[RESOLVED] how would you?

rbblue8

hey,

I know you guys do not like to hold hands and tell people exactly how to build soemthing from the groud up... But i'm honestly stuck here.

I belive i will know how to code it.... once i have an idea of what to do.. the problem is i do not know where to start.

I'm looking to do a match system... where users will sign up... and there names will be put into a database. From that database i need it to pull two names @ a time and put them against one a nother. who ever wins will go into another pull of names where the process will continue over and over again until there is one name left.

the issue that i'm not able to get a handle on here is how exactly would i do this?
I mean i know how to put thing into a mysql databse... but how would i make it only pull two names out @ once... and where would i store thoes name until a winner is decided?

basically I'm thinking I will have to design a script that will make tables on the fly based on current information.

how would u guys handle it?

n_wattam

rbblue8 wrote:
@

Thats just lazy and irritable :queasy:

rbblue8

which is... how i think i should it?
or the fact that i posted it?

next question
why do you feel it necessary to leave comments that do not answer the question or even remotly suggest anything that the posting is asking for?

Installer

You could do it with one table. Add a column to keep track of who's still in the tounament, then draw your players something like this:

$query = "SELECT name FROM my_table WHERE still_in = 'yes' " .
         "ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 2";

Then, after each match, the only change you'd need to make would be to the loser's row:

$query = "UPDATE my_table SET still_in = 'no' " .
         "WHERE name = " . $loser;

Archiving of matches could be done in a separate table, or even other columns in the same table.

Edit: That won't quite work; it runs the risk of involving one person in more than one match at a time, or in one level of play more than once. Maybe more like this:

$query = "SELECT name FROM my_table" .
         "WHERE still_in = 'yes' AND level = '" . $current_level . "' " . 
         "ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 2";
$query = "UPDATE my_table SET still_in = 'maybe' " .
         "WHERE name = '" . $name_1 . "' OR name = '" . $name_2 . "'";
// Then, after the match:
$query = "UPDATE my_table SET still_in = 'no' WHERE name = '" . $loser . "'";
$query = "UPDATE my_table SET (still_in = 'yes', level = '" . $next_level . "') " . 
         "WHERE name = '" . $winner . "'";

Anyway, you get the picture.

rbblue8

Hey..

well i like that better then having a script make tables on the fly.
the question is... your query... it only pulls two out @ a time. But how would one make it pull all the names out @ a time and and just seperate them by two.. also with the way you are talking... how would i make sure that the name was not all ready pulled out?

Installer

Sorry, I was editing while you were posting. See my revised post.

Blulagoon

What is the process of a winner being decided ?

If you didn't use the LIMIT 2 with the search query Installer suggested you pair off all of your teams at random. You could then create a table called "ongoing_matches" and store the team pairings in there until the winner is decided, which could be a few days if we are talking something like chess or cricket, then you could write the results back to the original table using the Still_in field suggested by Installer and empty the ongoing_matches table ready for the next round.

HTH - Blu

n_wattam

rbblue8 wrote:
which is... how i think i should it?
or the fact that i posted it?

next question
why do you feel it necessary to leave comments that do not answer the question or even remotly suggest anything that the posting is asking for?

Neither because its lazy, and would you wright a letter of application with that in? its AT.. you asking for help of the forums and more often than not there is a language barrier, so why make it harder for people?

rbblue8

hey.

getting better..

but still leaves out the question of once it pulls the names out... where does it put them? it would have to store them some place.. b/c if it did not the rand() would give people different matches every time the page is loaded.

let me bounce my idea of create row on the fly idea by you.

basically i have one giant table called signedup.

i then click a buttion that sets signup to closed and then pull all the names out of the signedup table by two and makes rows with names like R101 (r1= round one 01 =match 1) and there would be the names. The winner would then be marked with a dash in that row.. and then there name would be carryed over to another row called round2. then when i hit the buttion the script makes rows called r201 (r2 = round2, 01 = r1). Or i would not even have to hit a buttion to make round 2. just as people report wins and it's confirmed... it makes the next match on the fly... this would prevent me on waiting for all the matches to get back before moving to round 2.

perhaps put something in the script so i can stop it at round 6 or some number... so we could contine it at another time...

this would prevent me from having two tables... and then i would export it the data into html form and delete the database.... b/c once the match is done... it's done and there is not need to keep the data in the database... just in html form.

what ya think of that?

rbblue8

n_wattam wrote:
Neither because its lazy, and would you wright a letter of application with that in? its AT.. you asking for help of the forums and more often than not there is a language barrier, so why make it harder for people?

huh?

what are you talking about?

i'm not looking for a job here... i'm looking for help. I have an idea... i need some help with how to get to point A to B. I'm not asking for lines and lines of code... Just a suggestion.

and where is there a language barrier?

plz do not post back to this dude... you have nothing to say about what i'm asking for so why bother?

let the people that are willing to help w/ my idea help me bro.

thanks.

Installer

It sounds ok, except before you were talking about making all the pairings at once instead of willy-nilly as results came in. I think it is a better idea to do them all at once, or else you wouldn't have really random matchups. The early reporters would be playing each other, the late ones each other, etc.

How's this for a (first-draft) pairing routine:

$query = "SELECT name FROM my_table " .
         "WHERE still_in = 'yes' AND level = '" . $current_level . "' " .
         "ORDER_BY RAND()";
$result = mysql_query($query);
while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result)) {
    $pool[] = $row['name'];
}
$num = mysql_numrows($result);
$split = floor(num / 2);
for ($i = 0; $i < $split; $i++) {
    $contestants[$i]['a'] = $pool[$i];
    $contestants[$i[['b'] = $pool[$i + $split];
    echo $contestants[$i]['a'] . ' vs. ' . $contestants[$i]['b'] . '<br />';
}

Of course, if you have an odd number of entrants, one palooka will get left out. Then you could enter, too, I guess. 🙂

n_wattam

rbblue8 wrote:
huh?

what are you talking about?

i'm not looking for a job here... i'm looking for help. I have an idea... i need some help with how to get to point A to B. I'm not asking for lines and lines of code... Just a suggestion.

and where is there a language barrier?

plz do not post back to this dude... you have nothing to say about what i'm asking for so why bother?

let the people that are willing to help w/ my idea help me bro.

thanks.

lol, w/ ?
lol @?
lol b/c?

w/ b/c and i /w so @ my b/c

rbblue8

Installer wrote:
It sounds ok, except before you were talking about making all the pairings at once instead of willy-nilly as results came in. I think it is a better idea to do them all at once, or else you wouldn't have really random matchups. The early reporters would be playing each other, the late ones each other, etc.

How's this for a (first-draft) pairing routine:
$query = "SELECT name FROM my_table " .
         "WHERE still_in = 'yes' AND level = '" . $current_level . "' " .
         "ORDER_BY RAND()";
$result = mysql_query($query);
while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result)) {
    $pool[] = $row['name'];
}
$num = mysql_numrows($result);
$split = floor(num / 2);
for ($i = 0; $i < $split; $i++) {
    $contestants[$i]['a'] = $pool[$i];
    $contestants[$i[['b'] = $pool[$i + $split];
    echo $contestants[$i]['a'] . ' vs. ' . $contestants[$i]['b'] . '<br />';
}
Of course, if you have an odd number of entrants, one palooka will get left out. Then you could enter, too, I guess. 🙂

hey...

well the only issue i see with making them all @ once... is you will have to waite for everone to get done before proceeding to a different round. The issue is what happens if the person drops? or something comes up that they can not play... or for some reason... that match goes on for like 30 minutes when everyone else is done in 10?

one thing games hate..... is waiting.

i think your paring script will still work no matter how i do it.. just need to fine tune things..

but i still does not show where it's putting the matches so when it rand()'s the players it stays static.

Installer

I really think you've come full circle to the method I suggested earlier, i.e. where a separate query is made for each individual pairing, and with a separate colomn for each player's status.

As for your earlier concern about a new match each time a player loads the page: I assume you'll have some kind of sign-in. Use that to check if the player is matched, and if not to make the match (in the query).

Good luck. I hope I've helped.