by curly braces {} to tell PHP where
the name starts and ends, they will b replaced with their content, of course

eternalprophet

if (preg_match("/^{${cond2}.*${cond3}$/",$str))} echo "found";

Where would I insert that in the for loop?

ir4z0r

$cond2 = "k";
  $cond3 = "s";

  for ($x=0; $x < sizeof($states); $x++)
  {
    if (preg_match("/^${cond2}.*${cond3}$/",$states[$x]))
    {
      $states[1] = $states[$x];
      echo "Match Found in \$states[" . $x . "] for k*s<br>";
    }
    else
    {
      echo "No Match in \$states[" . $x . "] for k*s<br>";
    }
}

there I guess

eternalprophet

Thanks a ton. It all works fine. I managed to do the starts with k ends with s thing with a nested if as well...one to see if it started with k, and one to see if it ended with s. The regex is alot cooler though, a littler harder to follow, but more compact and easier to understand after I stared at it for a long time 🙂

Thanks again.