Reading List of Items from Text File Blues

[ducky_boo]

Howdy,

Im real new to php having only used it really with forms and such, but now I want to make a membership list I have easier for me to edit, without having to wade through the html stuff.

heres the gig, at the mo I have a page (all html) with a table, with each persons details seperated by rows ... something like this ...

John Smith
The Big House, next to the shop, Egypt
(P) 0011 1234541
(p) 0012 2324422
(F) 0010 1020207
(E) [e-mail]
(W) www.dot.com

... followed by a thin empty row ... and then the next persons.

Its is my dream to have John Smiths and all the others details on a text file, with a script that just loops through all of them and echoes the table around them ... if you get what i mean.

Ive alway come up with nasty problems when say Jane Doe who is next down the list, has no (F) or fax number, things always go crazy with my attempts at scripts.

What i would ideally like is that i could in my text file have something like this ...

Jane Doe
The Big House, next to the shop, Egypt
(P) 0011 1234541
(p) 0012 2324422
BLANK
(E) [e-mail]
(W) www.dot.com

... and when the scripts gets to the BLANK bit it doesnt echo anything, just skips to the next ... cool as a breeze ...

As the list of members is in the hundreds, the html is nasty, especially when i got to change someones number or something, or add 15 new dudes and dudettes, also the file size is also being mean to me.

.......................................
... This is the Text File ...
.......................................

John Smith
The Big House, next to the shop, Egypt
0011 1234541
0012 2324422
0010 1020207
[e-mail]
www.dot.com
Jane Doe
The Big House, next to the shop, Egypt
0011 1234541
0012 2324422
BLANK
[e-mail]
www.dot.com

...........................................................................................
... And this is the Page after the PHP has done its thing ...
...........................................................................................

Name : John Smith
Address : The Big House, next to the shop, Egypt
Phone : [phone]
Phone : [phone]
Fax : [phone]
Email : [e-mail]
URL : www.dot.com

Name : Jane Doe
Address : The Big House, next to the shop, Egypt
Phone : [phone]
Phone : [phone]
Email : [e-mail]
Url : www.dot.com

............................................................................................

Id appreciate any help, its just the php scripty bit id need, the html etc sorounding the variables is ok.

Sorry for the 'War & Peace' volume just that Ive tried to explain before but as im new to the lingo, thought id try and be plain.

Thanks
paddy

[majiclab]

Are you particularly against using a database? It would seem that a database would fit nicely into what you are trying to do.

-Percy

[ducky_boo]

Thanks for the responce,

Im really new to php, it'll be a bit of time before I get to MySQL.
Maybe what Im asking cant be done with a TXT file, I dont know ... came close on occasions but all went wrong.

.... Ive added an exampley thing to my original Post, as I dont know the lingo properly Im probably not making myself clear .. sorry ...

I can get the php to read through the elements of the list in the text file, its just when I try to include a condition (is that the right word?) that if one element is empty or contains the word BLANK, it would skip to the next one .. this is when the horror starts for me i fear.

I think Ill have to bite bullet and just make up a nasty long page the old-fashioned html way ... boo hoo.

Cheers

[majiclab]

If I could see some of your code I might be able to help, otherwise I have no clue on where to start! 🙂

-Percy