[SOLVED] help with nested loop syntax

glass satellite · #1 (**permalink**) 08-23-08, 01:58 PM

hi there, i'm looking for a bit of guidance setting up some nested loops. my attempts have yet to yield the desired result so thought i better get some expert advice!

the page in question is:
http://www.softstarrecords.com/links.php

as you can see, there are 4 div.columns and each item (MySql record) is wrapped in a div.box that lives inside a column. what i'd like to do is set up some loops to divide the number of records by 4 and dynamically distribute the boxes so there are the same number in each column, while accounting for the remainder of the division. i'd post code, but frankly my attempts have been pretty off the mark so i'm thinking maybe it's better to just start from scratch with some suggestions.

all of this is so new records can be added to the MySql database and the PHP will continue to evenly fill out the page irregardless of how many records.

if my intent isn't clear please ask for further clarification, and as always thanks so much for your time and energy.

Jay6390 · #2 (**permalink**) 08-25-08, 08:23 AM

PHP Code:


			
//connect to db and run query for results first...
//create while loop to add all rows to an array (in this example I'm using $rows as the array)
//also add the divs to either side of the row content if desired
$colcount = 4;  #Number of columns
$items = ceil(count($rows)/$colcount);  #round up number of items per column
$cols = array();

for($j = 0; $j < $items; $j++)
{
    for($i = 0; $i < $colcount; $i++)
    {
        $current = (($j * $colcount) + $i);
        
        //Is array item set
        if(isset($rows[$current]))
        {
            $cols[$i][$j] = $rows[$current];
        }else{
            //Exit both loops
            break 2;
        }
    }
}

echo '<pre>'.print_r($cols,true).'</pre>';

That should do it. you will then have 4 columns with all the data

glass satellite · #3 (**permalink**) 08-25-08, 11:26 PM

this will help me gain a better understanding of loops, thanks for the help.

Jay6390 · #4 (**permalink**) 08-26-08, 03:00 AM

No problem

job0107 · #5 (**permalink**) 08-27-08, 07:48 AM

You can also organize your data in columns directly from the database without using an array.
This little program displays the records in vertical columns from top to bottom, left to right in alphabetical order.
You can limit the number of records to display by changing the value of $records_to_display.
And you can specify the number of columns by changing the value of $cols.
You should be able to insert this code into your existing code with very little effort.

PHP Code:


			
<html>
<head>
<style>
.column {
    width: 23%;
    height:  87%;
    float:  left;
    margin-right: 10px;
    border:1px solid #000;
    }
.lbox {
    margin-bottom: 10px;
    border: 1px solid #666;
    padding: 4%;
    background: #000;
    float: left;
    width: 91%;
   height:100px;
   overflow:auto;
    }    
</style>
</head>
<body>
<?php
$server = "";   // Mysql host name
$user = "";     // Mysql user name
$password = ""; // Mysql password
$db = "";       // Mysql database name
$table = "";    // Mysql table name
$column_name = "";   // Mysql table column name
$records_to_display = 999; // Set this value to limit number of records to display. Set to high value to display all records.
$cols = 4; // Set this value for number of columns to display
mysql_connect($server,$user,$password) or die("Connect error: ".mysql_error());
mysql_select_db($db) or die("DB error: ".mysql_error());
$results = mysql_query("SELECT $column_name FROM $table ORDER BY $column_name LIMIT $records_to_display");
$num_records = mysql_num_rows($results);
$rows = ceil($num_records/$cols);
echo '<div>';
for($i=0;$i<$num_records;$i+=$rows)
{
 echo '<div class="column">';
 for($j=0;$j<$rows;$j++)
 {
  $row = mysql_fetch_assoc($results);
  echo $r = $row ? '<div class="lbox">'.$row[$column_name].'</div>' : '<div class="lbox"></div>';
  }
 echo '</div>';
 }
echo '</div>';
?>
</body>
</html>

glass satellite · #6 (**permalink**) 08-27-08, 12:38 PM

thank you, i'll give this code a spin as well, appreciate the suggestion.