Need help recording clicks by yearly quarters (newbie)

[Primal Hurt Pr1m0]

hello all.....

 

I need help getting my php script to just recording clicks to recording they to certain variables during certain times of year. I need to record clicks from Jan-Mar, Apr-june, July-Sept, and Oct-Dec.

 

Here is the script I currently have that counts the times its accessed, increments the value in a text file then redirects to the clicked link.

 

<?php
  $file = 'someTextFile.txt'; 
    $data = @file($file);
    $data = $data[0];
  if($handle = @fopen($file, 'w')){
    $data = intval($data); $data++;
  fwrite($handle, $data);
  fclose($handle);
}  

// actual target location
  header('Location: http://www.somewhere.com');
?>

 

Please any positive input would be greatly appreciated as I am new to writing php scripts

[premiso]

You will be much better off learning SQL and using a MySQL database for handling this. A flat file will be overly slow to parse and if you are trying to read back statistics another person cannot actively write to that file while it is open.

 

After you stopped wanted to just track "clicks" is about when you need to goto a MySQL DB.

[ram4nd]

Isn't it easier to use Google Analytics?

[Primal Hurt Pr1m0]

@premiso- not being able to write while its open is not a problem. the site does not get high volume of traffic. also please read on 

 

@ram4nd - it may be but its not what the site owner wants, she currently has a link to the text file which she sees when she wants, so I am stuck  just modifying the currently implemented method

[premiso]

Well why not just save the text file by month using date to get the current month. On a new month it writes to a new text file.

 

Then to get the stats you just have to open the 3 months and count that way. Simple and easy.

[Primal Hurt Pr1m0]

Well thats what I want to accomplish without having to do it manually and not monthly but every three months. it that possible?

[premiso]

$months = array('jan-mar' => array('January', 'February', 'March'), 'apr-jun' => array('April', 'May', 'June'), 'jul-sep' => array('July', 'August', 'September'), 'oct-dec' => array('October', 'November', 'December'));

$currentMonth = date('F');

foreach ($months as $file => $month) {
    if (in_array($currentMonth, $month)) {
        $fileName = $file . ".txt";
        break;
    }
}

// file code below

 

Not the best way, but one way to do it.

[Primal Hurt Pr1m0]

ok, could you walk me through that script please....

 

also how would that integrate with what i have.

[premiso]

If you cannot figure that out, I would say you should hire someone to do the code for you, or take the time to learn.

 

Good luck.