searchable excel file in php?

[sl0thy]

Hi, Im looking for some help. I have a excel file (i can export to cvs if needed) that i would like to have it searchable from my site (product name) and show the results of the seach. Im very much a newbie in php. Im hopeing there is a way to do this. or if there is another way other then php to do this im open to all help

Thanks
Brian

[matto]

assuming you have an excel-style csv file placed on your server.

<?
// test search key - should come from elsewhere
$search_key = 'abc';

$datafile = file('data.csv');

foreach($datafile as $line)
{
 if(stristr($line, $search_key) !== false) // found!
 {
    echo "Key found in record:<br />";
    // separate record fields
    $fields = explode(';', trim($line));
    foreach($fields as $field)
      echo $field."<br />"; // field output
   echo "<hr />"; // horizontal separator
  }
}

this spits out all fields from all records where the key has been found nicely.

maybe you want to look up in the www.php.net manual:
file() function
explode() (aka "split") function
for, foreach loops
array handling

hope this helps.