Fetch Array

jones53084

Hi all,

I am writing a contact management php page. In the page I use mysql_fetch_array() to show the search results. If the user searchs by first name, there are times when multiple entries come up. Once the data is displayed on the screen the user has the option to edit, or delete this entry in the database. So on this one screen it shows all the search results. If the user clicks on edit or delete, I then create a $_SESSION variable to bring this information to the edit or delete page. However this variable only gets created for the first entry when I do the mysql_fetch_array(). If I choose any entry after the first, it brings over the first entries information. How would I create a variable to bring this over to another page to edit or delete each specific contact. Is there a better way to do this?

Thanks!

bastien

each record should have an id value from the table (the primary key) and use that to id each individual and use that on the next page to get the data associated with that user

jones53084

Hi all,

I think I still may be confused. My page looks something like this:

John Doe 1 Main St. New York, NY 12345 Edit Delete
Jane Doe 3 Main St. New York, NY 12345 Edit Delete

I get this information by doing a fetch_array. I then click on edit, for John Doe. It brings the user to another page, and they can edit his info. But if I click on edit for Jane Doe. John Doe's info comes in.

The database does have a primary id for each entry. However, how do I create a variable for each primary id, and somehow assign it to the edit and delete buttons.

I don't know if i'm going about this the right way. But I'm just not sure how to set a variable for each person. Am I going about this the wrong way or how could I set this variable?

Thanks! I'm still relatively new to PHP, but I think I'm on my way. This roadblock i'm having with this problem, is preventing me from going further.

Thanks in advance!!!!!!!!!

bastien

do you have a unique value for each row in the db? Usually an auto number id field is created. If you have that value then you can pass that value to the next page...if not and if the name(s) are unique then you can pass the names...

if you could post some of the code it might be helpful in working this out for you...and the db structure for that relevant table

WDPEjoe

If your table has a primary ID, then you can use this inside your application to point it to the correct record. I'm going to assume a few things just so I can give a better example of what you have to do, but you should be able to apply it to whatever design you have.

Basically, when you're generating the HTML for the address, edit, delete, etc, you must attach the primary key to the URL:

while ($array = mysqli_fetch_array($result))
{
// print out name and address stuff
print ("<a href=\"edit.php?id=" . $array['primaryIdColumn'] . "\">Edit</a>");
print ("<a href=\"delete.php?id=" . $array['primaryIdColumn'] . "\">Delete</a>");
}

So, when edit.php or delete.php gets run, the "id" variable (which is different for each entry) is passed to the script (via the $_GET array).

In edit.php (or delete.php), the first few lines of code should look like this

// verify that the record exists
// you should filter $_GET['id'] to make sure it's in the correct form
$query = "SELECT * FROM contacts WHERE primaryIdColumn='" . $_GET['id'] . "'";
$result = mysqli_query($link, $query);
if (mysqli_num_rows($result) < 1) { header("Location: contact_list.php"); }
$contactInfo = mysqli_fetch_array($result);

The contact information will be in $contactInfo and can be then appropriately edited in edit.php.

jones53084

Thanks! This really helps. I've been messing around with using a hidden field to pass the data, and it was not working correctly.

jones53084

In my PHP page I do a fetch array to create variables, for use later on in the page. So i do the fetch array then create a new variable from the result. Then i use this variable later in the page. Is this the best way to be doing this? Is there an easier way? When I'm finished with my page I'm doing multiple fetch arrays, and have a ton of variables.

Also, I have found that there is a limit to the amount of information i can do in a fetch array. Does anyone know this limit?

Sxooter

What I do is make each row a form unto itself, and put the value in a hidden there. Note that if it's one big form, then you'd have to do something with the submit button and / or javascript to tell the rows apart. And I hate using javascript for submitting forms.

Oh, and I've found no limits to what I can get with a fetch_array, but I'm sure there's one somewhere at the size of data your php engine is set to max out on, like 8 or 16 megs or something.

jones53084

Thanks for the info this helps!

I'm definitely still learning, when it comes to programming. And recently my code has just become a mess. So I started learning object oriented programming. Of course this is very useful, but how useful is it when dealing with databases. From what I've seen on the web, it seems like a waste when dealing with a database. Any thoughts, links, or code on this?