Menu Tree Sorting Conudrum

chilliboy

Hi,

I have been trying to sort this out all day and still haven't managed to come up with a solution. I really hope someone here will be able to help.

I have got a multi-level array, which has a structure for categories and parent categories. I want to sort the array so that I can produce an alphabeticallly listed flat tree menu, but try as I might I can't come up with a solution. I need it to work with any entries that have a parent child relationship, but below is the test array I am trying to work on along with the format of the desired result.

I would be eternally grateful if anyone can come up with a solution.

The Problem Test Array

$Loc[0]= array("Name" => "England", "Cat_id" => "001", "Parent_id" => 000", "Level" => "1", "Num_Children" => "6");
$Loc[1]= array("Name" => "Nottinghamshire", "Cat_id" => "001-001", "Parent_id" => 001", "Level" => "2", "Num_Children" => "3");
$Loc[2]= array("Name" => "Nottingham", "Cat_id" => "001-001-001", "Parent_id" => 001-001", "Level" => "3", "Num_Children" => "2");
$Loc[3]= array("Name" => "Park Plaze", "Cat_id" => "001-001-001-001", "Parent_id" => 001-001-001", "Level" => "4", "Num_Children" => "");
$Loc[4]= array("Name" => "Buggy Land 2", "Cat_id" => "001-001-001-002", "Parent_id" => 001-001-001", "Level" => "4", "Num_Children" => "");
$Loc[5]= array("Name" => "Worksop", "Cat_id" => "001-001-002", "Parent_id" => 001-001", "Level" => "3", "Num_Children" => "");
$Loc[6]= array("Name" => "Bingham", "Cat_id" => "001-001-004", "Parent_id" => 001-001", "Level" => "3", "Num_Children" => "");
$Loc[7]= array("Name" => "Greater Manchester", "Cat_id" => "001-002", "Parent_id" => 001", "Level" => "2", "Num_Children" => "2");
$Loc[8]= array("Name" => "Manchester", "Cat_id" => "001-002-001", "Parent_id" => 001-002", "Level" => "3", "Num_Children" => "");
$Loc[9]= array("Name" => "Stockport", "Cat_id" => "001-002-005", "Parent_id" => 001-002", "Level" => "3", "Num_Children" => "");
$Loc[10]= array("Name" => "Leicestershire", "Cat_id" => "001-004", "Parent_id" => 001", "Level" => "2", "Num_Children" => "1");
$Loc[11]= array("Name" => "Leicester", "Cat_id" => "001-004-001", "Parent_id" => 001-004", "Level" => "3", "Num_Children" => "");
$Loc[12]= array("Name" => "Hampshire", "Cat_id" => "001-007", "Parent_id" => 001", "Level" => "2", "Num_Children" => "");
$Loc[13]= array("Name" => "Sussex", "Cat_id" => "001-009", "Parent_id" => 001", "Level" => "2", "Num_Children" => "1");
$Loc[14]= array("Name" => "Brighton", "Cat_id" => "001-009-001", "Parent_id" => 001-009", "Level" => "3", "Num_Children" => "1");
$Loc[15]= array("Name" => "Royal Albion", "Cat_id" => "001-009-001-001", "Parent_id" => 001-009-001", "Level" => "4", "Num_Children" => "");
$Loc[16]= array("Name" => "Nothamptonshire", "Cat_id" => "001-010", "Parent_id" => 001", "Level" => "2", "Num_Children" => "1");
$Loc[17]= array("Name" => "Northampton", "Cat_id" => "001-010-001", "Parent_id" => 001-010", "Level" => "3", "Num_Children" => "");
$Loc[18]= array("Name" => "Scotland", "Cat_id" => "002", "Parent_id" => 000", "Level" => "1", "Num_Children" => "2");
$Loc[19]= array("Name" => "Scottish Highlands", "Cat_id" => "002-001", "Parent_id" => 002", "Level" => "2", "Num_Children" => "");
$Loc[20]= array("Name" => "Scottish Midlands", "Cat_id" => "002-003", "Parent_id" => 002", "Level" => "2", "Num_Children" => "2");
$Loc[21]= array("Name" => "Glasgow", "Cat_id" => "002-003-001", "Parent_id" => 002-003", "Level" => "3", "Num_Children" => "");
$Loc[22]= array("Name" => "Edinburgh", "Cat_id" => "002-003-002", "Parent_id" => 002-003", "Level" => "3", "Num_Children" => "");
$Loc[23]= array("Name" => "Wales", "Cat_id" => "003", "Parent_id" => 000", "Level" => "1", "Num_Children" => "");

The Desired Result

=> England
=>  => Greater Manchester
=>  =>  => Manchester
=>  =>  => Stockport
=>  => Hampshire
=>  => Leicestershire
=>  =>  => Leicester
=>  => Nothamptonshire
=>  =>  => Northampton
=>  => Nottinghamshire
=>  =>  => Bingham
=>  =>  => Nottingham
=>  =>  =>  => Buggy Land 2
=>  =>  =>  => Park Plaze
=>  =>  => Worksop
=>  => Sussex
=>  =>  => Brighton
=>  =>  =>  => Royal Albion
=> Scotland
=>  => Scottish Highlands
=>  => Scottish Midlands
=>  =>  => Edinburgh
=>  =>  => Glasgow
=> Wales

lazzerous

check out array_walk()

drawmack

this is a pretty complex problem. I could code it but it would take a while. You'll want to go through a series of steps populating the different levels of the resulting array.

chilliboy

OK - as you may guess the source is a database (MySQL). The array as above is produced from an initial sort of the data from MySQL - the function that does this get the varaibale for $Parent_id, $Num_Children and $Level.

Currently I have only desinged the database to hold the $Name and $Cat_id and the function that is used on the array get the other variables that will be of use.

I have tried iterating through the array using $Level and $Cat_id and $Parent_id and adding them to a buffer array. However the problem I have found is that you need to go backwards and forwards with $Level, to get the correct display and it is completely foxing me as to a solution.

gecko498

Just kinda winging it here, but what if you changed your array to a matrix like this:

$a[0][0][0] = array("folder_name" => "Folder 1", "folder_id" => "1");
$a[0][1][0] = array("folder_name" => ">subFolder1 1", "folder_id" => "3");
$a[0][2][0] = array("folder_name" => ">subFolder1 2", "folder_id" => "5");
$a[0][2][1] = array("folder_name" => ">>subSubFolder2 1", "folder_id" => "6");
$a[1][0][0] = array("folder_name" => "Folder 2", "folder_id" => "2");
$a[1][1][0] = array("folder_name" => ">subFolder2 1", "folder_id" => "4");

The top array would be the root level of the menu, then the first child array would be the second level of the menu, and so on.

Should be able to parse that array without too much trouble. Hope this helps.