php nightmare!!!

Bratt

I am having serious problems trying to figure out a little problem I have. Basically I want to read from a text file which is in the following format:

name surname
name2 surname2
name3 surname3

Now I want to find someone's surname given the name from the text file and I did the following:
<?php
$fp = fopen("c:/one/test.txt", "rb");
while($info = fscanf($fp, "name2\t%s\n")){
list($surname) = $info;
echo $surname;
}
fclose($fp);
?>
This works and the right surname is echoed. However, if I try to use $surname anywhere else on the page ie emailing it, I dont see anything. I think its in the list somehow, but cant figure out how to sort it out.

Is there a better way to do this?

Thanks

sarahk

39 people have read this and nobody has replied which sounds like a record!

So, my 2c worth

after you close the file echo out $surname and see if it still has a value - ie debug it to see where $surname gets lost.
put a break; after finding the match

Bratt

Thanks a mil. Have to remember those breaks; Anyway here is what I finally did and it worked fine.
<?php
$fp = fopen("c:/one/test.txt", "rb");
while($info = fscanf($fp, "%s\t%s\n")){
list($name, $surname) = $info;
if ($name == "Bratt"){
echo $surname;
break;
}
}

fclose($fp);
?>

So pretty much all that changed is that instead of matching in the while loop I let it match from the list and then break;

I'll get there someday. Thanks again for your help. You made me think which is always a struggle...