[RESOLVED] clearning static value in function

[perpetualshaun]

I wrote a function to write a "cookie trail" string w/ links for my admin page and it works GREAT. However, when I call it a second time (I want the cookie trail on the page twice), it appends the static value instead of starting a new one. I tried to reset it like this:

//-- FUNCTION THAT WILL PRINT THE COOKIE TRAIL OF CATEGORIES --//
function categoryCookieTrail($parent_category_id, $query_pass, $list_begin, $list_resort, $list_order, $carryover) {

if($carryover == "CLEAR") {
	unset($cookie_trail);
	$cookie_trail = "";
}

static $cookie_trail;

$category_search_query = "SELECT category_parent_id, category_title FROM categories WHERE category_id='".$parent_category_id."'";
//echo "<p><strong>category_search_query</strong>: ".$category_search_query."</p>\n";
$category_search_result = @mysql_query($category_search_query) OR die ("Couldn't complete this MySQL query: ".$category_search_query."<br />\n<br />\nError: ".mysql_error());
$category = mysql_fetch_array($category_search_result);

if(mysql_num_rows($category_search_result) > 0) {
	if($cookie_trail != "") {
		$cookie_trail = " > ".$cookie_trail;
	}
	$cookie_trail = "<a title=\"".$category["category_title"]."\" href=\"?list_begin=".$list_begin.$query_pass."&amp;list_resort=".$list_resort."&amp;list_order=".$list_order."&amp;sub_category_id=".$category["category_parent_id"]."#results\">".$category["category_title"]."</a>".$cookie_trail;
	categoryCookieTrail($category["category_parent_id"], $query_pass, $list_begin, $list_resort, $list_order, "CARRY OVER");
}
return $cookie_trail;
}

Can anyone out there see what I have wrong?

Thanks,

Shaun

[paulnaj]

Massive guess ... put the static $cookie_trail; line at the top of the function ... it might be that PHP doesn't know that the static variable exists until this statement is executed.

As I say ... it's a guess!

Paul 🙂

[Weedpacket]

The guess is right: (perhaps the manual should mention this). The code that clears $cookie_trail is having no effect because it's the static declaration that sets $cookie_trail to its static value.

Putting the static declaration first would also simplify the code to clear the variable:

function category(/*...*/) {
static $cookie_trial = '';

if($carryover=='CLEAR')
    $cookie_trail = '';

//...
}