Having a problem returning an array from a function

**tnspc** · Feb 28 '07, 07:28 PM

Well, it's an array created by the file() method... perhaps it's an associative array?

**Motoma** · Feb 28 '07, 07:33 PM

Originally posted by tnspc

Well, it's an array created by the file() method... perhaps it's an associative array?

In that case you would need to use a foreach() and return key() when found.

But I don't know what your data looks like. Perhaps you could post it and I will be much more helpful.

**tnspc** · Feb 28 '07, 07:53 PM

Here's the entire code:

?php
/*
loadData: returns an array of lines in a file
Parameters: the name of the file to be loaded, a string
the default is "employees. dat"
Returns: the array of lines in that file
*/

//write loadData here
function loadData($defau ltFileName = "employees.dat" )
{
if(!$defaultFil eName = file("employees .dat"))
{
echo('Error while opening file');
}

return $defaultFileNam e;
}

/*
searchData: searches an array for a string
Parameters: $myFile - the array to look through
$oldName - the string to look for
Returns: the index where the string is found in the array or -1 if not found
*/

//write searchData here
function searchData($myF ile, $oldName)
{
$a = $myFile;
$s = $oldName;

$numElements = count($myFile);
for($i = 0; $i < $numElements; $i++)
{
if((eregi($s, $a[$i])))
{
return $i;
}
else
{
if($i == $numElements-1)
{
return -1;
}
else
{
$i++;
}
}
}

}

/*
updateData: updates lines in an array
Parameters: $a - the array
$i - index in the array to update
$sOld - name in string to replace
$sNew - name to replace $sOld with
*/

//write updateData here
function updateData($myF ile, $index, $oldName, $newName)
{
$a = $myFile;
$i = $index;
$sOld = $oldName;
$sNew = $newName;

$a[$i] = eregi_replace($ sOld,$sNew, $a[$i]);
return array($a);

}

/*
saveData: saves array to a file, does not save empty array elements
Parameters: $a - array to be saved
$defaultFilenam e - name of file, default value "employees. dat"
*/
//write saveData here
function saveData($myFil e)
{
echo(" ");
print_r($myFile );
echo(" ");

if($file = fopen("employee s.dat", "w")):
$numElements = count($myFile);
for($i = 0; $i < $numElements; $i++)
{
fwrite($file, $myFile[$i]);
}
fclose($file);

else:
echo("Error in opening file. Please re-submit");
echo("<A HREF ='gradedLab3.ht m'>Return to form</A>");

endif;
}

if(!empty($newN ame)):
$myFile = loadData();
$index = searchData($myF ile,$oldName);
if($index == -1):
echo("<HTML><HE AD><TITLE>$name not found</TITLE></HEAD><BODY>");
echo("$name not found ");
echo("<A HREF ='gradedLab3.ht m'>Return to form</A>");
echo("$name</HTML>");
exit();
else:
//update name and save data
//call updateData here

$myFile = updateData($myF ile, $index, $oldName, $newName);
saveData($myFil e);

?>

<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Employ ee Updated</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<?php echo($oldName); ?> was updated <?php echo("to $newName"); ?> 
<A HREF = "gradedLab3.htm ">Return to Form</A>

</BODY>
</HTML>
<?php
endif;
else:

?>

<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>No Name</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
No name was submitted 
<A HREF = "gradedLab3.htm ">Return to Form</A>

</BODY>
</HTML>

<?php

endif;
?>

The original Employees.dat file looks like this:

Personnel Attila T Hun 888.333.4444 5086
Personnel Dirk Diggler 888.333.4444 928
Personnel Donkey Kong 888.222.5555 8989

(It is created and added to by a previous PHP/HTML script)

The idea of this code is to replace an $oldName in the file with a $newName, both input by the user through a form referenced in the code above. For example, after writing back to the employees.dat file, the finished product should look like:

Personnel Attila T Hun 888.333.4444 5086
Personnel Dirk Diggler 888.333.4444 928
Personnel P Diddy Kong 888.222.5555 8989

Does that all make sense now? :o)

**ronverdonk** · Feb 28 '07, 08:11 PM

No it does not! It is an absolute mess to read your code!

Before you show any code, read the Posting Guidelines at the top of this forum. Especially the part about enclosing shown code within php or code tags!!

moderator

**Motoma** · Feb 28 '07, 08:12 PM

First: use [PHP ] [/PHP ] around your code when you post. This will give me, the person who is trying to help you, color coding.

Second: Post the results of print_r() on your array.

**tnspc** · Feb 28 '07, 10:23 PM

[PHP]?php
/*
loadData: returns an array of lines in a file
Parameters: the name of the file to be loaded, a string
the default is "employees. dat"
Returns: the array of lines in that file
*/

//write loadData here
function loadData($defau ltFileName = "employees.dat" )
{
if(!$defaultFil eName = file("employees .dat"))
{
echo('Error while opening file');
}

return $defaultFileNam e;
}

/*
searchData: searches an array for a string
Parameters: $myFile - the array to look through
$oldName - the string to look for
Returns: the index where the string is found in the array or -1 if not found
*/

//write searchData here
function searchData($myF ile, $oldName)
{
$a = $myFile;
$s = $oldName;

$numElements = count($myFile);
for($i = 0; $i < $numElements; $i++)
{
if((eregi($s, $a[$i])))
{
return $i;
}
else
{
if($i == $numElements-1)
{
return -1;
}
else
{
$i++;
}
}
}

}

/*
updateData: updates lines in an array
Parameters: $a - the array
$i - index in the array to update
$sOld - name in string to replace
$sNew - name to replace $sOld with
*/

//write updateData here
function updateData($myF ile, $index, $oldName, $newName)
{
$a = $myFile;
$i = $index;
$sOld = $oldName;
$sNew = $newName;

$a[$i] = eregi_replace($ sOld,$sNew, $a[$i]);
return array($a);

}

/*
saveData: saves array to a file, does not save empty array elements
Parameters: $a - array to be saved
$defaultFilenam e - name of file, default value "employees. dat"
*/
//write saveData here
function saveData($myFil e)
{
echo(" ");
print_r($myFile );
echo(" ");

if($file = fopen("employee s.dat", "w")):
$numElements = count($myFile);
for($i = 0; $i < $numElements; $i++)
{
fwrite($file, $myFile[$i]);
}
fclose($file);

else:
echo("Error in opening file. Please re-submit");
echo("<A HREF ='gradedLab3.ht m'>Return to form</A>");

endif;
}

if(!empty($newN ame)):
$myFile = loadData();
$index = searchData($myF ile,$oldName);
if($index == -1):
echo("<HTML><HE AD><TITLE>$name not found</TITLE></HEAD><BODY>");
echo("$name not found ");
echo("<A HREF ='gradedLab3.ht m'>Return to form</A>");
echo("$name</HTML>");
exit();
else:
//update name and save data
//call updateData here

$myFile = updateData($myF ile, $index, $oldName, $newName);
saveData($myFil e);

?>[/PHP]
[HTML]<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Employ ee Updated</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<?php echo($oldName); ?> was updated <?php echo("to $newName"); ?> 
<A HREF = "gradedLab3.htm ">Return to Form</A>

</BODY>
</HTML>
<?php
endif;
else:

?>

<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>No Name</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
No name was submitted 
<A HREF = "gradedLab3.htm ">Return to Form</A>

</BODY>
</HTML>

<?php

endif;
?>

[/HTML]

**tnspc** · Feb 28 '07, 10:24 PM

That's the full code, other than the original PHP script that creates the file "employees.dat" . That should make it clearer.

**Motoma** · Mar 1 '07, 12:41 AM

Originally posted by tnspc

That's the full code, other than the original PHP script that creates the file "employees.dat" . That should make it clearer.

What are the results of the print_r()?
The key to understanding how to parse your data is knowing what your data is.

**tnspc** · Mar 1 '07, 03:09 AM

The results are exactly what I expected. Before the attempt at writing to the file, I get the elements of the array as:

Array ( [0] => Array ( [0] => Personnel Billy Bob Thornton 888.333.4444 5086 [1] => Personnel Bozo Clown 888.333.4444 928 [2] => Personnel Donkey Kong 888.222.5555 8989 ) )

But, the result after trying the fwrite, is simply the word "Array" being written to the file. What do you think?

**Motoma** · Mar 1 '07, 04:14 AM

Originally posted by tnspc

The results are exactly what I expected. Before the attempt at writing to the file, I get the elements of the array as:

Array ( [0] => Array ( [0] => Personnel Billy Bob Thornton 888.333.4444 5086 [1] => Personnel Bozo Clown 888.333.4444 928 [2] => Personnel Donkey Kong 888.222.5555 8989 ) )

But, the result after trying the fwrite, is simply the word "Array" being written to the file. What do you think?

You have a multi dimensional array.
Your first element in your first array is an array. You will need another layer of indexing to get to the second one:
[php]
echo $myFile[0][1]; // will give you "Personell Boso Clown 888.222.444 928"
[/php]

**tnspc** · Mar 1 '07, 02:49 PM

Your questions have been extremely helpful! I actually realized, after showing you the output on my last post, that this IS an associative array. I had been seeing one thing in my mind instead of using my eyes to process what was actually happening. Now, my last dilemna is how to get all the lines to write back to the file, as the fwrite command deletes everything in the file to write the new info in... so I can't use a for loop with fwrite command in it, or I only get the first line. Any suggestions?

**Motoma** · Mar 1 '07, 03:13 PM

Originally posted by tnspc

Your questions have been extremely helpful! I actually realized, after showing you the output on my last post, that this IS an associative array. I had been seeing one thing in my mind instead of using my eyes to process what was actually happening. Now, my last dilemna is how to get all the lines to write back to the file, as the fwrite command deletes everything in the file to write the new info in... so I can't use a for loop with fwrite command in it, or I only get the first line. Any suggestions?

A: Concatenate the data first, then write with one call.
B: Use the var_export function I showed you to in your other thread.

**tnspc** · Mar 1 '07, 05:55 PM

Originally posted by Motoma

A: Concatenate the data first, then write with one call.
B: Use the var_export function I showed you to in your other thread.

I'm trying to concatenate with the following code:

[PHP] $a = "";
$numElements = count($myFile);
for($i = 0; $i < $numElements; i++)
{
$a .= $myFile[0][$i];
}[/PHP]

for some reason, it's only giving me the first element of the array (i.e. the first employee's info). Any ideas?

P.S. Var_export is no good, because I don't want the array printed to the screen. I only have it displaying earlier as a check of my code.

**tnspc** · Mar 1 '07, 06:25 PM

SUCCESS!!! My textbook was finally good for something besides a paperweight... the solution is:

[PHP] while(list($ind ex) = each($myFile))
{
for($i = 0; $i < count($myFile[$index]); $i++);
{
$a .= $myFile[$index][$i];
}
}
fwrite($file, $a);
fclose($file);
[/PHP]

**Motoma** · Mar 1 '07, 07:34 PM

Glad to see you got things figured out. It's too bad that you had to go through days of confusion with me when the answer was right there all along.
But if my ramblings enticed you to pick up your text book and learn PHP, I guess I can feel good about myself.

Having a problem returning an array from a function

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