fgetcsv and outputting to seperate files

zoomsan

Hello,

I am a bit new to php and trying to wrap my mind around fgetcsv. I want to read my csv file and output the different fields into different html files. (Basically so I can format each row in a certain way in a different file per each row of data).

What I believe I need to do is somehow use fopen in a loop. I also believe I need to somehow isolate each record of data in the different rows of the array. Then, I believe I could place each record in the row into my fwrite statement (also within the loop) and output the file in a type of template.

I understand that the code:

$handle = fopen("file.txt", "r");
while (($data = fgetcsv($handle, 1000, "\t")) !== FALSE) {
$all_data[] = $data;
$plot1 = $data[1];
$plot2 = $data[3];
echo $plot1 . "<br />\n";
}

will output a particular column of data - the problem is it outputs the entire column - and I am trying to figure out how I could pick out each particular row/column piece of data as I loop through - sort of like coordinates. Then I would perhaps assign those "coordinates" to a variable and hopefully be able to use fopen, open or create a new file, within the loop and actually write a bunch of html files - 1 per row - by placing these seperate coordinates, or records, in what I end up placing in the variable for fwrite.

How would I go about isolating each row/column record in my csv file so I can use it. Also, how then maybe would a simple example of using these isolated parts in the while loop? Would I need embedded for loops or foreach loops perhaps?

Thanks very much in advance!

Weedpacket

Couldn't you just use an if statement within the loop so that only those parts you're interested in are stored in an array?

while (($data = fgetcsv($handle, 1000, "\t")) !== FALSE)
{ 
    if(/*something*/)
    {
        $all_data[] = $data;
     }
}

where /something/ is whatever the criterion for inclusion is supposed to be.

zoomsan

This sounds like a great idea.

I'm just trying to think what to put in the if statement so that I would isolate each different field of one row at a time. I am interested in all of the data - I just want to be able to store each field in every row in a variable as it loops through so I can automatically output the different fields in a particular way to files - kind of like a template.

So I can't read all of one column for example in a loop. I want to read 1 row of the file - use each field separated by commas and store it perhaps in a vairable. Then, while in the loop, write a file using these variables from this row. Then, for the next row - repeat this proccess, only using the records for each comma separated field in this row. Output it in a separate file, etc.

I am thinking that this way, with the if statement, even with a regular expression there is nothing really to look for - aside from perhaps each row and each comma separated value. But that is just it - how to separate these out and get them into variables.

Argh hehe..

Weedpacket

If your fields are separated by commas, then why are you specifying to fgetcsv that they're separated by tabs? Sorry, I'm a bit confused.

Incidentally, $all_data can be as comprehensive as you want; if you want to separate all the records into separate categories depending on (say) $data[3], then you could write

$all_data[$data[3]][] = $data;

and at the end of reading the file, all the records will be sorted into separate arrays, call $all_data['foo'], $all_data['bar'], etc., (where 'foo' and 'bar' are of course values that actually appear in the $data[3] field). And of course you don't have to use a particular field value - any expression that produces an integer or string value could be used as an array index.

And of course there's no rule to prevent having multiple if statements for different things.

zoomsan

Ok thank you very much. Yes, I am a moron. My file is broken up by tabs, not commas - but same idea.

I am new to arrays a bit, so I am sure this is simple for people. Most array tutorials I have seen maybe don't account for things like you are talking about, or I am just not searching well enough.

It makes great sense, though.

That would be great to isolate each column like you said, and then call it by it's value - I believe just like you are saying

echo $all_data[$data[3]][1] ;

I hope I am getting this right - but that might print the 4th column or category and the 2nd row's record?

Perhaps then I could use some kind of number counter where I go through my template and add 1 to the [1] part of this echo statement - in order to automatically update the next file I want to automatically create with the next row's record in the particular column (in a separate loop perhaps using fopen and fwrite).

I don't think of myself as a newbie, but I still have a ton to learn and these are big steps for me. Thanks for your help I really appreciate it!

Weedpacket

The problem I've got is that I don't know what your data is and what you want to do with it; so I'm having to be extremely general. Here's all I know so far:
You have a tab-delimited text file. Each line of the file is a record, and each record consists of a bunch of fields, separated from each other of course by tabs.

If you're wanting to be able to read the whole file in and then be able to look at any field in any record, then

$data = array();
while (($record = fgetcsv($handle, 1000, "\t")) !== FALSE)
{ 
        $data[] = $record;
}

would be all that's necessary. The value of the third field in the second record would be stored in $data[1][2] (because arrays count starting from 0).

If you want to use names to refer to the fields (the column names), then

{ 
        $data[]['field1'] = $record[0];
        $data[]['field2'] = $record[1];
        $data[]['field3'] = $record[2];
        $data[]['field4'] = $record[3];
        ...
}

for each of the fields. Then you'd be saying things like $data[5]['field3'] for the value of the third field of the sixth row.