[SOLVED] changing table output direction

[soycharliente]

What's the best way to change the results from horizontally ordered to vertically ordered? I don't need a rewrite of code, but a point in the right direction. I don't really know how to start thinking about it.

 

Currently the results come out like this ...

123

456

789

and I would like them to come out like this ...

147

258

369

 

<?php
function listUndergrads()
{
dbconnect();
$query = "SELECT * FROM `profiles` WHERE `status`='U' OR `status`='P' ORDER BY `badge` ASC";
$result = mysql_query($query) OR DIE ("Error1: listUndergrads()");
if (mysql_num_rows($result) > 0)
{
	$undergrads = "<table id=\"undergrads\" width=\"100%\" style=\"clear:both;\">\n";
	$i = 0;
	$max_columns = 3;
	while ($r = mysql_fetch_array($result))
	{
		$status = $r['status'];
		$badge = $r['badge'];
		$name = getName($badge);
		$undergrads .= ($i == 0) ? "<tr>\n" : ""; // open row if counter is zero
		$undergrads .= ($status == "U")
			? "<td width=\"33%\">{$name}</td>\n"
			: "<td width=\"33%\">{$name}*</td>\n";
		/*$undergrads .= ($status == "U")
			? "<td><a href=\"showMember.php?id={$badge}\" title=\"{$name}\">{$name}</a></td>\n"
			: "<td><a href=\"showMember.php?id={$badge}\" title=\"{$name}\">{$name}</a>*</td>\n";*/
		if(++$i == $max_columns)
		{
			$undergrads .= "</tr>\n";
			$i = 0;
		}
	}
	if($i < $max_columns)
	{
		for($j = $i; $j < $max_columns; $j++)
		{
			$undergrads .= "<td> </td>\n";
		}
	}
	$undergrads .= "</tr>\n";
	$undergrads .= "</table>\n";
	dbclose();
	return $undergrads;
} else
{
	dbclose();
	DIE ("Error2: listUndergrads()");
}
}
?>

[soycharliente]

I figured out a "solution". It's basically just 3 cells, one for each column, instead of individual cells for each name. I calculated how many people should be in each column for it to stay balanced and just used that number to determine when to move to the next column.

 

I don't know if it's very efficient. Any ideas?

 

<?php
function listUndergrads2()
{
dbconnect();
$query = "SELECT * FROM `profiles` WHERE `status`='U' OR `status`='P' ORDER BY `badge` ASC";
$result = mysql_query($query) OR DIE ("Error1: listUndergrads2()");
$num_results = mysql_num_rows($result);
if ($num_results > 0)
{
	$undergrads = "<table id=\"undergrads\" width=\"100%\" style=\"clear:both;\">\n<tr>\n";
	$i = 0;
	$max_columns = 3;
	$percent = floor(100/$max_columns);
	$max_per_column = ceil($num_results/$max_columns);
	while ($r = mysql_fetch_array($result))
	{
		$status = $r['status'];
		$badge = $r['badge'];
		$name = getName($badge);
		$undergrads .= ($i == 0) ? "<td width=\"{$percent}%\">\n" : ""; // open cell if counter is zero
		$undergrads .= ($status == "U")
			? "{$name}"
			: "{$name}*";
		/*$undergrads .= ($status == "U")
			? "<a href=\"showMember.php?id={$badge}\" title=\"{$name}\">{$name}</a>"
			: "<a href=\"showMember.php?id={$badge}\" title=\"{$name}\">{$name}</a>*";*/
		$undergrads .= ($i < $max_per_column - 1) ? "<br />" : "";
		if(++$i == $max_per_column)
		{
			$undergrads .= "</td>\n";
			$i = 0;
		}
	}
	if($i < $max_per_column)
	{
		for($j = $i; $j < $max_per_column; $j++)
		{
			$undergrads .= " ";
			$undergrads .= ($j < $max_per_column - 1) ? "<br />" : "";
		}
		$undergrads .= "</td>\n";
	}
	$undergrads .= "</tr>\n";
	$undergrads .= "</table>\n";
	dbclose();
	return $undergrads;
} else
{
	dbclose();
	DIE ("Error2: listUndergrads2()");
}
}
?>

[n3ightjay]

I created some logic while you posted your solution:

your current display logic:

<table>
<?
$result = array(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9);
for($i = 0; $i < 3; $i++){
echo "<tr>";
for($j = 0;$j < 3; $j++){
	echo "<td>" . $result[($i*3)+$j] . "</td>";
}
echo "</tr>";
}
?>
</table>

 

logic to switch:

 

<table>
<?
$result = array(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9);
for($i = 0; $i < 3; $i++){
echo "<tr>";
for($j = 0;$j < 3; $j++){
	echo "<td>" . $result[($j*3)+$i] . "</td>";
}
echo "</tr>";
}
?>
</table>

 

this is assuming you always have a 3x3 grid though i hope this helps

[soycharliente]

Yeah. I was looking at this article on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-place_matrix_transposition#Algorithms) about doing something like that. I will never have and NxN matrix though. It will always be an Nx3 matrix.

 

Thanks though.

[n3ightjay]

I know you clicked solved but i just had to finish this ... this will work for any matix setup in the layout order you wanted:

 

<table>
<?php
$result = array(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25);
$numRows = 5;
$numCols = 3;
for($i = 0; $i < $numRows; $i++){
echo "<tr>";
for($j = 0;$j < $numCols; $j++){
	echo "<td>" . $result[($j*$numRows)+$i] . "</td>";
}
echo "</tr>";
}
?>
</table>

[soycharliente]

And I would just add each name to the list instead of adding it to the HTML output? Hmmm. Let's see how it works out.

 

I'll have to do it when I get back later tonight.

[soycharliente]

This is how I applied the advice. Works just fine. Thanks a lot.

 

<?php
function listUndergrads3()
{
dbconnect();
$query = "SELECT * FROM `profiles` WHERE `status`='U' OR `status`='P' ORDER BY `badge` ASC";
$result = mysql_query($query) OR DIE ("Error1: listUndergrads3()");
$num_results = mysql_num_rows($result);
if ($num_results > 0)
{
	$i = 0;
	$max_columns = 3;
	$percent = floor(100/$max_columns);
	$max_per_column = ceil($num_results/$max_columns);
	$list = array();
	while ($r = mysql_fetch_array($result))
	{
		$status = $r['status'];
		$badge = $r['badge'];
		$name = getName($badge);
		array_push($list, "{$name}...{$badge}");
		if(++$i == $max_per_column)
		{
			$i = 0;
		}
	}
	if($i < $max_per_column)
	{
		for($j = $i; $j < $max_per_column; $j++)
		{
			array_push($list, " ");
		}
	}
	$undergrads = "<table id=\"undergrads\" style=\"width:100%;clear:both;\">\n";
	for ($i = 0; $i < $max_per_column; $i++)
	{
		$undergrads .= "<tr>\n";
		for ($j = 0; $j < $max_columns; $j++)
		{
			$undergrads .= "<td width=\"{$percent}%\">" . $list[($j*$max_per_column)+$i] . "</td>\n";
		}
		$undergrads .= "</tr>\n";
	}
	$undergrads .= "</table>\n";
	dbclose();
	return $undergrads;
} else
{
	dbclose();
	DIE ("Error2: listUndergrads3()");
}
}
?>