[Resolved] cookie array

[asa_carter]

Hi,

Can anyone help me with an array question?

I want to store the value of a variable that is in the query string in a cookie.

I also want to count how many times it has been added.

Then I need to display the top 9 items in the array.

Thanks

Asa.

[planetsim]

bool setcookie ( string name [, string value [, int expire [, string path [, string domain [, bool secure]]]]] )

setcookie states that it requires a string. So you cannot use an Array however you can get around that by serializing.

[asa_carter]

Hi,

Thanks but i'm still having a bit of trouble with this. I've looked up serialilsing but not sure how to use it 😕

Cheers,

Asa

[wempy]

// create a mixed array
$var=array("one"=>1,"two"=>2,
    "fruit"=>"orange","method"=>"car");

// turn array into string representation
$tring=serialize($var);

// store $tring somewhere that only allows basic strings, i.e. store the cookie.

// retrieve $newstring from store (i.e. re-read the cookie)

// return string representation into array form
$var2=unserialize($newstring);

// test
echo $var["method"];

should return "car".

[asa_carter]

Hi,

Can anyone see what is wrong with this? I cant find the right functions to remove the current element in an array and insert a new value in its place...

// if array already exists
if($pages)
{
  // itterate through array
  while (list($catnum, $howmany) = each ($pages))
  {
    // if the current page id is in the array
    if ($id==$catnum)
    {
      // increment the current array element
      $howmany++;
      // remove the current array element
      ?????
      // add the new value to the current array
      ??????
    }
  }
}

[wempy]

If I understand you correctly you wish to check for the current page id being in the array, if it is then you want to increment the value in the array, yes?

If so try this (with a bit of added checking to ensure that the array exists, is an array and contains at least one element)

if(isset($pages) && is_array($pages) && count($pages))
{
    while(list($catnum,$howmany) = each ($pages))
    {
        // is page $id in array
        if($id==$catnum)
        {
            $pages[$id]++; // increment count
            break;  //jump out of loop
        }
    }
}

As soon as you increment the array value this way, you probably will have to jump out of the while loop as the internal array pointer used by each may get changed, though it shouldn't, I just don't have a system to test it on at the moment.
This may be what you want to do anyway, as the array indices are unique, so once you have found the page id in the array, there is no point in checking the rest of the array.

If I have got the wrong end of the stick, and I frequently do, I apologise, so could you be a little more specific.

[asa_carter]

Hi,

I think that may be right but i'm not sure if $pages[$id]++;
will increment the array key or it's element. I am trying to increment the element so that 1000 >= 1 would become 1000 >= 2 and then update the cookie.

I could then read the cookie on another page and display all the category id's and how many times they have been accessed.

Hope this is clear enough. It hard to explain what I mean,

Cheers

Asa.

[wempy]

$pages[$id]++;

increments the element not the key.
it equates to:

$tmp = $pages[$id];
$tmp = $tmp  + 1;
$pages[$id] = $tmp;

[asa_carter]

Hi,

I have created these two files to test it but it still doesn't seem to increment the count or add more id's into the array.

test.php

<a href="test2.php?id=100">100</a>
<a href="test2.php?id=200">200</a>
<a href="test2.php?id=300">300</a>
<?
echo "<div align='left'><pre>"; 
print_r($_COOKIE);
echo "</pre></div>";
?>

test2.php

<?
if(isset($pages) && is_array($pages) && count($pages)) 
{ 
  while(list($key,$value) = each($pages))
  {
    // is page $id in array
    if($id==$key)
    { 
      $pages[$id]++; // increment count 
      break; //jump out of loop 
    } 
  } 
}
else
  $value=1;

setcookie("pages[$id]", "$value", time()+1200);
?>
<a href="test.php">Back to first page..</a>

Thanks

Asa

[wempy]

Hmm, I think things are becoming a little clearer as to what you are trying to achieve. If I understand you correctly, you wish to have a running total of page visits, held in an array, stored on the users machine in a cookie. If the user goes to a page that isn't already in the array then it is added to it, and if it is already there then the number of visits is incremented.
So you may want to use something like this (off the top of my head, and completely untested, as I have never had to play with cookies before).

<?php
// test2.php

// get the pages array out of the cookie, as a string
$pages_string=$_COOKIE["pages_arr"];
// convert the string back to an array
$pages=unserialize($pages_string);

// set flag for later testing
$bflag=false;

if(!isset($pages))
{
    // $pages does not exist yet so create it
    $pages=array();
}else{
    if(!is_array($pages))
    {
         // $pages exists but it isn't an array, so delete it
         erase($pages);
         // and re-create it as an array
         $pages=array();
    }
}
// reset the array pointer to the start of the array
reset($pages);
// iterate through the array to see if it already contains $id
while(list($key,$val)=each($pages))
{
    if($key==$id)
    {
         // increment page count
         $pages[$key]++;
         // set flag to say that page is in array
         $bflag=true;
         // jump out of loop
         break;
    }
}

// test to see if page was found in array
if(!$bflag)
{
    // it wasn't found so add this page to the array
    $pages[$id]=1;
}

// right, now turn the array into a string 
$pages_string=serialize($pages);
// so that it can be sent to the user as a cookie
setcookie("pages_arr", $pages_string, time()+1200);

?>

Hope that this gives you a bit more hope and a possible solution.

[asa_carter]

Thanks very much. Thats amazing.

I changed the erase() function to unset() as I couldnt find an erase() function. Dont know if it's a new one or not.

www.argyllnewmedia.co.uk/marketplace2

Thanks v much for your help,

Asa