finding data in an array

[windandwaves]

Hi Folk

I have the following function:

function getdata($sql) {
$result = @mysql_query($sql) or die("Error: " . mysql_error()." sql was
".$sql);
$ret = array();
while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {
$ret[] = $row;
}
mysql_free_result($result);
return $ret;
}

I love it, because all I need to do is to stick in some sql (e.g. Select *
from clients) and away she goes like this

$sql = "SELECT * FROM CLIENTS;"
$data = getdata($sql)
foreach($data as $ds) {
echo '<p>'. $ds["first_name"].' '.$ds["first_name"].'</p>';
}

Now, what I want to do is check the fields for all $ds arrays. That is, I
want to check one particular field for all the "rows" and check that it is
identical.

What is the most efficient way to do this? Is there a function that I can
use? Something like

function datafieldcheck($ma, $fld) {
//$ma = a multidimensional array from the getdata function
//$fld = the field to check
foreach($multiarray as $ds) {
$v = $ds[$fld];
if(!$first) {
if ($v != $vex) {
return false;
}
}
$vex = $v;
$first = 1;
}
return true;
}

[Janwillem Borleffs]

windandwaves wrote:

What is the most efficient way to do this? Is there a function that I
can use? Something like

AFAIK, there isn't an out-of-the-box function for this, so all I can offer
you is an alternative to what you have posted:

function datafieldcheck($ma, $fld) {
$current = current($ma);
if (isset($current[$fld])) {
$v = $current[$fld];
while (false !== ($current = next($ma))) {
if (!isset($current[$fld]) || strcmp($v, $current[$fld])) {
return false;
}
}
return true;
}
return false;
}
JW

[Mladen Gogala]

On Sat, 14 Jan 2006 22:24:24 +1300, windandwaves wrote:

What is the most efficient way to do this?

To do it with the SQL. If you want to check one particular field
in your table, you would write your SQL as

$sql="select * from some_table where
one_particular_field='PARTICULAR_VALUE'";

The main rule of writing a database application is: whatever you can
do in the database, do in the database. That's what you have the database
for: to provide some intelligence for the data retrieval. Why bother using
database when you're using it as a flat file?

--
http://www.mgogala.com

[Chung Leong]

Can't think of a way to do this that's signicantly better. The
following examines all the cells and return the columns where all rows
contain identical values:

$same = call_user_func_array('array_intersect_assoc', $rows);