[Resolved] Guidance required

a_beginner

Hi,

Sorry about this, I know it must be frustrating having to answer what is I suppose a basic question, but I just need to be pointed in the right direction and I'll do my best to find a solution myself (it's the only way to learn!)

I'm currently building a site using (dare I say) Dreamweaver, MySQL and the built in PHP functions of DWMX. I know the time has now come for me to start writing my own scripts and need guidance as I don't know what functions/scripts I'll need to write (it may not even be PHP and can be handled in JavaScript?)

I have a page where I review music and video. I have 5 gifs, each with a number of stars relating to the rating I have given the CD/DVD/Video, and want to show the corresponding gif according to the "stars" value (tinyint(1)) in my MySQL table "media".

I understand that there's some sort of condition going on here, e.g. if returned value = 1 then show 1star.gif, if returned value = 4 then show 4star.gif, and so on.

This also looks like an if... then statement, as there is no null value allowed (so therefore I don't need to NOT show an image).

Where do I start?

I understand that an array is a set of values (so for example 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 could be the array of values anticipated, and that "1star.gif", "2star.gif", "3star.gif", "4star.gif" and "5star.gif" comprise the array of images). But, not being a programmer (I'm a photographer), lose sight of how to write a script.

I also understand that I can create the function anywhere on the page (although it's probably best in before the <html> opening tag, as there are two areas of the page that will make a call to this function. And then, at the point of where the image should be displayed I make the call to the function with an arbitrary value (where this comes from I don't know -- is it the value returned from the database?)

Please could someone guide me in the right direction?

Is there a resource out there that's an absolute idiots guide to writing a function and the logic/maths behind it?

Help!!

Thanks for taking the time to read this tome.

LordShryku

I'd probably use a switch statement to pull the gifs, with a check to see if it should even have a gif. Something like...

/* lets assume $ret is the returned value */

if(isset($ret) && $ret > 0) {
/* if we have a value greater than zero */
   switch($ret) {
      case "1":
         $image = "<img src=\"onestar.gif\">";
      break;
      case "2":
         $image = "<img src=\"twostar.gif\">";
      break;
      case "3":
         $image = "<img src=\"threestar.gif\">";
      break;
      case "4":
         $image = "<img src=\"fourstar.gif\">";
      break;
      case "5":
         $image = "<img src=\"fivestar.gif\">";
      break;
   }
}
else {
   $image = "";
   /* Set a blank value just so 
      we don't get an undefined error
   */
}

Then, wherever you want the picture to show, you just echo $image

HTH

a_beginner

firstly, thanks for the advice, I'll give it a go tomorrow (it's 03:47 and I should go to bed!) -- have been waiting to see if anyone posted a reply... |(

secondly -- love the avatar!! good to see flat eric lives on... :-D

I've seen this thing about using switch as an alternative to if...then (I think that's what it was) and will try it later.

Again: thanks and I'll let you know how I get on.

Wes

a_beginner

Thanks LordShryku, that's the dog's danglies!

I've changed the script so that it pulls out the value from the db using ($row_rsMusic['stars']😉.

The only problem I've now got to sort is how to get the value from each record in the database to return the correct image, and not just the first value pulled from the database. I suspect it's probably in the ($row_rsMusic['stars']😉 part, but I've decided to buy the book PHP & MySQL Web Development to see if that offers any suggestions.

Thanks again for your help.

Wes