strings in a mysql row

Aesis · #1 (**permalink**) 08-16-04, 10:58 PM

Hi,
I want to be able to input strings into a mysql row but one at a time using a function. my question is how or what querys do I have to use to be able to input one string a time into the row without them all being stuck together so then I would like to be able to retrieve them and ordered from latest to oldest.

my goal is to be able to use a function to put one string at a time into the row for when the user clicks on something, then I have a text box which will retrieve the strings and display them.

I can do it so i can input a string into the row using a function, and have the textarea print it out but what I don't know how to do is instead of the textarea printing out one string, is to have it hold up to like 10 strings, and the function when it goes to input a string it jus adds it onto the current strings, then when it gets retrieved it is sorted from latest to oldest.

Any light on how to do is would much be apreciated.

darkfreak · #2 (**permalink**) 08-17-04, 02:16 AM

Could you make this a bit more clearer? At least I probably didn't get it right.

Aesis · #3 (**permalink**) 08-17-04, 04:36 AM

lol sorry my bad,
pretty much what im trying to do is have a function which puts strings into a mysql row, but if theres already a string in there, i want it to just make a space or something and add on to it.

So when i goto retreive the strings to display, I can retrieve the whole lot of them from one mysql row, but I dont know how to retrieve them seperatly instead of jus a whole bunch of strings stuck together in the row.
So when I display the strings you can easily tell the strings apart from each other.

Also having the ability to order them from latest to oldest by date when retrieving would be nice to ^^

hope thats clearer.

darkfreak · #4 (**permalink**) 08-17-04, 06:23 AM

Ok, I'll try something - hopefully we are talking about the same subject

Suppose you have a field STRINGS in your row as well as a numeric field ROWID which separates different rows. If the field STRINGS already has something in it, say for example, string "foo" and you would like to add -- or concatenate which is the word to use here -- it with string "bar", you could do:

UPDATE tablename SET STRINGS=CONCAT(STRINGS, "bar") WHERE ROWID=rowid

when the string "bar" would be added to the end of the content of field STRINGS and rowid specifies which row to update.

PHP function explode() is very useful if you want to chop a string into smaller strings that are separated with a special character. explode() returns an array that contains all those strings it could separate from the original.

So if we have read STRINGS from the database and we know that individual strings are separated with, for example, character #, we could do:

$strings = explode("#", $string)

assuming the original string is in variable $string.

Does this help at all?

If you have all the strings concatenated in previous way, the oldest string should be in $strings[0] and the newer will follow. array_reverse() should turn that upside down, if you want to handle newest strings first.

Aesis · #5 (**permalink**) 08-17-04, 09:26 PM

yeah dark that was what i was talkin bout,
I tried to do that but its jus not workin for some reason.

btw All the pages are included('page_name.php') on my login_success.php page

heres the form page: crimes.php

PHP Code:


			
<html>
<head>
<title></title>
</head>
<body>
<font face="verdana" size="2" color=FFFFFF>
<form name="crimes_form" action="login_success.php?content/process_crimes" method="post">
    <input type="radio" name="crime" value="#You just looted a homless guy and ran" />Loot a Homeless and run<br>
    <input type="radio" name="crime" value="#You just snagged yourself some doritos" />Shoplift the SevenEleven<br>
    <input type="radio" name="crime" value="#You just held up a hotdog stand" />Hold up a hotdog stand<br>
    <input type="radio" name="crime" value="#you just Mugged that poor shmuck" />Mug a stranger<br>
    <input type="submit" value="Do The Crime" />
</form>
</body>
</html>

Heres my process_crimes.php page

PHP Code:


			
<?php
$_POST['crime'] = $crime;
$action = new crimes;
$action->do_crime($crime);
include('crime_done.php');
 
?>
</body>
</html>

and heres my classes.php page which is "included" on the main login_success.php page so everybody has access to it ^^

PHP Code:


			
<?php
//php classes to be loaded into login_success.php
class crimes{
function do_crime($passed_var){
     $_SESSION['username'] = $user;
     $sql_query = "UPDATE users SET console=CONCAT(console, '$passed_var') WHERE username=$user";
     $sqlresult = mysql_query($sql_query);
}
}
?>

and my last page which is my console.php which is the page that is in a Iframe on the login_success.php which i want to read the strongs from the row.

PHP Code:


			
<?php
session_start();
$_SESSION['username'] = $userid;
if(!$_SESSION['username'] || !$userid){
print"**** their empty";
}
$query = "SELECT console FROM users WHERE username='$userid'";
$string = mysql_query($query);
$string = explode("#", $string);
print "$string[0]<br>";
print "$string[1]<br>";
print "$string[2]<br>";
print "$string[3]<br>";
print "$string[4]<br>";
        ?>

It doesnt seem to be working, but ive been puttin little

PHP Code:


			
if(!$_SESSION['username'] || !$userid){
print"**** their empty";

over the place to see what was going on and the statements were true,

so my problem is either my SESSION variables are empty so the querys wont work or
i got bad code and the above statement

Also i know the $_SESSION['username'] is workin and displays my username because on the login_success.php page I am using it there, but it jus doesnt seem to work with the above code. I only put a "session_start();" on the console page because thats the page in a IFRAME and everything else would be on "login_success.php" which has a session_start(); at the very top.

darkfreak · #6 (**permalink**) 08-18-04, 12:45 AM

I don't have the time to read your whole post very carefully now, but here's some things that poked my eye:

1) If you are a beginner and have problems, use GET instead of POST in your forms - this way you will see, in your browser addressbar, what values your forms are sending to your form-handlers. You can change the GETs later, if you want to make your addressbar look more tidy.

2) You probably shouldn't use long strings in radiobuttons' value -fields. This is the value that the form sends in the variable $_POST['crime'] or $_GET['crime'] and which is accessible in your form handling code. Instead, use short values that are easier to handle, like value="crime1" or value="shoplift" etc. and translate the values to text in your code.

Here's your code:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aesis

PHP Code:


			
<input type="radio" name="crime" value="#You just looted a homless guy and ran" />Loot a Homeless and run<br>

Here's my suggestion:

PHP Code:


			
<input type="radio" name="crime" value="loot" />Loot a homless guy and run<br>

3) In your next code -- if I'm reading it right -- you should probably set the $crime to get value from $_POST['crime'] and not the opposite? And the same thing with the session code: NOT $_SESSION['username'] = $userid; BUT INSTEAD $userid = $_SESSION['username']; The way you have done it will actually only clear the session variables, if you haven't anything in $userid or $crime before doing it. Hopefully I have understood your meaning...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aesis

Heres my process_crimes.php page

PHP Code:


			
<?php

$_POST['crime'] = $crime;

$action = new crimes;

$action->do_crime($crime);

include('crime_done.php');

?>

login_success.php which i want to read the strongs from the row.

PHP Code:


			
<?php

session_start();

$_SESSION['username'] = $userid;

if(!$_SESSION['username'] || !$userid){

...

darkfreak · #7 (**permalink**) 08-18-04, 12:59 AM

Oh, and by the way -- if you want to see what's going on in different variable$, print_r($_SESSION), print_r($_POST) and print_r($_GET) can help you.

Aesis · #8 (**permalink**) 08-18-04, 01:56 AM

ah yes I switched tthe variables around ( $userid=$_SESSION['username']) and all smooth sailing, works like a charm

thanks for the help, much appreciated.

darkfreak · #9 (**permalink**) 08-18-04, 02:33 AM

No problem, I'm glad that I could help