[RESOLVED] Never Ending Script... Help!

[reflash]

I have a database that includes a column called "cat" (category) that I'm using as section headers. I'm trying to figure out how to get the script to read thru the entire table and display each entry under it's category header. So far, that seems to be working (I'll need to check it when the categories are not contiguous in the table). However, the script never ends - it just keeps repeating the last entry forever. What I have is:

$count=1;

$sect="SELECT * FROM $table WHERE id = '$count' LIMIT 1";

$h=mysql_query ($sect);

while ($head=mysql_fetch_array($h)){

print "<font size=\"5\"><b><i>{$head['cat']}</i></b></font><br /><hr>";

$cat=$head['cat'];

}

$query="SELECT * FROM $table WHERE cat = '$cat'";

$r=mysql_query ($query);

while ($row=mysql_fetch_array($r)){

print "<a href=\"http://{$row['url']}\" target=\"_blank\">{$row['name']}</a><br />";

$sto=$row['id'];

$count++;

}

print "<br />";

$t=$count+1;

$te="SELECT * FROM $table WHERE id = '$t' LIMIT 1";

$tes=mysql_query ($te);

$tess=mysql_fetch_array ($tes);

if (empty ($array['$tess'])) {

   $array['$sto'] = 1;

}

while ($sto > 1) {

$sect="SELECT * FROM $table WHERE id = '$count' LIMIT 1";

$h=mysql_query ($sect);

while ($head=mysql_fetch_array($h)){

print "<font size=\"5\"><b><i>{$head['cat']}</i></b></font><br /><hr>";

$cat=$head['cat'];

}

$query="SELECT * FROM $table WHERE cat = '$cat'";

$r=mysql_query ($query);

while ($row=mysql_fetch_array($r)){

print "<a href=\"http://{$row['url']}\" target=\"_blank\">{$row['name']}</a><br />";

$count++;

}

print "<br />";


$t=$count+1;

$te="SELECT * FROM $table WHERE id = '$t' LIMIT 1";

$tes=mysql_query ($te);

$tess=mysql_fetch_array ($tes);


}

print "<br />";

Can anyone suggest a better way of doing this? I need for the script to stop when it displays the last entry in the table, and I need to deal with non-contiguous entries in the same category. Thanks!

[bogu]

How is the script suppose to exit from this while?

while ($sto > 1) {

$sect="SELECT * FROM $table WHERE id = '$count' LIMIT 1";

$h=mysql_query ($sect);

while ($head=mysql_fetch_array($h)){

	print "<font size=\"5\"><b><i>{$head['cat']}</i></b></font><br /><hr>";

	$cat=$head['cat'];

}

$query="SELECT * FROM $table WHERE cat = '$cat'";

$r=mysql_query ($query);

while ($row=mysql_fetch_array($r)){

	print "<a href=\"http://{$row['url']}\" target=\"_blank\">{$row['name']}</a><br />";

	$count++;

}

print "<br />";


$t=$count+1;

$te="SELECT * FROM $table WHERE id = '$t' LIMIT 1";

$tes=mysql_query ($te);

$tess=mysql_fetch_array ($tes);


}

Next time try to use wrap

 tags when u post code (like I did), is easier to view and your post is easier to read...

[Pobega]

You never change the value of $sto, so as it runs through the "while ($sto > 1)" bit sto is ALWAYS greater than 1 (The only way to break out of a while statement is to make the while statement FALSE within the statement. Meaning

while (this is true)
	{
		This happens, but should eventually prove the while statement false
	}

[reflash]

That's what the if statement was supposed to do:

if (empty ($array['$tess'])) {

   $array['$sto'] = 1;

}

Apparently, it's not working. When it gets to the last record in the table, $tess should be empty, so I set $sto = 1, and it exits.

OK, I found one problem - I changed the if statement to:

if (empty ($array['$tess'])) {

$sto = 1;

}

But now it only does the first category...

Here's all the code:

$count=1;

$sect="SELECT * FROM $table WHERE id = '$count' LIMIT 1";

$h=mysql_query ($sect);

while ($head=mysql_fetch_array($h)){

print "<font size=\"5\"><b><i>{$head['cat']}</i></b></font><br /><hr>";

$cat=$head['cat'];

}

$query="SELECT * FROM $table WHERE cat = '$cat'";

$r=mysql_query ($query);

while ($row=mysql_fetch_array($r)){

print "<a href=\"http://{$row['url']}\" target=\"_blank\">{$row['name']}</a><br />";

$sto=$row['id'];

$count++;

}

print "<br />";

$t=$count+1;

$te="SELECT * FROM $table WHERE id = '$t' LIMIT 1";

$tes=mysql_query ($te);

$tess=mysql_fetch_array ($tes);

if (empty ($array['$tess'])) {

$sto = 1;

}

while ($sto > 1) {

$sect="SELECT * FROM $table WHERE id = '$count' LIMIT 1";

$h=mysql_query ($sect);

while ($head=mysql_fetch_array($h)){

print "<font size=\"5\"><b><i>{$head['cat']}</i></b></font><br /><hr>";

$cat=$head['cat'];

}

$query="SELECT * FROM $table WHERE cat = '$cat'";

$r=mysql_query ($query);

while ($row=mysql_fetch_array($r)){

print "<a href=\"http://{$row['url']}\" target=\"_blank\">{$row['name']}</a><br />";

$count++;

}

print "<br />";


$t=$count+1;

$te="SELECT * FROM $table WHERE id = '$t' LIMIT 1";

$tes=mysql_query ($te);

$tess=mysql_fetch_array ($tes);


}

print "<br />";

[Weedpacket]

reflash wrote:

But now it only does the first category...

Why are you limiting the selection to return only the first result that you use $cat from? (Incidentally, if there is only one result, you certainly don't need to waste effort using a wholee loop to read it.)

Really, based on your description, though, you're setting yourself up for a lot of redundant database work. That will be slow.

$current_category = "";
$query = "Select cat, url, name from $table order by cat";
$result = mysql_query($query);
while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result))
{
	if($current_category != $row['cat'])
	{
		// Print a category header line.
		$current_category = $row['cat'];
	}
	// Print a url/name line.
}

So the category header line is only printed when the category changes. And of course you don't need to check when "the categories are not contiguous in the table" because databases are able to sort records.

EEEWWWW!!! <font> tags! If it's a header, use a header tag! That's what they're for!

[reflash]

Thanks Weedpacket! That did it!