Making a multi dimensional array out of a MySQL table.

[saeed_violinist]

Dear friends,

 

I have a mysql table like this, and it is going to grow soon!

 

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As you see it is a table and it holds different categories of articles.

'id'      -> is the auto increment by MySQL.

'pid'    -> is the Parent ID, 0 is main parent categories that is the categories which are going to hold other categories. and these categories with pid=0 shouldn't host any article themselves. and the categories with pid=0,1, etc... will be theire childs respectivly

'sort'      -> is the way how they are going to be sorted in the array I want.

'isParent' -> is another way of telling wether or not the category is a parent or not. if it is not, then it is a child category and it can have articles.

'name'    -> is the name of categories

and so on!

 

The problem is, I want to make a multi dimensional array out of this, but I don't know the right way. and they should sorted by theire  any help and suggestion is really appriciated!

 

here is the code I manage to write but it only will hold the parents, not the childs:

 

    $articleParentCats = $_DB->Query("SELECT * FROM articlecat WHERE isParent='Y'");
    
    for($i=0; $i<$_DB->GetResultNumber($articleParentCats); $i++)
    {                                                     
        $_ART_P_CAT[$i]["name"]=$_DB->GetResultValue($articleParentCats, $i, "name");         
        $_ART_P_CAT[$i]["desc"]=$_DB->GetResultValue($articleParentCats, $i, "desc");
        $_ART_P_CAT[$i]["img"]=$_DB->GetResultValue($articleParentCats, $i, "img");
        $_ART_P_CAT[$i]["sort"]=$_DB->GetResultValue($articleParentCats, $i, "sort"); 
    }
    

[saeed_violinist]

I did some stuff but no result yet,

 

My approach is to have two different arrays, one for parents and anotherone for childs. then I want to make a new array out of this two arrays that will contain parents with theire respective childs.

 

here is my code, PLEASE HELP! :

<?php
    
    // Get parent categories
    $articleParentCats = $_DB->Query("SELECT * FROM articlecat WHERE isParent='Y' ORDER BY sort ASC");
    $parentCatsCount = $_DB->GetResultNumber($articleParentCats); 
    
    for($i=0; $i< $parentCatsCount; $i++)
    {                                                     
        $_ART_PARENT_CATS[$i]["name"]=$_DB->GetResultValue($articleParentCats, $i, "name");         
        $_ART_PARENT_CATS[$i]["desc"]=$_DB->GetResultValue($articleParentCats, $i, "desc");
        $_ART_PARENT_CATS[$i]["isParent"]=$_DB->GetResultValue($articleParentCats, $i, "isParent");
        $_ART_PARENT_CATS[$i]["img"]=$_DB->GetResultValue($articleParentCats, $i, "img");
        $_ART_PARENT_CATS[$i]["sort"]=$_DB->GetResultValue($articleParentCats, $i, "sort"); 
    }
    
    // Get child categories
    $articleChildCats = $_DB->Query("SELECT * FROM articlecat WHERE isParent='N' ORDER BY sort ASC");
    
    $childCatsCount = $_DB->GetResultNumber($articleChildCats); 
    
    for($i=0; $i<$childCatsCount; $i++)
    {                                                     
        $_ART_CHILD_CATS[$i]["name"]=$_DB->GetResultValue($articleChildCats, $i, "name");         
        $_ART_CHILD_CATS[$i]["desc"]=$_DB->GetResultValue($articleChildCats, $i, "desc");
        $_ART_CHILD_CATS[$i]["isParent"]=$_DB->GetResultValue($articleChildCats, $i, "isParent");
        $_ART_CHILD_CATS[$i]["img"]=$_DB->GetResultValue($articleChildCats, $i, "img");
        $_ART_CHILD_CATS[$i]["sort"]=$_DB->GetResultValue($articleChildCats, $i, "sort"); 
    }
    
    // Making a multidimensional array with parents and childs
    $countCats = $parentCatsCount + $childCatsCount;
    
    for($i=0; $i<$countCats; $i++)
    {
        for($j=0; $j<$parentCatsCount; $j++)
        {
            $ARTICLES[$j]= $_ART_PARENT_CATS[$j];    
        }
        
        if(in_array()); // DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO THEN!       
    }
    
    echo"<pre>";
    print_r($_ART_PARENT_CATS);
    echo"</pre>";
    echo"<br />";
    echo"<pre>";
    print_r($_ART_CHILD_CATS);
    echo"</pre>";
    echo"<br />";
    echo"------ FINAL ARRAY -------";
    echo"<pre>";
    print_r($ARTICLES);
    echo"</pre>";    
   
    
?>

[gwolgamott]

I love and hate multidimensional arrays.

 

See here for a good reference to help wrap your head around them first of: http://www.webcheatsheet.com/php/multidimensional_arrays.php

 

$TABLE_DATA[$My_parentID][$Child_ID][$name] = "Electronics";
$TABLE_DATA[$My_parentID][$Child_ID][$desc] = "All articles about electronics";
$TABLE_DATA[$My_parentID][$Child_ID][$img] = "NULL";
$TABLE_DATA[$My_parentID][$Child_ID][$forum] = "NULL";

 

I'd have a flag to fill the $Child_ID if it is a parent, such as PAR then do a check on that for printing. It should be the only one that would not have a ID at times if it's a parent. A child will always have a parent associated with it.

[saeed_violinist]

Hi,

 

Thanks for reply! it gave me some ideas but still I can't work it around.

 

let me make it simple. I will only have 2 type of categories, PARENT and CHILD . parents are not going to host articles, so they are only a way to sort the childeren. I want something like this"

 

- Electronics //PARENT 1

    - Academic //CHILD 1

    - Microprocessors //CHILD 2

- Hardware //PARENT 2

    - Video cards //CHILD 1

    - CPU  //2CHILD

 

Thanks!

[gwolgamott]

- Electronics //PARENT 1

    - Academic //CHILD 1

    - Microprocessors //CHILD 2

- Hardware //PARENT 2

    - Video cards //CHILD 1

    - CPU  //2CHILD

 

So you want something like this... maybe. I like to sometimes give the main keys the value of a "parent" instead of a number....

$multi[Electronics][0] = "Academic";

$multi[Electronics][1] = "Microprocessors";

$multi[Hardware][0]="Video Cards";

$multi[Hardware][1]="CPU";

 

You could say that you have a parent who's child has 3 traits and store it as such too:

$multi[Electronics][0][0] = "I am trait one of the Academic child who belongs to the Electronics Parent.";

$multi[Hardware][1][2]  ="I am trait three of the CPU child who belongs to the Hardware Parent.";

 

Or use key values for parent & Child...

 

$multi[Electronics][Academic][0] = "I am trait one of Academic Child who belongs to Electronics Parent.";

 

  ... also as such

 

$multi[Electronics][Academic][Trait1] =  "I am trait one of Academic Child who belongs to Electronics Parent.";