[SOLVED] Problems With Inserting an Array

[sunshine]

Hello.

 

I'm trying to generate a random list within my HTML.  I've done random lists before, but this is giving me problems.

 

In the code below, $file should be printing the array I have stored in $file.  $file contains raw HTML, comprised of about 10 items right now, but will be higher as I add to it.  (That is why I did the $arraycount).

 

I did a var_dump($file) and I can see that $file does indeed contain what I want it to, but I just cannot get the contents into my page.

 

$file = file('http://MYDOMAIN/includes/FILE.txt');
//trim trailing whitespace from the list
            for ($i=0; $i<count($file); $i++) {
              $file[$i] = trim($file[$i]);
            }
    $arraycount = count($file);
             $new_array = array();
             $randtestlist = array_rand($file, $arraycount);
             foreach ($randtestlist as $value) 
              { 
               array_push($new_array, $file[$value]);
              }
             $file = $new_array;
$contents = "<div id='block1' class='maincontent'>

$file


";

[Jessica]

Well you never print $contents....

[sunshine]

That's not it.

 

The rest of my file is irrelevant, but is like this:

 

include ("../templates/TEMPLATEFILE.php");

 

Then when a page is called such as www.MYDOMAIN.com/page.php, "page.php" contains the code mentioned above, such as $contents, then calls the TEMPLATEFILE and $contents gets put into the proper place on the page.

[sunshine]

One thing I'm experimenting with is this:

 

//trim trailing whitespace from the list

            for ($i=0; $i<count($file); $i++) {
              $file[$i] = trim($file[$i]);
            }
    $arraycount = count($file);
             $new_array = array();
             $randtestlist = array_rand($file, $arraycount);
             foreach ($randtestlist as $value) 
              { 
               array_push($new_array, $file[$value]);
              }
             $file = $new_array;
function printTheList($printarray)
{
    print $file;
} 

$contents = "<div id='block1' class='maincontent'>". printTheList($printarray) ."

</div>

 

Not working.  Trying all sorts of things.  Can't get $file to output the array.

[Barand]

$contents = "<div id='block1' class='maincontent'>". printTheList($printarray) ."</div>";

 

In the above line you call the "printTheList() function passing $printarray as the argument - but $printarray has never been defined in the code. The array you want to print is $file, so pass that as the argument.

$contents = "<div id='block1' class='maincontent'>". printTheList($file) ."</div>";

 

Note that because of the way you are using the function in the middle of a string, the function needs to return a string value.

 

function printTheList($printarray)

{

    print $file;

}

 

This function takes a single argument, $printarray, which is the on you want to print. It's no use saying "print $file" as the variable $file does not exist inside the function. You would need to print the argument passed to the function, viz. $printarray.

 

However, as I said earlier, this function needs to return a string value, and not print an array, so

 

function printTheList($printarray)
{
    return join('<br />', $printarray);
}

 

Put it all together and you have

 

<?php
//trim trailing whitespace from the list

    for ($i=0; $i<count($file); $i++) {
        $file[$i] = trim($file[$i]);
    }
    $arraycount = count($file);
    $new_array = array();
    $randtestlist = array_rand($file, $arraycount);
    foreach ($randtestlist as $value) 
    { 
        array_push($new_array, $file[$value]);
    }
    $file = $new_array;

    $contents = "<div id='block1' class='maincontent'>". printTheList($file) ."</div>";
    
    function printTheList($printarray)
    {
        return join('<br />', $printarray);
    }
?>