How to nest a loop inside an array? Part II

[dmacman1962]

I had this challenge and laserlight and leatherback helped me thru it, but now I am trying to get the data for this dynamic array from a query and I get...

---drop down menu start---
1 (1st record, I just get a value)
2 (end record, I just get a value)
3 (3rd record, I just get a value)
John Doe (I get the correct name)
---drop down menu end---

I know I am close, but I've tried many variations with no success.

So I throw myself on the mercy of the forum.

$query="SELECT * FROM quizzes WHERE TeachersEmail='".$TeachersEmail."' ORDER BY StudentsName ASC";
//echo $sql.'<br /><br />';

$result = mysql_query($query) or die(mysql_error());
$num_rows = mysql_num_rows($result);
echo '<br /><br />The number of rows is '.$num_rows.'<br /><br />';

while ($myrow = mysql_fetch_array($result))
			{
			$name = $myrow['StudentsName'];
			// initialize array, with empty start option:
			$names = array("" => " ");


		for ($i = 1; $i < $num_rows; ++$i)
		{
			$names["$i"] = "$i"; 
		}

		$names["$num_rows"] = $myrow['StudentsName']; 
}


$x='1'; //tabindex value
$list = makeDropList('names',$names,$names);

the code for 'makeDropList is ...

function makeDropList($name,$list,$selected="") {
  // $name       select name
  // $list       array of value, label pair
  // $selected   selected value
  global $x;
  while(list($value,$label) = each($list)) {
    $options .= '<option value="'.$value.'">'.$label.'</option>';
  }
  $dropList = '<select name="'.$name.'" tabindex="'.$x.'">'.$options.'</select>'."\n";
  $dropList = ereg_replace("value=\"$selected\"","value=\"$selected\" selected",$dropList);
  return $dropList;
}

What am I misssing here???

Thanks a bunch in advance (as usual),
Don

[leatherback]

Hey Don,

You know you can ust make the dropdown while retrieving the data right?

But for now.. I am assuming you do the database querying separately from the creation of forms (Which i do too: One function to get_table() and one to create_dropdown().

Here goes (And you will smack ya forehead!)

// initialize array, with empty start option:
$names = array("" => " ");
$i=0;

while ($myrow = mysql_fetch_array($result))
   {
   $name = $myrow['StudentsName'];
   $names["$i"] = $name;
   $i++;
   }

//, or.. If you have the ID of the student, you SHOULD do:
 // initialize array, with empty start option:
$names = array("" => " ");

while ($myrow = mysql_fetch_array($result))
   {
   $name = $myrow['StudentsName'];
   $id = $myrow["StudentsID"];
   $names["$id"] = $name;

   // which should be equivalent to:
   $names[$myrow['StudentsID']] = $myrow['StudentsName'];
   }

[dmacman1962]

I resolved this, at least it works, I am open to any suggestions.

$query="SELECT * FROM quizzes WHERE TeachersEmail='".$TeachersEmail."' ORDER BY StudentsName ASC";

$result = mysql_query($query) or die(mysql_error());
$num_rows = mysql_num_rows($result);

echo 'Pick your students name from the list below, and hit "Submit" to view their results.<br />';
$names = array("" => " ");
$i='1';
while ($myrow = mysql_fetch_array($result))
			{
			$names["$i"] .= $myrow['StudentsName'];

$i++;
}

$x='1'; //tabindex value
echo $list;

Thanks,

Don

[leatherback]

Don: If you store the student ID in the table, you should use taht in the dropdown, as just the numbe has not direct link to the student, and you cannot search the database just on order number..

J

[dmacman1962]

Hi leatherback,

I did change the way I was thinking on this and use the student id instead of the teachers email address.

One question I am still hung up on. I have anywhere from 10-20 questions on these quizzes and I am trying to write a loop to get them dynamically. The fields are called q1, q2, q3, etc. Here's my attempt so far...

$query="SELECT * FROM quizzes WHERE ID='".$StudentID."'";

$result = mysql_query($query) or die(mysql_error());
while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result))
	{
$StudentsName = $row['StudentsName'];
$Date = $row['Date'];
$Time = $row['Time'];

	//for ($x='1'; $x<='20'; $x++){
	//'$q'.$x = $row['q'.$x];
	//}
}
echo $StudentsName.'<br />';
echo $Date.'<br />';
echo $Time.'<br />';
for ($i=1; $i<=20; $i++) {
echo $row['q.$i'].'<br />';
}

Thanks again.

Don

[leatherback]

Make the field names :

quizz[]

then quizz will be an array of answers, 0=> number of quizzes minus 1 (Or startin at 1, check using print_r).

That is very easy to loop trough:

$answers = $_POST['quizz'];

foreach($answers as $key => $answer)
  {
  echo $answer;
  }

[dmacman1962]

I'm sorry, but maybe I didn't explain the procedure I am using in this instance.

The code I am writing is a page the teacher will get after clicking on the link (in the email I send them), so there is no POST data to get. Your idea would work for the student to see their answers, but I am attempting to get the students record from the database (with the StudentID) and then I want a simple function to loop a preset number of questions for my fetch array.

IE I don't want to have to write...

$query="SELECT * FROM quizzes WHERE ID='".$StudentID."'";

$result = mysql_query($query) or die(mysql_error());
while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result))
	{
$q1 = $row['q1'];
$q2 = $row['q2'];
//etc all the way to q20 each time
}

Does that make sense?

Thanks,
Don

[leatherback]

Yes. It makes sense.

I hope you have your database set up logically.. The mysql_fetch_array actually returns an associative array, with the colum heads as indices, but also with numbers. So if you use print_r($row) you will see the structure, and see which number the answer colums have.

you can than just loop through them:

// asume 5 is the first colum with an answer, 35 the last
for($i = 5; $i <= 35; $i++)
  {
  $q[$i] = $row[$i]
  }

However.. You should rethink your database, and consult whether it is not more efficient to store your answers in a separate table, answers:
[student_id]{teacher_id][answer][question_id]

Which will allow you to expand indefinately on the numebr of questions / answers

[dmacman1962]

Thanks for taking the time to explain and help me normalize my table(s).

So I should have 5 tables.

1) answers:
[student_id][teacher_id][answer][question_id][date][time]

2) students
[student_id][student_name][teacher_id][quiz_id][score]

3) teachers
[teacher_id][teachers_email][teachers_name]

4) quiz
[quiz_id][quiz_name]

5)questions
[quiz_id][question][answer]

Is that normam(ized)?

Thanks,
Don

[leatherback]

You are close. I am thinking about what you really need to store. I am assuming you store the perfect answer in the database with questions? That is ok.

However..
A teacher has a specific quiz? Or can each quiz be given by multiple teachers? And can each teacher have multiple quizes?

I think I would do it like this:

teachers
[teacher_id][teachers_email][teachers_name]

students (Do they have a fixed teacher?)
[student_id]student_name

quiz
[quiz_id][quiz_name][teacher_nr]

questions
[question_id][quiz_nr][question][answer]

answers:
[student_nr][answer][question_nr][date][time]

6) Scores
[quiznr][studentnr][score]