ExpertAlmost

Just to close out the thread... My original file was interlaced! Makes for a quicker load but a larger file. I saved my base image as NOT interlaced and threw in a imageinterlace($BscImg, 0); to make sure that anything else I did was not interlaced. Reduced file size from 124KB to 79KB. No other changes in palette or sizes. Best of luck to all of you!

Good morning Experts! My code creates a PNG file output 505 x 600 pixels, 24bit, 96dpi. The average file size is 130kb. No mystery there. Here is the mystery: when I open the file using ACDSee (v10) and then "save as" (even with the same filename), the file size SHRINKS to about 80kb. All the specs remain the same and I can see no difference in the image! How in the world... What could an ACDSee file-save-as be doing and how do I do it in PHP? Doing a file-save-as in Windows Paint has the same result! So I have tried to reduce the filesize in the code using compression and filters: from imagepng($Image, $ImageName) to imagepng($Image, $ImageName, 9, PNG_ALL_FILTERS). No difference. I tried running through PNGCRUSH, file size only goes to 112kb. The mystery is driving me crazy. Any ideas of what to check in my code or image? Any ideas of tricks to try in the code? A 30% filesize reduction is too great to ignore. I've attached a not-yet-shrunk file for your entertainment (It appears that the upload program wont allow my original as it is 120kb) Thank you in advance for all your ideas!

About 20 years ago it occurred to me that software engineering was the Science of Successful Disappointments! That short bright feeling of success followed by the darkening sky of yet another bug... Right now I am enjoying that success brought about by your help! The one star that seems constant however is the communal kindness of fellow coders. Thank you all for sharing your ever precious time, hard-won expertise, and clever ideas. Should any of you ever find yourself in Thailand, let me know. Coffee and dessert are on me Apparently it is possible to create globals within functions. To complete the thread, I opted for the following (pseudo-code) solution which does work in my code: <?php first_function(); second_function() { for ($count = 0; $count < $max; $count++) { global $my_array; // make the variable global here $my_array = array(); // set the variable to an array third_function(); unset($my_array); // unset the variable here } } third_function() { global $my_array; // declare the variable as global here //...fill my global array with stuff... } ?> While I agree with the view that using globals is a dangerous thing, I have three arrays which are used almost everywhere and changed in many places. Hence the globals. Fortunately I am a strong code documenter (from years of repeated experience with "what in the world was I thinking when I wrote this?") so array changes are clearly and explicitly stated. Thank you again everyone! May your coding skies be bright and clear and path behind you littered with the desiccating corpses of vanquished bugs. alexander

Thank you so much mjdamato! I'm in Asia now and time for me to get some rest. But I will try it tomorrow morning first thing. Well, second thing. Coffee first Have a great day and enjoy the good karma you are generating. alexander

Thank you mjdamato! Your explanation is very thorough and instructive! Because I want to resuse the array in the loop I did not think I could create it in the main program scope. But if I can create it in the second function, that would be great. So if I understand correctly, the line in question would be: global $my_array = array[]; in the second function. As shown below? <?php first_function(); second_function() { for ($count = 0; $count < $max; $count++) { global $my_array = array[]; third_function(); unset($my_array); print('End one loop'); } } third_function() { global $my_array; //...fill my global array with stuff... } ?>

Hello Ken! Thank you for your help. Unfortunately, the code is rather complex. I simplified the code considerably to shorten the post. The main question being: if I create an array in a function and declare it global in various sub-functions (which does work as expected as the variables do update), shouldn't an unset delete the array in the initial function? And why, as seen in my output, does the array in the initial calling function appear to have no contents? I have a typo which is corrected to: $my_array = array(); The code seems to work fine on the first pass of the loop. It is only on the second pass where I found that $my_array is appending to the array contents in the first pass. In short, how do I declare and array in a function. Make it global in sub-functions. (That part works already.) And then unset in the declaring function? That is what I am ultimately trying to do. Thank you again for your help! alexander

Good morning! I've spent hours on this to no avail. My understanding is that unset() only deletes the copy of the variable local to the current scope. But I am getting a very different result. I have the following structure and output. What am I doing wrong? <?php first_function(); second_function() { for ($count = 0; $count < $max; $count++) { $my_array = array[]; //initialize my array, local in this scope but can be called global in nested functions print_r($my_array ); //print 1: array should be always empty but is only in empty in FIRST loop. third_function(); //fills the array with numbers, see below, nested function declaring a global array print_r($my_array ); //print 3 of my_array, should be full of numbers from third_function global changes unset($my_array); //delete my array so I can start with new array in next loop print_r($my_array ); //print 4 of my_array, should be unknown variable print('End one loop'); } } third_function() { global $my_array; //declare my global variable //...fill my now global array with stuff... print_r($my_array ); //print 2: should be filled with numbers. And it is. } ?> My output amazingly looks something like this Array() Array(45,48,38...all my numbers...) Array() ERROR: Notice -- Undefined variable: my_array End one loop Array(45,48,38...all my SAME numbers again as if array was NOT unset...) ...... The first and second print lines make sense. But shouldn't the third line be the array filled with numbers generated in third_function? The fourth line error makes sense as the variable is unset. But WHAT did I unset? The next time around in the loop, the array contains the SAME numbers from the previous loop and my new numbers simply get appended to the end of the ever growing array. Why? This should not be that difficult but seems to be driving me crazy. Any help would be greatly appreciated. alexander