[RESOLVED] How to Alphabetically Sort a List, Put in 2 or 3 Columns, & Wrap <LI> Around it?

[virginiamonkeys]

I have a text list of items that will be going on about 300 different pages. Each page will have a different list of a different length.

The list will be something like "list/page1.txt" or something.

The file will look something like this:

apple
orange
banana
car
thing
other thing
something else
34th item
house

Some lists will have 3 items, and some will have about 80 items.

I would like the list to be alphabetically sorted, and then put into 1, 2, or 3 columns depending on the size of the list.

I think the list should be a minimum of about 7 items per column.

Between 8 and 14 and it should be 2 columns.

Between 15 and whatever and it should be 3 columns.

The colums should be alphbetically sorted top to bottom in the 1st column, then continue to the 2nd column, etc. (as opposed to sorting from left to right, then again, left to right from column to column to column to the next row).

And, it would be great if the list results could have <LI> and </LI> wrapped around them so it's in bullet form.

I searched for something like this, but could only find a partial solution.

Help please?

[Drakla]

Put them in an array, sort the array, slice up the array, display the elements for each sliced array.

Read up on arrays.

Hurray for arrays.

[virginiamonkeys]

Alright... I started reading the DAFT link in your signature and from what I've read over the last few days and with a bit of help on this forum I came up with this.

I just want to know if there is a more efficient way of writing this, or did I do a pretty good job?

To me, it looks bloated for php. (Nevermind the oversized variable names.)

<?php
print"

some html here

";

//make array out of town names

$akatowns = array($akatown1, $akatown2, $akatown3, $akatown4, $akatown5, $akatown6, $donotuse1, $donotuse2, $town, $county);

//make array out of town file

$specificareas = file('../arealist/'.$areafile.'-list.txt');

//merge the two files

$specificareamerge = array_merge($specificareas, $akatowns);

//trim trailing whitespace from the list

for ($i=0; $i<count($specificareamerge); $i++) {
  $specificareamerge[$i] = trim($specificareamerge[$i]);
}

//remove duplicate names

$specificunique = array_unique($specificareamerge);

//sort the list alphabetically

sort ($specificunique);

//remove empties

foreach ($specificunique as $key => $specificarea)
{ 
    if (!empty($specificarea))
	{
        break;
	}
    else 
	{
        unset($specificunique[$key]);
	}
}

//add the AND MORE phrase to the end of the list

array_push($specificunique, "and more... just ask!");

//reset the counter key to compensate for removed names

$specificunique = array_values($specificunique);

//count the number of items in the list

$arraycount = count($specificunique);

//determine how many columns we will need to display

//for 3 columns do this

if ($arraycount >= 24) {
	$percolumn = ($arraycount / 3);
	print "<TABLE width ='100%'>
		<TR>
		<TD width='33%' valign='top'>";
for ($thiscolcount = 0; $thiscolcount < $percolumn; $thiscolcount++) { print 

'<LI>'.$specificunique[$thiscolcount].'</LI>';}

print"		</TD>
		<TD width='33%' valign='top'>";
for ($thiscolcount = $thiscolcount; $thiscolcount < ($percolumn * 2); 

$thiscolcount++) { print '<LI>'.$specificunique[$thiscolcount].'</LI>';}

print"		</TD>
		<TD width='33%' valign='top'>";
for ($thiscolcount = $thiscolcount; $thiscolcount < $arraycount; $thiscolcount++) { 

print '<LI>'.$specificunique[$thiscolcount].'</LI>';}

print"		</TD>
		</TR>
		</TABLE>";
			}

// for 2 columns do this

elseif ($arraycount >= 16) {
	$percolumn = ($arraycount / 2);
	print "<TABLE width ='100%'>
		<TR>
		<TD width='50%' valign='top'>";
for ($thiscolcount = 0; $thiscolcount < $percolumn; $thiscolcount++) { print 

'<LI>'.$specificunique[$thiscolcount].'</LI>';}

print"		</TD>
		<TD width='50%' valign='top'>";
for ($thiscolcount = $thiscolcount; $thiscolcount < $arraycount; $thiscolcount++) { 

print '<LI>'.$specificunique[$thiscolcount].'</LI>';}

print"		</TD>
		</TR>
		</TABLE>";
			}

// for 1 column do this

else {
	print "<TABLE width ='100%'>
		<TR>
		<TD width='100%' valign='top'>";

	foreach ($specificunique as $specificarea)
	{ 
 		   print '<LI>'.$specificarea.'</LI>';
	}
print"		</TD>
		</TR>
		</TABLE>";
			}


print "
some html here";
?>

[virginiamonkeys]

Just realized I have my <UL> and </UL> missing in each column... so ignore that - I've spotted that.