Create array and randomly choose row

[mrt003003]

Hi there,

 

I'd be ever so greatful if someone could help me please. I'm really trying to get my head around working with arrays and could really do with an example in a context i fully understand.

I have made a test page for this and made a query that will search for appropriate records in my database:

 <?php $colname_Class = "3";
$colname_Ships = "-1";
if (isset($_SESSION['MM_Username'])) {
  $colname_Ships = (get_magic_quotes_gpc()) ? $_SESSION['MM_Username'] : addslashes($_SESSION['MM_Username']);
}
mysql_select_db($database_swb, $swb);
$query_Ships = sprintf("SELECT * FROM ships WHERE PlayerName = %s AND Class=%s AND Template='1'", GetSQLValueString($colname_Ships, "text"),
GetSQLValueString($colname_Class, "int"));
$Ships = mysql_query($query_Ships, $swb) or die(mysql_error());
$row_Ships = mysql_fetch_assoc($Ships);
$totalRows_Ships = mysql_num_rows($Ships);



echo $row_Ships['ShipID']; echo ' ';
echo $row_Ships['ShipName']; echo ' ';
echo $row_Ships['Class']; echo ' ';
echo '  ';
echo $totalRows_Ships = mysql_num_rows($Ships); ?>

 

After i made the query i echo out the ShipID, ShipName and Class from the queey which displays:

 

5 New Ship 3 1

 

So you can see the ShipID = 5, the name of the Ship is New Ship, its Class is 3 and there is only 1 record found in the database that matches the search criteria.

 

Lets say there are 10 records in my database... What i really need to do is  make an array of the outputted results, determine the number of records and then to randomly choose 1 of the results from the array.

 

Can you help me please?? If i can see an example in this context i feel i'd really learn something here.

 

If you can help, please do because im well stuck.

 

Thank you

 

Tom

[jonsjava]

the ugly method (coding in the reply box, not my IDE, so not tested):

$count = 0;
while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($res)){
$array[$count]['shipID'] = $row['shipID'];
$array[$count]['ShipName'] = $row['ShipName'];
$array[$count]['Class'] = $row['Class'];
$count++;
}
$total = count($array);
$random = rand(0,$total - 1);
$random_ship = $array[$random];
?>

[mrt003003]

Thats brilliant thank you,

 

So inorder to get it to output the random record what do i echo $random_ship; ?? Nothing is outputted at all you see.

 

Ive added another record so i now have 2 and if i echo $total; that shows theres 2 ships in the array.

[jonsjava]

try

print_r($random_ship);

[mrt003003]

Yes Yes Yes! Thats its oh wow thank you so much!

 

Can i ask somethink else regarding this please???

 

With the random Ship thats outputted how would i turn it into a hyperlink and parse the recordID of the ship it has randomly selected?? I'm fine parsing usually but because its in the array im not sure how that would work?? Any ideas??

 

Thank you so much jonsjava!

[jonsjava]

ok, try this:

$shipID = $random_ship['shipID'];
$url = "http://some_site/ship_info.php?id=$shipID";
echo $url;

[mrt003003]

Yes that outputs the url and the ID to be parsed. Its not in a hyperlink  though so can i assume i could edit the $url to something like: $url = '< ahref =http://some_site/ship_info.php?id=$shipID>'Name</a>; Ive given it ago and it outputs Name, but its not linked.

 

Thank you

[jonsjava]

That was an example to show you how to manipulate the data. Have fun with it! You are working with arrays now.

[mrt003003]

Thanks again jonsjava ive learnt alot!

[mrt003003]

Working link:

$url = '<a href="http://some_site/ship_info.php?id='.$ShipID.'">Test</a>';