A better method than endless if/else statements?

[schwim]

Hi there everyone,

I'm creating a classifieds system and I've gotten to the image upload system. I'm going to allow each ad to have a maximum of 6 images uploaded. I need to store the image names in the corresponding ad table. The only way I know how to place the image name in the proper place is to do a quite ridiculous nested if/else:

if(!ISSET($adcreate_image1) OR ($adcreate_image1=='')){
	mysql_query("UPDATE classifieds_ads_temp SET image1 = '$adcreate_image1'  WHERE user_id = $user_id") or die("Failed to update ads_temp database.<br><br>" . mysql_error());
}else{
	if(!ISSET($adcreate_image2) OR ($adcreate_image2=='')){
		mysql_query("UPDATE classifieds_ads_temp SET image2 = '$adcreate_image2'  WHERE user_id = $user_id") or die("Failed to update ads_temp database.<br><br>" . mysql_error());
	}else{
		if(!ISSET($adcreate_image3) OR ($adcreate_image3=='')){
			mysql_query("UPDATE classifieds_ads_temp SET image3 = '$adcreate_image3'  WHERE user_id = $user_id") or die("Failed to update ads_temp database.<br><br>" . mysql_error());
		}else{
			if(!ISSET($adcreate_image4) OR ($adcreate_image4=='')){
				mysql_query("UPDATE classifieds_ads_temp SET image4 = '$adcreate_image4'  WHERE user_id = $user_id") or die("Failed to update ads_temp database.<br><br>" . mysql_error());
			}else{
				if(!ISSET($adcreate_image5) OR ($adcreate_image5=='')){
					mysql_query("UPDATE classifieds_ads_temp SET image5 = '$adcreate_image5'  WHERE user_id = $user_id") or die("Failed to update ads_temp database.<br><br>" . mysql_error());
				}else{
					if(!ISSET($adcreate_image6) OR ($adcreate_image6=='')){
						mysql_query("UPDATE classifieds_ads_temp SET image6 = '$adcreate_image6'  WHERE user_id = $user_id") or die("Failed to update ads_temp database.<br><br>" . mysql_error());
					}else{

				}
			}
		}
	}
}
}

Which will work, but seems like an incredibly inefficient method of handling this.

Does anyone have any suggestions for making this a bit more elegant?

Thanks in advance for your time,
json

[against]

1. use ${$str} $str='adcreate_image'.'1'...
   2-1. use while( ) and 'break'
   2-2. maybe use if () ...and goto (noneed 'else')

[dagon]

can't yo just foreach() loop through the $_FILE array

[schwim]

Hi there dagon,

could you give me a snippet of how that might be done? Just an example of your suggestion? I'm very ignorant o f how arrays work.

thanks,
json

[samisama]

This is how you do it with a "for loop"

for ($i=1, $i<=6,$i++){
$sql="UPDATE classifieds_ads_temp SET image".$i." = ".${adcreate_image.$i}."  WHERE user_id = $user_id";
if(!ISSET(${adcreate_image.$i}) || (empty${adcreate_image.$i})){
    mysql_query($sql) or die("Failed to update ads_temp database.<br><br>" . mysql_error());
}}