ending loop when query is met

[anthill]

Hi

I swear i've done this before but I can't remember how. I'm trying to loop a query in a database. The query counts the results. When the result doesn't equal 1 (or greater than 1) the result is outputted.

For example.

database entried

ID | Value
1 | bbaa
2 | bbab
3 | bbac
4 | bbad

the first two values (bb) are constant, the second two (aa, ab, ac, etc.) always change.

Therefore. I'm trying to query the database and find out which would be the next entry in the sequence.

I'm trying something like this:

$contstant = "bb" //always stays bb

$var = "aa"; //always starts aa

for($num=1; $num<1; $var++) //if value returned from database is 0, loop ends, if not, $var++
{

$value = $constant.$var;  //gives me bbaa (the first possible sequence)
$num = mysql_num_rows(mysql_query("SELECT value FROM table WHERE value='$value")); //queries database to see if this already exists


}

echo $value;

so i want $value to give me bbae

I don't know if i'm close, but any help would be much appreciated. Thank you for taking time to reader this.

Ant

[anthill]

ok, i think i should be using a while loop not for...giving me
$contstant = "bb" //always stays bb

$var = "aa"; //always starts aa

$num=1;

while($num==1)
{
$value = $constant.$var;
$num = mysql_num_rows(mysql_query("SELECT value FROM table WHERE value='$value"));
$var++;
}

echo $constant.$var;

this gives me bbaf not bbae.

So how do i then minus one to get bbae?

[anthill]

basically:

if

<?

$var = "aabb";

$var++;

echo $var; //gives me aabc

?>

why won't

<?

$var = "aabb";

$var--;

echo $var; //give me aaba

?>

[anthill]

sorted.

Silly me, put $var++ is the wrong place:

$contstant = "bb" //always stays bb

$var = "aa"; //always starts aa

$num=1;

while($num==1)
{

$var++;

$value = $constant.$var;
$num = mysql_num_rows(mysql_query("SELECT value FROM table WHERE value='$value"));

}