[RESOLVED] Outputting loop results with variable CSS classes

[larsr]

Hi,

I need to fetch output from a database which can return any number of results depending on what's available - then output results so that a 4x4 div grid is created, ie. like this:

<div class="grid">

  <div class="box_left">
    <img src="photo1.jpg" />
  </div>
  <div class="box_center">
    <img src="photo2.jpg" />
  </div>
  <div class="box_center">
    <img src="photo3.jpg" />
  </div>
  <div class="box_right">
    <img src="photo4.jpg" />
  </div>

  <div class="separator"></div>

  <div class="box_left">
    <img src="photo5.jpg" />
  </div>
  <div class="box_center">
    <img src="photo6.jpg" />
  </div>
  <div class="box_center">
    <img src="photo7.jpg" />
  </div>
  <div class="box_right">
    <img src="photo8.jpg" />
  </div>

  <div class="separator"></div>

  <div>...and so forth..</div>

</div>

If I do a query and want to output it, I normally create a 'while' loop to get all available results.

Essentially, if the result set contains, say, 15 rows, I would want the output to be styled like so, ie every first result of a batch of four is styled with the 'box_left' class, and and every fourth result of a batch of four is styled with the 'box_right' class:

row 1: box_left
row 2: box_center
row 3: box_center
row 4: box_right

row 5: box_left
row 6: box_center
row 7: box_center
row 8: box_right

row 9: box_left
row 10: box_center
row 11: box_center
row 12: box_right

row 13: box_left
row 14: box_center
row 15: box_center

I've looked at a number of different while loops and tried altering them to suit my needs but I can't get it working right:

So if I have:

$query = $db->Query( "SELECT somedata FROM sometable" ); // Run query
$resultrows = $db->num_rows; // Return number of results
$i=1; // Start from row 1
while( $row = $db->Fetch( $query ) ) {
  print( $row[ "content" ] );
  if(++$i == 1) { // If first row
    // Style with box_left
  }
  if(++$i == 4) { // If fourth row
      // Style with box_right
      // Insert separator <div>
  }
  $i=0; // Reset back to zero
}

I'm clearly going wrong somewhere but I can't figure out where. I've tried a number of different ways, using else and elseif. I'm running a brainfreeze and just can't think what's going wrong..

Thank you so much in advance!

[Pikachu2000]

You're starting the counter at 1, then incrementing it before the first check against it. On the first iteration, $i will never equal 1 that way.

[larsr]

You're absolutely right. I set it to zero, but that doesn't make much difference.

The output I'm getting is all styled for the "box_left" class because it seems everything is matching for the first if-clause, so the second if-clause isn't being evaluated at all.. why?

[NogDog]

I think you're looking for something like this?

$i = 1; // Start from row 1
while ($row = $db->Fetch($query)) {
   if ($i == 1) { // If first row
      // Style with box_left

   } elseif ($i == 4) { // If fourth row
      // Style with box_right
      // Insert separator <div>
      // reset counter:
      $i = 0; // Reset back to zero

   } else {
      // style with box_center

   }
   $i++; // only increment in one place
}

[NogDog]

PS: Another approach, which you may or may not find cleaner:

$i = 1; // Start from row 1
while ($row = $db->Fetch($query)) {
   switch($i) {
      case 1:
         // Style with box_left
         break;
      case 2:
      case 3:
         // Style with box_center
         break;
      case 4:
         // Style with box_right
         // Insert separator <div>
         $i = 0; // Reset back to zero
         break;
      default:
         throw new Exception("How did we get here?");
   }
   $i++; // only increment in one place   

}

[larsr]

Nogdog, thank you so much! 🙂
I used your first solution and it works a charm. It's so simple I'm ashamed I didn't come to think of it 😛