[RESOLVED] How to check manufacturer type and insert a rule between different manufacturers

dmacman1962

Hi All,

I have 2 tables, one has the items, the other is the manufacturer type.

Here is a link to what I did in HTML to achieve what I want. I am displaying 2 manufacturers on this page:
1) Stossel in the classroom
2) Jonathan Gullible).

Notice the rule between these 2 items, that is my challenge.
Here is what I am getting with my PHP generated page (notice the rule between each item not each manufacturer).

For example: my first product is ManufacturerID = 1 and there are 5 products for this Manufacturer. The next one is ManufacturerID = 2, and so on.

What I am trying to do is this:

ManufacturerID 1 = Fruit
ManufacturerID 2 = Vegetable
ManufacturerID 3 = Meat

etc...

And I trying to go from this:

Pears
Peaches
Apples
Carrots
Steak

to...

Pears
Peaches
Apples
-------------- <---- Horizontal rule to break up the Manufacturers
Carrots
-------------- <---- Horizontal rule to break up the Manufacturers
Steak

Here is the code to create the first example (without the rule)

$conn = mysql_connect("localhost", "x", "x") 
  OR DIE (mysql_error());
@mysql_select_db ("inthecla_products", $conn) OR DIE (mysql_error());

$sql = "SELECT * FROM Items, Manufacturer WHERE Items.SiteEnabled = 1 AND Items.ManufacturerID = Manufacturer.ManufacturerID ORDER BY Items.ManufacturerID";
$result = @mysql_query($sql, $conn) or die(mysql_error());
while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result)) {
		?>
		<td><table width="100%" border="0">
                <tr>
                    <td width="13%" rowspan="2"><div align="center"><a href="http://www.intheclassroom.com/cgi-bin/storefront.cgi?page=prod&prod=<?php echo($row['ProdID']); ?>" target="_blank"><img src="../images/<?php echo($row['Image']); ?>" alt="ITCM-In-The-Classroom-Media-John-Stossel-Greed-Video" width="100" height="100" border="0"></a></div></td>
                            <td class="font"><div align="center">
                              <table width="100%" border="0">
                                <tr>
                                  <td width="44%"><div align="left"><span class="headerLarge"><?php echo $row['ManufacturerName'];?></span></div></td><td width="1%"></td>
                                  <td width="55%"><div align="left"><a href="http://www.intheclassroom.com/cgi-bin/storefront.cgi?page=prod&prod=<?php echo($row['ProdID']); ?>" target="_blank"><img src="../images/<?php echo($row['Logo']); ?>" alt="ITCM-In-The-Classroom-Media-John-Stossel-Greed" width="91" height="42" border="0"></a></div></td>
                                </tr>
                              </table>
                              </div></td>
                          </tr>
                          <tr>
                            <td width="87%" class="font"> <div align="left"><img src="http://www.intheclassroom.com/_default_designs/images/siteImages/clear_pixel.gif" height="8" width="1"><?php echo($row['ShortDescription']); ?></div></td>
                          </tr>
						  <tr><hr /></tr>
                        </table></td>
		<?php
	}
?>

The table for the Manufacturer is called "Manufacturer" and the field limiter (1,2,3) is called "ManufacturerID" for both ( I knew someone would ask me this, so I provided it up front)

I appreciate the help,

Don

Weedpacket

If you keep a track of the ID of the manufacturer in the previous record, you'll know when to put a rule because previous ID would be different from the current ID.

So you have a $previousID which starts out blank. At the start of the loop, compare the value of $previousID with the current manufacturer ID and insert a rule if they're different; then set $previousID to the current ID.

dmacman1962

Hi Weedpacket,

Thanks for the guidance. I did what you said and I am pretty close, but I am getting a rule at the beginning of the loop (before the first manufacturer, which I do not want one here) and in between Manufacturers (which is what I am trying to do) Close to what I am trying to achieve.

IE The perfect example would be:

(no rule before 1st manufacturer)

Manufacturer 1

Manufacturer 2

Manufacturer 3
(no rule after the last manufacturer)

I know it is the logic of my loop, but I have tried several different versions and my results where worse.

Here is my new code:

<? 

$conn = mysql_connect("localhost", "x", "x") 
  OR DIE (mysql_error());
@mysql_select_db ("inthecla_products", $conn) OR DIE (mysql_error());

$sql = "SELECT * FROM Items, Manufacturer WHERE Items.SiteEnabled = 1 AND Items.ManufacturerID = Manufacturer.ManufacturerID ORDER BY Items.ManufacturerID";
$result = @mysql_query($sql, $conn) or die(mysql_error());
$row2 = mysql_query($sql, $conn);
$PreviousID=0;
while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result)) {
		$ManID = $row['ManufacturerID'];
		?>
		<table width="100%" border="0">
                <tr>
                    <td width="13%" rowspan="2"><div align="center"><a href="http://www.intheclassroom.com/cgi-bin/storefront.cgi?page=prod&prod=<?php echo($row['ProdID']); ?>" target="_blank"><img src="../images/<?php echo($row['Image']); ?>" alt="ITCM-In-The-Classroom-Media-John-Stossel-Greed-Video" width="100" height="100" border="0"></a></div></td>
                            <td class="font"><div align="center">
                              <table width="100%" border="0">
                                <tr>
                                  <td width="44%"><div align="left"><span class="headerLarge"><?php echo $row['ManufacturerName'];?></span></div></td><td width="1%"></td>
                                  <td width="55%"><div align="left"><a href="http://www.intheclassroom.com/cgi-bin/storefront.cgi?page=prod&prod=<?php echo($row['ProdID']); ?>" target="_blank"><img src="../images/<?php echo($row['Logo']); ?>" alt="ITCM-In-The-Classroom-Media-John-Stossel-Greed" width="91" height="42" border="0"></a></div></td>
                                </tr>
                              </table>
                              </div></td>
                          </tr>
                          <tr>
                            <td width="87%" class="font"> <div align="left"><img src="http://www.intheclassroom.com/_default_designs/images/siteImages/clear_pixel.gif" height="8" width="1"><?php echo($row['ShortDescription']); ?></div></td>
                          </tr>
						 <?PHP // } ?>
						  <tr>
						<?PHP   if ($ManID > $PreviousID) {?>
						  <hr />
						  <?PHP  $PreviousID = $PreviousID + 1; 
						  } ?>
						  </tr>
                        </table>
 <?PHP  } ?>

Thanks for your help, Yoda 🙂 .

Don

Weedpacket

Yeah, because first time through the loop the ID is different from the previous ID (0). You can test to see if the previous ID was 0 when deciding whether to insert a rule.

<?PHP   if ($PreviousID!=0 && $ManID != $PreviousID) {?>
						  <hr />
						  <?PHP }
						  $PreviousID = $ManID; ?>

I also made a couple of small changes I made to your code - purely in the interests of simplification - making the role of $PreviousID more explicit. I'm assuming that there is no manufacturer 0, but if there was you wouldn't have got that rule at the top.

dmacman1962

Thanks Weedpacket (BTW, what does that stand for?),

I did what you siad and I understand your modifications now that you explained it. I am not an expert in loops yet, but I am learning.

You changes did excatly what you said.

I do not know if this is possible, I'm sure with your help it is, but is it possible to check to see if there are no more manufacturers (during the loop process) and to have it not put a rule after the last manufacturer?

Like {if, this is the last manufacturer, don't print a rule} ?

I am trying to figure out a way based on this loop process, but I don't understand how to check if it's the last manufacturer.

Does that make sense?

I appreciate your help, as always,

Don

Weedpacket

Sure; put the rule first and then the table. You won't get the rule at the top because $prevID is still 0 at that point, and you won't get the rule at the bottom because you're only drawing rules if there are more tables.

In fact, you should have put the rule at the start anyway, now that I think about it: otherwise the first item of each manufacturer looks like the last item of the previous manufacturer.

dmacman1962

"You are the master and I am only the student."

Thanks weedpacket!

I put it at the beginning of the code and it works exactly like I wanted it to.

Thanks for the training in loops and logic.

I learn something new on this forum everyday, thats why I ALWAYS have it open in my browser!

Thanks again,

Don