[RESOLVED] Latest file

zzz

I have three files created by a script. I need to be able to use the latest one as an include. All three have different names. How do I do that?

laserlight

Why do you need to do this in the first place? Maybe there is a better alternative.

If you have to do this, then you need some way to keep track of which file was created last, whether it be by recording this in a database, or by opening the given directory and checking file creation times with [man]stat/man.

zzz

Yes, Unfortunately I do need to do this with the 3 files...

I think the later solution is the one. I'll have to grab a creation date from each file. Then compare all three and use the newest... I think. Envision some sort of convoluted logic...

if ($t1 > $t2 > t3) {
 include_once $file1;
} elseif ($t2 > $t1 > t3) {
 include_once $file2;
} else {
 include_once $file3;
}

Something like this? Just need to figure out how to get the timestamp in comparable format. 😉

laserlight

zzz wrote:
Envision some sort of convoluted logic...

Comparing like that will not work as you need to use &&. However, this is an alternative:

$most_recent = max($t1, $t2, $t3);
if ($most_recent == $t1) {
    include_once $file1;
} elseif ($most_recent == $t2) {
    include_once $file2;
} else {
    include_once $file3; 
}

It should be max not min since the newest file would have the largest mtime returned by stat().

Kudose

Also, you can't do comparisons like that (although I wish you could).

<?php

  $x = 1;
  $y = 2;
  $z = 3;

  if($x < $y < $z)
    echo 'Yay';
  else
    echo 'Poo';

Generates a parse error on the second <

laserlight

Kudose wrote:
Generates a parse error on the second <

That's (good) news to me.

Kudose wrote:
Also, you can't do comparisons like that (although I wish you could).

Are you aware that in some other programming languages such comparison could escape detection and actually result in the unexpected comparison with a boolean value? I assumed that it would be the same in PHP hence I merely suggested that && would have to be used without stating that it would result in a parse error.

zzz

Great! Nailed it!

Kudose

laserlight;10898856 wrote:
Are you aware that in some other programming languages such comparison could escape detection and actually result in the unexpected comparison with a boolean value?

No, I wasn't. I was just going off elementary math comparisons in life.