[RESOLVED] Arrays from a function

[mattm]

I'm trying to use a function to return an array of values gleaned from an SQL query but it seems as though nothing is making it back. I know the query returns results as, if I put in an echo command inside the while loop, it prints out all the variables I expect it to.

I can only assume there is something wrong with the way I'm either placing them into the array or returning the array to the main coding.

Code is as follows - I've snipped out the preceding query code as I know that all works...

   	if(!mysql_num_rows($result)) return "0";
		else {
		//shuffle into format Surname Forename Initial and remove leading spaces
		//and hyphens if artist only has one name.
			while($query_data = mysql_fetch_row($result)){
				$count=1;
				$padded_id = sprintf("%05s",$query_data[0]);
				$ordered_name = "$query_data[2]".", "."$query_data[1]"." "."$query_data[3]";
				$ordered_name = ltrim($ordered_name, " -,");
				$ordered_name = rtrim($ordered_name, " -");
				$display_name = "$padded_id"." - "."$ordered_name";
				$artist_list[$count]="$display_name";
				$count++;
				}
				return $artist_list;	
		}
		

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

[NogDog]

You are resetting $count to 1 on each loop iteration, so you keep overwriting that one array element. You could move the $count=1 up above the start of the while loop, but personally, I would just get rid of the $count variable entirely and let the array auto-increment via the "[]" operator:

$artis_list = array(); // I always like to initialize it first
while(...)
{
   ...
   $artist_list[] = $display_name;
}
return $artist_list;

[mattm]

doh! Thanks for that and for the tip about initialising it first.

However, it still doesn't work 😕

Full code is as follows - you can ignore the stuff in the if($artist_type=="band") condition as I'm feeding it the value individual every time.

function return_artists($artist_type){

if($artist_type=="band"){
		$sql_what="bc_id, bc_title";	
		$sql_from="FROM pp_bands_collabs";
		$sql_where="WHERE bc_status = \"a\" ORDER BY bc_title";
		$sql_action="SELECT";

	include("submit.inc");

	if(!mysql_num_rows($result)) return "0";
	else {
		//simply whack all band names into the array $artist_list	
		while($query_data = mysql_fetch_row($result)){
				$padded_id = sprintf("%05s",$query_data[0]);
				$display_name ="$padded_id"." - "."$query_data[1]";

				$artist_list[]="$display_name";
			}

	}
	}

elseif($artist_type=="individual"){
		$sql_what="ind_id, ind_forname, ind_surname, ind_initials";	
		$sql_from="FROM pp_individuals";
		$sql_where="WHERE ind_status = \"a\"";
		$sql_action="SELECT";

	include("submit.inc");

	if(!mysql_num_rows($result)) return "0";
	else {
	//shuffle into format Surname Forename Initial and remove leading spaces
	//and hyphens if artist only has one name.
		//$count=1;
		$artist_list = array();
		while($query_data = mysql_fetch_row($result)){
			$padded_id = sprintf("%05s",$query_data[0]);
			$ordered_name = "$query_data[2]".", "."$query_data[1]"." "."$query_data[3]";
			$ordered_name = ltrim($ordered_name, " -,");
			$ordered_name = rtrim($ordered_name, " -");
			$display_name = "$padded_id"." - "."$ordered_name";
			$artist_list[]="$display_name";
			//echo "$artist_list[$count] <br />";
			//$count++;
			}

	}

	}

	return $artist_list;
}

The code that I'm using to try and interpret the returned value is:

<form name="new_ind" method="post" action="somescript.php">
       <select name="ind_exist">
        <?php 
           	return_artists("individual");
       	        $counter=0;
       	    	while($artist_list){
	        	echo "<option>$artist_list[$counter]</option>"; 
        		$counter++;
        		}
        	?>
	</select>
	</form>

I'm taking it that I can probably do without the counter bit there too but at least I got it in the right place this time!

[NogDog]

You need to assign the return value of the function to a variable:

// assign the result to a variable:
$artist_list = return_artists("individual");
// a simpler way to loop through the array and output the options:
foreach($artist_list as $artist)
{
   echo "<option>$artist</option>\n";
}

[mattm]

Brilliant! It works.

Thanks for the pointers. I'm a little new to the use of functions (not too hot on arrays either - suspect my code to date may have been somewhat less than optimally written...)