point to certain key in an array...

toshog

hi everybody,

how can i set the pointer to the number of a key i want in an associative array?
Or how do i do something like this:
current($ar) = 20;
or something that is more elegant than this:
for($i=0;$i<20;$i++) {
next($ar);
}

echo "the current key is ".key($ar);

// to get:
the current key is 20.

thanks....

toshog

so there is no way to move the pointer to a desired key number within the associative array except loop with next ();?

Weedpacket

Pretty much - can't think of much call for such a thing ... Still baffled by why you'd want to. If you want to refer to array elements by number, why not use a numeric index in the first place? Elements in an associative array could get shuffled about all over the place without changing the array - there's nothing keeping the "first" element in the "first" location.

toshog

well - it's a long story why i need it - have to store data in associative arrays; then sort it by - either the keys or the values and then use the key as a key for another associative array. then those arrays get registered as session variables so on the next page i'd have to know where am i as far as the number of the key in the first array.... it is confusing but in this case i'm not allowed to store data to disc and this is the shortest way... i need the sorting....
that's why...

Weedpacket

Have you considered array_search(array_keys($array),$key)? (Of course, if the array is sorted, the keys aren't in the same place any more.)

Okay, I still don't understand what you're actually trying to do, but it sounds like you need to come up with something a bit smarter than a flat associative array. A multidimensional array, perhaps, that can be indexed numerically:

array(
array('foo','bar'),
array('key','value'),
array('this','that')
);

Sorting such a thing by either the first element or the second is not difficult. If you want, you can make that a value in some associative array, which has key/value pairs for other relevant pieces of information.

Generally speaking, it's better to sit down first and figure out what shape your data should have based on what you're going to be doing with it, and then implement that structure than use the barest simplest structure you can think of and then constantly writing all sorts of scary code to make it behave like something it's not.

toshog

yea, you're right and i'll probably rewrite this some day.... but for now i just need a solution for this cause it's the last thing i have to do on this project.... the rest works fine...
thanks.....