show unique record help?

[vlowe]

Hey,

 

I am using ODBC to get records from an access database.

 

i want to produce a list of composers as a dropdown box, so i did this:

 

while (odbc_fetch_row($res))

{

  $composer=odbc_result($res,"ARTIST");

  $comid=odbc_result($res,"ORDER");

 

echo '<option value="' .$comid. '">' .$composer. '</option>';

 

}

 

but this shows the composers name duplicate times depending on how many albums are available by that composer.

 

how can i strip out the duplicates and show each composers name once?

 

thanks for any help you can provide 

 

 

[per1os]

The answer is in the query, without that your at a loss. Best bet is to post the query so that can be re-written properly.

 

--FrosT

[vlowe]

Yea i was just hinking that, here it is.

 

select ARTIST, ORDER from WEBDATA where (order BETWEEN 15 AND 1000) ORDER BY ARTIST

[per1os]

Wow, this DB must not be in 3NF.

 

That would of made this a lot easier.

 

One way (half-assed to do it) is this:

 

<?php
$comids=array();
while (odbc_fetch_row($res))
{
if (!in_array($comids)) {
  $composer=odbc_result($res,"ARTIST");
  $comid=odbc_result($res,"ORDER");
$comids[]=$comid;
echo '<option value="' .$comid. '">' .$composer. '</option>';
}
}

?>

 

Hope that works for a temporary fix.

 

--FrosT

[craygo]

<?php
echo "<select name=composer>\n";
$sql = "select ARTIST, ORDER from WEBDATA where (order BETWEEN 15 AND 1000) ORDER BY ARTIST";
$res = odbc_exec($dbconnect, $sql);
while ($r=odbc_fetch_array($res)){
echo "<option value='".$r['ORDER']."'>".$r['ARTIST']."</option>\n";
}
echo "</select>\n";
?>

 

Ray

[vlowe]

cheers guys but both solutions have given the same original result.

 

hmmmmmmm

[per1os]

craygo would be the one to go with.

 

Like I said mine was half-assed, craygo's is the correct way to go about it.

 

--FrosT

[vlowe]

Yo frost, when i said both have given the original result i meant both ways have not worked, the still show multiple entries for the same composers.

 

any other ideas?

[redarrow]

LIMIT 1

 

on the end of query ok.

[per1os]

My bad man, on my half-assed way, I messed up on the "in_array" function, this is out it should be.

 

<?php
$comids=array();
while (odbc_fetch_row($res))
{
if (!in_array($comid, $comids)) {
  $composer=odbc_result($res,"ARTIST");
  $comid=odbc_result($res,"ORDER");
$comids[]=$comid;
echo '<option value="' .$comid. '">' .$composer. '</option>';
}
}

?>

 

--FrosT

[vlowe]

no still dint work.

 

got it working tho using SELECT DISTINCT in sql query.. DOE