3D arrays, sorting, and fscanf

bloo

Ok, so basically I am setting up a little bit of a text database. The data file contains just a list of items, with item ID, expire date, and description on each line. I want to write a script to read each line and display a summary with items not past the expiry date organised under a current heading and items 0-4 months past the expiry date under an old heading, and older items not displayed. each item has the description then a link, the link loads an html file for each item. the html file I will make the ID in the data file, the id probably by default being the line number, not that that's important.

So this is what I'm thinking.
1) define 2 arrays, current and expired
2) define the data file
3) define date into number (eg (DMY) 30102003) then i can use simple math on the date.
4) fscanf the file

fscanf ($handle, "%[^]|%[^]|%[^]\n"))

5) test each item by date, if date after current then put in current array. if 0-4months after put in expired array.

if ($expDate => $currentDate) { //for current array } else if { //for expired array }

(obviously that just being the gist of it 😉 )
6) place item in the array, the item being an array with the ID, exp date, description
7) write current header and items in current array (easy)
8) same for expired array

Then I'm done. It doesnt matter what order I add items with regards to the exp date and no maintanence required, old items will simple be knocked off the list. An exp date will always be defined. I will put handling for incase a category is empty ("no current/expired items avalible")

Please help me fill in the gaps. Also this probally isnt the best way to do it, its just how i'm working towards doing it at the moment. Thanks

bloo

So I have something like

$currentDate = date(dmy);

//Text datafile, I made the extention tdf, you guess.
$fileToRead = "items.tdf";

$handle = fopen ($fileToRead,"rb");

while ($items = fscanf ($handle, "%[^]|%[^]|%[^]\n")) {
  list ($id, $expireDate, $description)
  if ($expireDate => $currentDate) {
  // ...?
  } else if (...?) {
  // ...? }

}
// then the rest is easy

The tdf looking something like

1|30102003|I'm the first item
2|12122003|I'm the second item, woot

bloo

Actually I am not sure on how to do the last bit either. But I'm working on it. I think the php manual, i don't know, it doesnt do it for me.

$currentDate = date(dmy);

//Text datafile, I made the extention tdf, you guess.
$fileToRead = "items.tdf";

$handle = fopen ($fileToRead,"rb");

while ($items = fscanf ($handle, "%[^]|%[^]|%[^]\n")) {
	list ($id, $expireDate, $description)
	if ($expireDate => $currentDate) { 
		// ...? 
	} elseif (...?) { 
	// ...? 
	}
}


echo "<h3>Current Offerings</h3>";

$count = count($current); 
for ($i=0; $i<$count; $i++) {
	// something like this yes, no?
	// I'm not sure what to do now.
	// it will basically output 
	//   <p>$description</p>
	//   <a href="?item=$id">more info...</a>
}

echo "<h3>Past Offerings</h3>";
// etc.

bloo

I would add each item something like this to make 3d array?

array_push($currentArray, $id = array("ID" => $id , "EXP" => $expireDate , "DES" => $description));

bloo

Also the elseif line something like...?

} elseif (($expireDate < $currentDate) && ($expireDate >= ($currentDate - 120))) {

Please can someone give me a hand already.

bloo

I was wondering why nobody has helped me. Is it because you don't understand my question, think it doesnt deserve an answer or what? I'm not angry just confused.

This is what I have currently.

$currentArray = array();
$expiredArray = Array();

$currentDate = date(dmy);

//Text datafile, I made the extention tdf, you guess.
$fileToRead = "items.tdf";

$handle = fopen ($fileToRead,"rb");

while ($items = fscanf ($handle, "%[^]|%[^]|%[^]\n")) {
	list ($id, $expireDate, $description) = $items;
	if ($expireDate => $currentDate) {

	// something like
	// array_push($currentArray, $id = array("ID" => $id , "EXP" => $expireDate , "DES" => $description));
	// maybe

} elseif (($expireDate < $currentDate) && ($expireDate >= ($currentDate - 120))) { 
	// ...? 
}
}

But now I am stuck because I'm not sure if what I have is right and I'm not sure how I could test what I have.

drawmack

Originally posted by bloo
I was wondering why nobody has helped me. Is it because you don't understand my question, think it doesnt deserve an answer or what?

We just thought you were having fun talking to yourself.😃

Seriously I'm a bit intoxiacated and probably not in the best of conditions to answer your question right now.

bloo

Heh, yeah I like talking on forums and answering emails while drunk, but its probally not the best idea 😃

tekky

First off I would change your DATE format to a timestamp type format... UNIX_TIMESTAMP that is -- but thats just personal preference (since it can EASILY be used mathmatically to accurately compare 2 dates) -- this code would work with UNIX TIMESTAMPS.... not sure if yours would..

$currentArray = array();
$expiredArray = Array();

$currentDate = mktime();

//Text datafile, I made the extention tdf, you guess.
$fileToRead = "items.tdf";

$handle = fopen ($fileToRead,"rb");

while ($items = fscanf ($handle, "%[^]|%[^]|%[^]\n"))
{
	list ($id, $expireDate, $description) = $items;
	if ($currentDate < $expireDate) //item isnt expired
	{
		$currentArray[$id] = array("EXP" => $expireDate , "DES" => $description));
	}
	else
	{
		if (strtotime('-4 months', $currentDate)  <= $expireDate) //expired less than 4 months ago... add to expiredArray
		{
			$expiredArray[$id] = array("EXP" => $expireDate , "DES" => $description));
		}
		//if wanting to do something with older than 4 month items, add an else {} statement here
	}
}

I think this will help... note that these arrays would come out like...

[firstid]['EXP' => someunixtimestamp]
[firstid]['DES' => 'some description']
[nextid]['EXP' => someunixtimestamp]
[nextid]['DES' => 'some description']

I left out ID on the 2nd dimension since you were storing them in their respective ID indice on the first dimension.... would have been redundant then....

tekky

bloo wrote on 12-12-2003 08:15 PM:
Re: http://www.phpbuilder.com/board/showthread.php?s=&postid=10437002

Thanks for the reply. It seems to work quite well. I just have a bit of a problem using the results. You said to have the id twice would have made one redundant, but i am unsure how to use the id label as a variable, i.e. have <a href="?id=<%php echo $ID %>"> If you could sort out my code it would be fantastic. I know maybe its a big ask, but I think once I have all this sorted out I'll understand how to use arrays in most situations that may arise.

So I want something like.

$count = count($currentArray);
for ($i=0; $i<$count; $i++) {

echo "<p>" . $description . "</p>\n";
echo "<p><a href=\"?id=readitem&item=" . $ID . "\">more information regarding this item.</a></p>";

}

I am unsure on the best way to access the variables stored in the 2nd level arrays.

In the <A> the id= just specifies the page to load. The item= will be the item number, I am unsure how to print that. Maybe I could put it in the array, but you seemed to think that I could use it as the label, so that would be kewl.

Again sorry to ask for all this help, but it would be very much appreciated. Otherwise I have been able to write the code to add and remove items no worries. Along with the readitem page, but if that was challanging I would have given up on php 😉

Per your PM.... (note I am only modifying the code you sent me to work with the array my previous post would generate....)

$count = count($currentArray); 
for ($i=0; $i<$count; $i++) {
  echo "<p>" . $description . "</p>\n";
  echo "<p><a href=\"?id=readitem&amp;item=" . key($currentArray[$i]) . "\">more information regarding this item.</a></p>";
  echo '<p>Incase you want the expiration date displayed: ' . date('m-d-Y',$currentArray[$i]['EXP']) . '</p>'; //in mm-dd-YYYY format
  echo '<p>Incase you want the description displayed: ' . $currentArray[$i]['DES'] . '</p>';
}

sorry I didnt reply right away... I dont spend much time here since I've been kinda out of scripting w/o my old website to play on