[Resolved] problem with flip/array search ( LaserLight )

[StormS]

Hi LaserLight,

Yesterday the code seemed to work fine, but when tested in a larger enviornment with a longer dataserie, I proved useless....

Why ? Beacuse it will match even though the position is right as long as the price info matches...

        foreach ($arrayNL3 as $bottomposition) 
########## Running a second loop
       	{ 

   if ($bottomposition > $value2 && $bottomposition < $next2) 
       	 { 

	$mec2 =  $Source[$bottomposition];

		$j=min( $j , $mec2);
		$key2 = array_search($j, $Source); 


$j2 = end($arrayMN3);


        } 
########### Ending second loop
        	} 

if($mec2){

The problem in this code is this part

$key2 = array_search($j, $Source); 

It flips the price found back to its position ( which I need it to do...)

The problem is that the position doesn't allways match as there may be many prices that are the same...

Thinking that $bottomposition holds the correct value, (which it does in the loop) it must be possible to use this as a reference somehow...

The price selected in

$mec2 =  $Source[$bottomposition]; // just finding the price attached based on the bottomposition extracted in the loop
$j=min( $j , $mec2); // selecting the lowest pricealternative

Has to be from one of the $bottompositions that are brought in the loop...

So matching/search should have been done against these values and not the intire $source string...

But I'm puzzled and stucked...

Regs

[laserlight]

The code snippet you provided has a problem: it is difficult to understand with so many unexplained variables.

Bjarne Stroustrup, of C++ fame, said this in an interview with Elfqrin:

I get maybe two dozen requests for help with some sort of programming or design problem every day. Most have more sense than to send me hundreds of lines of code. If they do, I ask them to find the smallest example that exibit the problem and send me that. Mostly, they then find the error themselves. "finding the smallest program that demonstrates the error" is a powerful debugging tool.

And that's what you need to do: take a break from your actual script and write another script, a small and simple one that has just enough lines of code, just enough variables, for you to research into the core of what you are trying to solve.

[Installer]

...take a break from your actual script and write another script, a small and simple one that has just enough lines of code, just enough variables, for you to research into the core of what you are trying to solve.

That's something we all neglect to do sometimes. Very well said!

[StormS]

Many good advices...

To narrow it down in an example:

$bottomposition holds these values = 128, 136 and 152

These are array positions extracted earlier in the script....

the data of these positions are found by:

$mec2 =  $Source[$bottomposition];// Source being the org. string.

and may look like this

57.45, 45.00 and 79.00

I look to find the lowest value

 $j=min( $j , $mec2);  // finds 45.00 which is correct...

The problem is that I need the bellonging bottomposition which is 136

I thought perhaps a

$key2 = array_search($j, $bottomposition); 

would do, but nope....

My problem is that I know to little actual php, which leaves me thinking among to few options...

So... I need help on this....

Regs

[StormS]

anyone with a suggestion ?

[laserlight]

$bottomposition holds these values = 128, 136 and 152

$bottomposition cant hold more than 1 value if it is a scalar (i.e. a variable containing a single value), and the only way for $Source[$bottomposition] to be valid is for $bottomposition to be scalar.

$j=min( $j , $mec2);  // finds 45.00 which is correct...

What is $j when used in min(), $mec2 and $j when the return value of min() is assigned to it?
If $j and $mec2 are both scalar, then you should use:

if ($mec2 < $j) {
	$j = $mec2;
}

as min() would then be overkill, as well as confusing.

[laserlight]

Not sure if these will help you, but...

//find key of smallest value in numerically indexed array
function minKey($array) {
	//confirm that $array is an array
	//get sizeof $array and ensure it is > 0
	if (is_array($array) && ($size = count($array) > 0)) {
		$min_key = 0; //key of smallest value
		//iterate through $array starting from 2nd element
		for ($i = 1; $i < $size; $i++) {
			//if current value < last known smallest value
			//set its key as key of last known smallest value
			if ($array[$i] < $array[$min_key]) {
				$min_key = $i;
			}
		}
		return $min_key;
	} else {
		return false;
	}
}

//find key of smallest value in associative array
function minKeyAssoc($array) {
	//confirm that $array is an array
	//ensure sizeof $array > 0
	if (is_array($array) && count($array) > 0) {
		//flag set to true after first key/value processed
		$post_init_flag = false;
		$min_key = 0; //dummy initial key of smallest value
		//iterate through $array starting from 1st element
		foreach ($array as $key => $value) {
			//after initialisation of first key/value as smallest
			//if current value < last known smallest value
			//set its key as key of last known smallest value
			if ($post_init_flag && $value < $array[$min_key]) {
				$min_key = $key;
			} else {
				//initialise first key/value as smallest
				$min_key = $key;
				$post_init_flag = true;
			}
		}
		return $min_key;
	} else {
		return false;
	}
}

[StormS]

thx for outlining and explaining, for a newbi it is allways educational....

The problem still remains unchanged though....

When finding the lowest alterntative, I still need to convert it back to it's array position...

I need somehow to attach the arrayposition into the search/selection and then extract that value....

When searching for it later through the whole Source it will pick the first match......giving the wrong position...

If I only could:

$price = $Source[$bottomposition]; // finding the price
$mec2 = $price[$bottomposition]; // putting price and position together
if ($mec2 < $j) { 
$j = $mec2;  // finding the minimum
}
$key2 = array_keys($j); // setting the result to the position instead of price...
}

But also here is something wrong....

Damn, if I only were better...

regs

[StormS]

Our posts crossed a bit LaserLight and it took me awhile to read your last post as I didn't see.....

I was not able to use your code examples entirely, but they lead a friend of mine to the final solution, so in the end it all worked out perfectly.....

As allways one were close.... very close.... but as you know... that is not good enough 🙂

So thx once again ( you did an excellent job given the pore outlining of the problem! )

SOLVED!

regs