Help creating IDs...

Zack

I need help. Scroll to the bottom of the code for my objective...

I have a flat-file database for news... here's the code:


<?

if($HTTP_POST_VARS['submit']) {
        if(!$HTTP_POST_VARS['news']) {
            echo "You must enter some news.";
            exit;
        }
        if(strstr($HTTP_POST_VARS['title'],"|")) {
            echo "Title cannot contain the pipe symbol: |";
            exit;
        }
        if(strstr($HTTP_POST_VARS['news'],"|")) {
            echo "News cannot contain the pipe symbol: |";
            exit;
        }
        $fp = fopen('news.txt','a');
        if(!$fp) {
            echo "Error opening file!";
            exit;
        }
        $line = date("m.d.y") . "|" . $HTTP_POST_VARS['title'];
        $line .= "|" . $HTTP_POST_VARS['news'];
        $line = str_replace("\r\n","<BR>",$line);
        $line .= "\r\n";
        fwrite($fp, $line);
        if(!fclose($fp)) {
            echo "Error closing file!";
            exit;
        }        

    } 

?>
<FORM ACTION="<?=$PHP_SELF?>" METHOD="POST" NAME="newsentry">
Title:<BR>
<INPUT TYPE="text" SIZE="30" NAME="title"><BR>
Article:<BR>
<TEXTAREA NAME="news" COLS="40" ROWS="5"></TEXTAREA><BR><BR>
<INPUT TYPE="submit" NAME="submit" VALUE="Post it dood!"><BR>
</FORM>

That will add a line of news/blog to the text file 'news.txt'. Now I know that I want to include a hidden input in the for for IDs, but I don't know how to make it auto_increment like in MySQL, which I am more familiar with, but do not have access to for this project.

Can anyone help? I just want to give each line an automatically incrementing ID and then be able to call each line by ID for editing and viewing.

Thanks!

Zack

batman

$var = "0";
$avar = $var++;

Zack

so should I include $avar into the hidden part?

batman

I wasn't sure of what exactly you were wanting, but what I gave will take a number (I would just start it at 0) then for every id you want to make just use something like this:

1). Have the txt file start out with 0 as the number

2). Then call it for reading, and add 1 to it.

$var = "0"; //The starting #
$avar = $var++; //The starting # being incremented by 1

3). Then just update the txt file to the new #.

Zack

How would I do that?

I'm still new to writing to files. I've only used MySQL...

the text file looks loke this:

I want to add an ID to each line.. therefore:

etc...

eventually i want to call each line separately by ID and may make a flat file comments system using a parent ID and a comment ID...

batman

Take a look at this. There are more functions if you scroll down a little bit.

Zack

I understand HOW to write to the file... I want to know WHAT to write to the file...

with what you gave me...

if I put


$var = "0"; //The starting # 
$avar = $var++; //The starting # being incremented by 1

in the code before the form and I put '$avar' in the form as a hidden field, will it auto increment or just post "1" over and over again???

see post 2 posts up for what i want to do...

batman

What you want to do is get how many lines are in the text file.
Then do something like this.

<?
$var = ""; //the # of lines in the txt file
$avar = $var++;
?>
<FORM ACTION="<?=$PHP_SELF?>" METHOD="POST" NAME="newsentry"> 
Title:<BR> 
<INPUT TYPE="text" SIZE="30" NAME="title"><BR> 
Article:<BR> 
<TEXTAREA NAME="news" COLS="40" ROWS="5"></TEXTAREA><BR><BR>
<input type="hidden" name="id" value="$avar"> 
<INPUT TYPE="submit" NAME="submit" VALUE="Post it dood!"><BR> 
</FORM>

Then in the top part of your script you will have to add this:
$id = $_POST["id"];

Then in your writing just add the id to the front.

Zack

thank you very much, it is clear now

batman

You sure? 'cause if your not, then I can work with you on it.

Zack

well what I have to do is clear...

how do I get the number of lines? i can't find a function to do that...

batman

Not sure. LOL Post a thread asking that question and see if anyone else does. The only reason that I said to get the number of lines, is that way you will know what number to incremint. There might be another way around this. But as of now, I don't know. Sorry.

batman

You might try looking at this.