MySQL Fetch Array

[Cypher_489]

Hi,

Just a simple question.

[code] $sql = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM dt_directories WHERE category = '$category'") or die(mysql_error());
 
while ( $dirs = mysql_fetch_array($sql) ) {
$name = $dirs['name'];
echo "$name, ";
}[/code]

This echos out the names of directories which are from the category stored in the variable $category like this (category is "general"): Dmoz, Yahoo, Best of the Web, and so on...

What I want to do is, rather then echo it, is to store them in a variable with the formatting like in the example.

TIA

[wildteen88]

Yes you can do that. Just git rid of the echo statement. But the $name variable can [b]only[/b] be used on the page it was created on. It cannot be used on another page. So if you want to use $name over multiple pages you might want to store it in a session/cookie.

[Cypher_489]

I've tried echoing the $name variable outside while() { } before and I only got the last directory in the array.

[shocker-z]

Also you would need to set it like this to make the variable hold all the values comma seperated


$sql = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM dt_directories WHERE category = '$category'") or die(mysql_error());
 
while ( $dirs = mysql_fetch_array($sql) ) {
$name = $name."$dirs[name], ";
}

to make name 1 list like it echo's if i'm right in how i interprited what you wnat?


Regards
Liam

[wildteen88]

In that case you'll want to make the $name variabled an array which you can do by adding [] at the end of variable name like so:
$name[] = $dirs['name'];

What will happen now $name will store the results as in an array.

[Cypher_489]

Brilliant, thats exactly what I wanted. Thanks for the quick replies.

[Cypher_489]

Just one more thing on this topic, I've found the last element in the array:

$last_sql = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM dt_directories WHERE category = '$category' ORDER BY name DESC LIMIT 1") or die(mysql_error());

while ( $last = mysql_fetch_object($last_sql) ) {
$last_element = "$last->name";
}

How will I incorporate this into the $name variable so that the last element doesn't have the comma after it.

I've tried a simple
if( $name != $last_element) {
$name = $name."$dirs[name], ";
else {
$name = $name."$dirs[name]"; }

but that doesn't work, any ideas?

[Cypher_489]

Anyone?

[Cypher_489]

NVM, I've fixed it now.

[code]while ( $dirs = mysql_fetch_array($sql) ) {
  $name = $name."$dirs[name], ";
  $names = rtrim($name, ',');
}[/code]

Didn't need the last element info.