How can I pass an array number on refresh?

conjurer

I have an array holding some image names. I want to set it up so when the user hits refresh it loads the next image in the array.

Example: I am looking at a page with img_2.jpg displayed. I hit F5 for refresh and the page reloads with img_3.jpg. I hit F5 again and the page reloads with img_4.jpg. etc.

The array is set up as follows:

PHP Code:
<?php
$picturesArray = array("img_1.jpg", "img_2.jpg",
"img_3.jpg", "img_4.jpg", "img_5.jpg", "img_6.jpg",
"img_7.jpg","img_8.jpg", "img_9.jpg","img_10.jpg",
"img_11.jpg","img_12.jpg", "img_13.jpg","img_14.jpg",
"img_15.jpg");

echo "<img class=\"main_img\" src=\"../images/comps/$picturesArray[0]\"";
echo " alt=\"Turned My Life Around\" >";
?>

I am thinking I need to set a variable - $pict_no and initialize it to "0"
Then I need to change the echo statement above to use the $pict_no for the array value to be displayed.

Then increment $pict_no by 1

And then when they hit refresh, send the new incremented $pict_no to the next page.

So assuming I can figure out the increment part, how do I send the new value to be used in the next page?

Kudose

conjurer wrote:
So assuming I can figure out the increment part, how do I send the new value to be used in the next page?

You can't. Hitting F5 tells the browser to reload the current page with the data sent on the previous request.

The only thing I can think of to get around this would be to only allow access to this page via POST or GET, then set the image counter variable into a session variable. When you hit F5, your browser will say "Your trying to post data thats already been posted" ... you hit enter ... then your script sees the current posted value is the same as the one in the session, so it increments the counter then outputs the data.

That last paragraph is all theory.

Piranha

A session variable is what hit me as well. But what I don't understand is why you want to change images like that on page reload, I have never seen it before.

conjurer

But what I don't understand is why you want to change images like that on page reload, I have never seen it before.

Is there a way to change it without a page reload? I basically want to show them the same page but with 15 different images - if there was an easy way to just reload the image and have it change to the next one - on some time interval, like every five seconds - that would work.

But I was thinking once a script has written out the html to the page that the only way to change the browser content would be to force it to reload the whole page.

Piranha

I think you should look into JavaScript, it would be possible to do what you want with that. Unfortunatley I don't have a link to a good tutorial, you have to search yourself.

Kudose

Regardless of if you want to or not, your probably going to have to use a JavaScript image slide show. Granted you may not end up using it in the traditional sense, but it is what your looking for.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=javascript+image+slideshow&btnG=Google+Search

I would check in with DynamicDrive or JavaScriptKit from the search results.