[SOLVED] creating a rank field, but decrementing values

[PC Nerd]

im creating a webgame, and when i create a new account.... i want to make that new account the lowest rank.  how would i do that??? like l8a in the gazme, your rank woul dbe determined and chenged according to how you are going, but when you begin in the game........your the least experienced, also the lowest rank????

[TEENFRONT]

give the column a default value of 1? then have your ranks go from 1 to 10 as the game progresses?

[PC Nerd]

but if you start with the rank of 100, you might end up having the rank or 54 within a week.....?

[TEENFRONT]

i dont get what your trying to say..

[PC Nerd]

well basicaly i need a way to find the highest number in the rank field, and make the new record equal ++1 to that rank.  i cant just set a rank when they sign up.... because their rank will change according their activeness and scores on the site.... so it has to start off as the lowest rank and then itll be changed

[trq]

Your question makes little sense. Define the lowest rank.

[PC Nerd]

well if there are 10 users in total, then the lowest rank will be 10, and the highest rank will be 1.  what i want to do is: eg

add an 11th user.  but how would i create his rank to be the lowest, if i dont know the current lowest.  what sort of query or code would i need.??

sorry about not explaining as well as i could have

PC Nerd

[trq]

If you dont know the current lowest then its impossible. You still need to be alot clearer in your explination, but the logic is a simple as querying your currents ranks for the lowest, once you have the lowest, take one from it to make the new value the lowest.

I think half the problem in your explination is your wording. For instance, common math states that 10 is [b]higher[/i] then 1.

[PC Nerd]

yes i agree with you in maths..... but is the winners not 1'st, and the last not 10'th??? lol

so were looking for the highest number( ie lowest rank)

i definately want that to be the way that its stored, decauase that determins in what order they are displayed in a different secteion of the website.

thanks for your help everyone

[trq]

The logic is still as stated above.

[PC Nerd]

ok, i think that if a make a query that finds the total number of records in the General_Stats table, then made the new record rank that query output number +1, would make the new record the lowest rank according the logic that was stated above.?????  but my question is.... what query would this be? i want to find the length of the database really?,, can anyone help with this

[Jessica]

0 is always lowest. If they've just joined, they have no rank at all. As they gain rank, update it to go higher. Then when you list them, THEN you reverse the numbers so the person with the highest (say 1473) is 1, and the next (1247) is 2, etc.

[PC Nerd]

well that would be too hard to do, becauase your always getting new members..... so one day the 1456 record might be first, but the next might be 1467 is the first rank.  what i want to do is retreive the total number of records in the table and store it as an integer, how do i do that???

[Jessica]

What you're saying doesn't make any sense.

Are you saying people will never change rank?

I think you're approaching a goal from the wrong direction. Maybe there is a better way to address this...

[trq]

I agree with jesirose here, your logic is arse about.

[PC Nerd]

ok, here is my my idea, if you dont understand.....

10 users already

U1
U2
U3
U4
U5
U6
U7
U8
U9
U10

of the rank

1. U1
2. U2
3. U3
4. U4
5. U5
6. U6
7. U7
8. U8
9. U9
10. U10



WITHIN A WEEK IT LOOKS LIKE THIS:



1. U2
2. U3
3. U5
4. U4
5. U1
6. U8
7. U6
8. U7
9. U10
10. U9


now if i create a new user, i want him to have the lowest rank, ie 11.    and the new user being U11


1.  U2
2.  U1
3.  U3
4.  U4
5.  U9
6.  U6
7.  U5
8.  U7
9.  U8
10.  U10
11.  U11



so as always, the new user will be the lowest rank, until they are active on the website and then they earn like points to raise the rank




so the lowest rank, will the the total number of records in the table (ie the number of users) so the new player will be the total number of users, +1



i hope this helps

[Azu]

The best way to do what you are trying to accomplish is to store the current amount of registered players in a sql table so if you have 123 people then it will be 123.

Then when someone signs up, fetch that number, and add 1 to it, and set there rank to that. And also set the stored number to that, so that it will always be up to date.

Another way is to run a query to check how many rows there are in a table (1 for each player) and add 1 to that and use that for their rank. Then you won't have to have the number written down anywhere, but this way is much slower, it will take a lot longer, and could bring your server to it's knees if there ends up being a lot of members.

[trq]

Its not that we dont understand, its just your logic is backward.

[Jessica]

You could store their POINTS instead of their rank, and then have your code determine the rank. So a user STARTS at 0, and as they gain points, you store their POINTS.

Then when you want to calculate the ranks, you select them ordered by the POINTS.

[Azu]

My solution isn't working for you?  ???

[trq]

Hehe... check out [url=http://www.phpfreaks.com/forums/index.php/topic,121439.0.html]this[/url] thread.

[PC Nerd]

thanks, that thread is a great help..... can i just ask.... does the mysql_num rows.... a) contact a mysql v5 or does it need to be mysqli_num_rows....... and b) does it return an integar or something similar, so you could go like..... ( using the therad as the base example)


[code]

$ranks = mysqli_num_rows($query);

$New_P:layer_Rank = $ranks +1;

[/code]


would that work....?


thanks for all you help

[trq]

Your missing the point. Read that thread agin.

[PC Nerd]

i understand this post, im asking a differetn question.... what the function of the mysqli_num_rows returns, and how to store it in a variable..... could someone just answer that, or can you not store it....?

[trq]

mysqli_num_rows returns the number of records found by your query, and yes, of course you can store it.

[code=php:0]
$records = mysqli_num_rows($result);
[/code]