looking for "rewards" redemption algorithm

[severndigital]

anyone have any idea where i can get a tutorial or working script that would help encode and then decode a string ..

 

somewhat like the coca-cola rewards program, but nothing that fancy.

 

thanks,

-C

[Mchl]

Care to give an example of what you mean? I'm not familiar with coca-cola programs.

[severndigital]

baisically Coca-Cola .. the soda company

 

prints a code on the bottle caps.

 

you go to a website and type it in. if it matches a winning code you win.

 

I am looking to create a code and then when a user enters the code it has a point value

 

i wasn't looking for a total solution per say, just a point in the correct direction.

 

Thanks,

C

[.josh]

I don't think you're really going to find a specific tutorial like this.  I mean, the concept is pretty simple: make any kind of algorithm that creates random or pseudo-random numbers/strings, let it run a few times to get a couple codes generated and store them as your "winning" codes.  Then just have your script run for each person to get their code.  If it happens to generate the same code as one of the ones you stored, you have a winner.  I mean in principle, it's like playing the "pick a number from 1-100 and I'll guess it" game, except each person only gets 1 guess.

 

Very simple numeric example:

 

// numbers I decided would be winning numbers.
$winners = $array(4,20,82);

$num = rand(1,100);
if (in_array($num, $winners)) {
  echo "winner!"
}

 

As far as having more than one winner, you would just keep track of the numbers you hand out to people, and check if that number has already been generated yet.  Pick another number if it's already been passed out once if you want one winner, or keep track of how many times that number has been generated and skip it after 2 times or 10 times or x times, depending on how many winners you want. 

 

[severndigital]

yeah .. i'm finding that out.

 

the good news is, i am putting in to a class as i code it.

I'll make it available for anyone else that could need it.

 

Thanks.

[.josh]

yeah .. i'm finding that out.

 

the good news is, i am putting in to a class as i code it.

I'll make it available for anyone else that could need it.

 

Thanks.

 

LoL well you may have a tough time getting people to use it.  I mean, if someone knows your algorithm they could possibly increase their odds of finding the winning number....maybe.  Really depends on how you go about programming in the "odds"

[ddrudik]

baisically Coca-Cola .. the soda company

 

prints a code on the bottle caps.

 

you go to a website and type it in. if it matches a winning code you win.

 

I am looking to create a code and then when a user enters the code it has a point value

 

i wasn't looking for a total solution per say, just a point in the correct direction.

 

Thanks,

C

 

In your design plan for the system, how would "points" be applied to a given "code" value?  Maybe given an example of what you want specifically.