[RESOLVED] My brain is fried. I need some help with this evil script

[donkru]

ok i am making this small gallery script that i ahve working but what i want to do is make it so that i display only 16 images per pageand have a next and previous button on the bottom, befor i started codeing to add the next and previous buttons i had no problems at all, but once i started imy thoughts ran astray and now i am going comepletely nuts, any help will be greatlt appreciated, my code is bellow

This is the code when i started to put the page feature, it works 100% just no next previous buttons.

<?php 
	$page = $_REQUEST['page'];
	if($page <= 0){
		$firstnum = '0';
		$secondnum = '16';
		$img1 = '<a>';
		$img2 = '<a>';
		}else {
		$firstnum = $page * 16 + 1;
		$secondnum = $page * 16 + 16;
		}
	  echo '<div align="left"><img src="images/gallery.gif" width="152" height="42" /><p>';
$db_host = 'localhost';    //mySQL location 
$db_user = 'root';        //mySQL server Username 
$db_pass = 'pass';        //mySQL server password 
$db_data = 'db';        //mySQL database 

    $link = mysql_connect($db_host, $db_user, $db_pass); 
    $dbsel = mysql_select_db($db_data); 

$query = 'SELECT * 
FROM gallery  

ORDER BY postdate DESC limit '.$firstnum.','.$secondnum.''; 
$result = mysql_query($query); 

if(!$result){ 
    echo mysql_error();} 
else 
  { 
  $i=1; 
  $output .= '<table width="100%">'; 
  while($piclist = mysql_fetch_array($result)) 
    { 
    $j = $i%4;   // What is left when we remove al multitudes of 4 from $i 
    if($j == 1) // First run: Add <tr> 
      { 
       $output .= "<tr>"; 
      }    $picture = $piclist['picname']; 
	  		$picid = $piclist['picid'];
	      $output .= '<td width="25%"><a href="/galpicinfo.php?picid='.$picid.'"><img src="gallery/'.$picture.'" width="80" height="80" /></a></td>'; 
    if($j ==0)  // Last of row: Add </tr> 
      { 
       $output .= "</tr>"; 
      } 
    $i++; 
  } 

for($j = $i%4; $j<4;$j++)  // Finish the table 
  { 
  $output .= "<td></td>"; 
  }} 

$output .= "</table>"; 

echo $output;

?>

This is the script i have now when i attempted to add the next previous page.

<?php 

$page = $_REQUEST['page'];
if($page <= 0){
		$firstnum = '0';
		$secondnum = '16';}

$db_host = 'localhost';    //mySQL location 
$db_user = 'root';        //mySQL server Username 
$db_pass = 'pass';        //mySQL server password 
$db_data = 'db';        //mySQL database 

    $link = mysql_connect($db_host, $db_user, $db_pass); 
    $dbsel = mysql_select_db($db_data); 

	$q1 = 'SELECT * 
FROM gallery  

ORDER BY postdate DESC';
		$r1 = mysql_query($q1);
		$picamt = mysql_num_rows($r1);
		$q2 = 'SELECT * 
FROM gallery  

ORDER BY postdate DESC limit '.$firstnum.','.$secondnum.'';
		$r2 = mysql_query($q2);
		$picamt2 = mysql_num_rows($r2);
		if($picamt > $picamt2){
		$firstnum = $page * 16 + 1;
		$secondnum = $page * 16 + 16;
		$img1 = '<a href="/?page='.$page+1 .'"><img src="images/next.gif"/></a>';
		$img2 = '<a href="/?page='.$page-1 .'"><img src="images/prev.gif"/></a>';
		}
	  echo '<div align="left"><img src="images/gallery.gif" width="152" height="42" /><p>';

$query = 'SELECT * 
FROM gallery  

ORDER BY postdate DESC limit '.$firstnum.','.$secondnum.''; 
$result = mysql_query($query); 

if(!$result){ 
    echo mysql_error();} 
else 
  { 
  $i=1; 
  $output .= '<table width="100%">'; 
  while($piclist = mysql_fetch_array($result)) 
    { 
    $j = $i%4;   // What is left when we remove al multitudes of 4 from $i 
    if($j == 1) // First run: Add <tr> 
      { 
       $output .= "<tr>"; 
      }    $picture = $piclist['picname']; 
	  		$picid = $piclist['picid'];
	      $output .= '<td width="25%"><a href="/galpicinfo.php?picid='.$picid.'"><img src="gallery/'.$picture.'" width="80" height="80" /></a></td>'; 
    if($j ==0)  // Last of row: Add </tr> 
      { 
       $output .= "</tr>"; 
      } 
    $i++; 
  } 

for($j = $i%4; $j<4;$j++)  // Finish the table 
  { 
  $output .= "<td></td>"; 
  }} 

$output .= "</table>"; 

echo $output;
echo '<table width="100%" border="0">
  <tr>
    <td align="right" valign="bottom">'.$img1.$img2.'</td>
  </tr>
</table>';
	?>

Again, i thank anyone who helps me with this, thanx

[kkobashi]

There's no need to make 3 separate database queries to grab the same information. You only need one.

When you do a select * from gallery order by posdate desc

you already got all the records. Why make 2 more database calls?

If you know you want to render each page 16 at a time, then do so in a loop fetching the records. You already got the total number of records and can calculate out the number of pages (loop iterations) to make.

[donkru]

sorry but, can you elaborate a little bit, i uderstand it all upto make loop iterations, can you tell me how or point me to an example.

thankx for al your help

[donkru]

disregard the last post,i got it to work with your suggestions thanks