Help copying an Array!

slevytam

Hi,

I have a function which takes an array in as a parameter. I'd like to make a copy of this array so I can use it in other functions... For some reason this won't work no matter what I try.

I'd appreciate any help

<?php
require('fpdf.php');

class PDF_MC_Table extends FPDF
{
var $widths;
var $angle=0;
var $lastheader;

function Header($data)
{
//!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
//I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A COPY OF $DATA INTO $lastheader SO THAT IT CAN BE USED IN THE otherFunction()
//!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

//Calculate the height of the row
$nb=0;
for($i=0;$i<count($data);$i++)
    $nb=max($nb,$this->NbLines($this->widths[$i],$data[$i]));
$h=4*$nb;
//Issue a page break first if needed
$this->CheckPageBreakH($h+$h);
//Draw the cells of the row
for($i=0;$i<count($data);$i++)
{

    $w=$this->widths[$i];
    //Save the current position
    $x=$this->GetX();
    $y=$this->GetY();
    //Draw the border
    $this->Rect($x,$y,$w,$h);
    //Print the text
    $this->MultiCell($w,4,$data[$i],1,'C');
    //Put the position to the right of the cell
    $this->SetXY($x+$w,$y);

}
//Go to the next line
$this->Ln($h);

}

function otherFunction($copiedarray){

}

sneakyimp

the php documentation says:

PHP supports passing arguments by value (the default)

someone correct me if i'm wrong, but i think that all you need to do is something like this:

function my_array_copy($arr) {\
  $result = new Array();
  $result = $arr;
  return $result;
}

i haven't tested this, but i think it will work.

slevytam

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. I tried this function however no luck. Heres my attempt...

<?php
require('fpdf.php');

class PDF_MC_Table extends FPDF
{
var $widths;
var $angle=0;
var $lastheader;

function my_array_copy($arr) {
$this->lastheader = Array(); //i believe new array() is not a php function
$this->lastheader = $arr;

}

function Header($data)
{
//!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
my_array_copy($data);
//!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
//Calculate the height of the row
$nb=0;
for($i=0;$i<count($data);$i++)
$nb=max($nb,$this->NbLines($this->widths[$i],$data[$i]));
$h=4*$nb;
//Issue a page break first if needed
$this->CheckPageBreakH($h+$h);
//Draw the cells of the row
for($i=0;$i<count($data);$i++)
{

$w=$this->widths[$i];
//Save the current position
$x=$this->GetX();
$y=$this->GetY();
//Draw the border
$this->Rect($x,$y,$w,$h);
//Print the text
$this->MultiCell($w,4,$data[$i],1,'C');
//Put the position to the right of the cell
$this->SetXY($x+$w,$y);

}
//Go to the next line
$this->Ln($h);
}

function otherFunction($copiedarray){

}

Weedpacket

function my_array_copy($arr) {
$this->lastheader = $arr;
}

Should be sufficient ... of course, so should

function Header($data)
{
$this->lastheader = $data;
....

sneakyimp

you left out one line:

return $result;

if you don't have a line that returns anything, your function will not return a value.

laserlight

Err, but sneakyimp, the function doesnt need to return a value.

slevytam

Thanks for the help!

The first thing I tried was

function Header($data)
{
$this->lastheader = $data;
....
}

but that didn't work either.
If I do this it works just fine...

function Header($data)
{
$this->lastheader = array("one", "two", "three");
....
}

The only thing I can think of is that it has to do with the requires etc. Perhaps this background will help:

I have a file called testreport.php in which
<?
require('fpdf/fpdf.php');
require('fpdf/mc_table.php');
....
$pdf=new PDF_MC_Table('L');
$pdf->Header(array('Degree', 'University', 'Department', 'Year', 'Completed', 'Notes'));
....
$pdf->Row(array($row['degree'], $row['university'], $row['department'], $row['year'], $completed, $row['notes']));
?>

It is in the Row() function that I would like to use the duplicate array that I make in Header()

Thanks again!

Shalom

Weedpacket

But since you've put the array into the lastheader property in the Header() method, and assuming you haven't messed with it since then, you should just be able to use $this->lastheader in the Row() method....

function Header($data)
{ $this->lastheader = $data;
...
}

function Row($row)
{ print_r($this->lastheader); // Check to see if the header data is there.
...
}

sneakyimp

ok...a couple of things here.

you are doing this inside a class...if that is the case, then the function I suggested needs to go OUTSIDE the class definition or it is going to be a METHOD of your class.

I noticed that within your class you tried had a method Header which was calling another method my_array_copy, which was pretty clever, but the call you did was:

//!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
my_array_copy($data); 
//!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not certain, but you probably should have done this:

$this->my_array_copy($data);

otherwise, the my_array_copy function would bey copying the array to some object $this which was never specified? I could be wrong.

the possibility i originally suggested was a function EXTERNAL to your class--perhaps in a library or util file--which takes an array as an argument and returns a copy of the array which has no connection to the original. my reason for this was so that you could use it anywhere, not just i the context of your class.

sorry if this was confusing. I hope you can get it working.