Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Programming Discussion : else in while loop

[code-2k3]

This is driving me nuts, can anybody please explain why this wont work,

PHP Code:

<?

$string = $_GET['string'];
$path = "/home/me/public_html/dir/";

$fp = @opendir($path);

if ($string && $string != "") {
while (($file = readdir($fp)) !== FALSE) {
   if (preg_match('/'.$string.'/', $file)) {
   $filename = str_replace('.html','',$file);
   echo "<a href=\"$file\">$filename</a><br>";
   }
   else { echo "no matches for $string"; exit; }
}
closedir($fp);
}
else {
   echo "no string";
}

?>

I've tried all different combinations of this, the above one returns "no matches for string" even when there is a match, if i remove that else condition it'll return the matches correctly, but then obviously when there is no match it wont tell you.

I know this isn't an ideal way to search a directory, but i'm just trying to work out why it doesn't work as above.

[blackbelt080]

Originally posted by code-2k3
This is driving me nuts, can anybody please explain why this wont work,

PHP Code:

<?

$string = $_GET['string'];
$path = "/home/me/public_html/dir/";

$fp = @opendir($path);

if ($string && $string != "") {
while (($file = readdir($fp)) !== FALSE) {
   if (preg_match('/'.$string.'/', $file)) {
   $filename = str_replace('.html','',$file);
   echo "<a href=\"$file\">$filename</a><br>";
   }
   else { echo "no matches for $string"; exit; }
}
closedir($fp);
}
else {
   echo "no string";
}

?>

I've tried all different combinations of this, the above one returns "no matches for string" even when there is a match, if i remove that else condition it'll return the matches correctly, but then obviously when there is no match it wont tell you.

I know this isn't an ideal way to search a directory, but i'm just trying to work out why it doesn't work as above.

else { echo "no matches for $string"; exit; }

Check your use of double semi-colons and that exit stmt....

[code-2k3]

I think that just looks weird the way i typed it out, but

PHP Code:

else { 
echo "no matches for $string"; 
exit; 
} 


makes no difference, the reason for the exit is otherwise it'll return "no matches for $string" over and over for however many files there are that don't match the string.

I know it would be better to do the loop then echo the results after, but i've tried several ways and didn't have any luck.

[Tux-e-do]

Originally posted by code-2k3
This is driving me nuts, can anybody please explain why this wont work,

PHP Code:

<?

$string = $_GET['string'];
$path = "/home/me/public_html/dir/";

$fp = @opendir($path);

if ($string && $string != "") {
while (($file = readdir($fp)) !== FALSE) {
   if (preg_match('/'.$string.'/', $file)) {
   $filename = str_replace('.html','',$file);
   echo "<a href=\"$file\">$filename</a><br>";
   }
   else { echo "no matches for $string"; exit; }
}
closedir($fp);
}
else {
   echo "no string";
}

?>

I've tried all different combinations of this, the above one returns "no matches for string" even when there is a match, if i remove that else condition it'll return the matches correctly, but then obviously when there is no match it wont tell you.

I know this isn't an ideal way to search a directory, but i'm just trying to work out why it doesn't work as above.

as blackbelt080 states, remove the exit statement.

You are exiting the application not the while statement.

The way this is written, on the first no match, the script will halt execution

[Burhan]

You need "continue" instead of "exit"

[code-2k3]

bah, thanks, that's what i was thinking, that something was causing it to halt after the first no match, but because i was using exit to solve one problem, i didn't think it was causing the other.

So back to square one, how to get it to return "no match for $string" just once, if there's no matches. as it is removing the exit would cause it to return something like

filename
no match for $string
filename
filename
no match for $string
no match for $string

etc etc, through all the files.

[blackbelt080]

Originally posted by code-2k3
bah, thanks, that's what i was thinking, that something was causing it to halt after the first no match, but because i was using exit to solve one problem, i didn't think it was causing the other.

So back to square one, how to get it to return "no match for $string" just once, if there's no matches. as it is removing the exit would cause it to return something like

filename
no match for $string
filename
filename
no match for $string
no match for $string

etc etc, through all the files.

See fyrestrtr's post...

[code-2k3]

Sorry didn't mention, that doesn't solve the problem, it continues looping through all files and prints the result for each of them.

[blackbelt080]

Originally posted by code-2k3
Sorry didn't mention, that doesn't solve the problem, it continues looping through all files and prints the result for each of them.

Did you take the 'exit;' out?

[blackbelt080]

Hmm. Try putting a 'return;' statement before the ?>....

[code-2k3]

same result lol, yes i removed the exit, and the return is the same with or without continue;

It'll run all the way through the directory and give a result for each file, rather than ...

If there's matches - echo them, else if not - echo no matches

Would it be better to mabye put the files in an array then loop once through the array to return "no match" or pull out the matches? does that even make sense? i confuse myself sometimes

[blackbelt080]

Originally posted by code-2k3
same result lol, yes i removed the exit, and the return is the same with or without continue;

It'll run all the way through the directory and give a result for each file, rather than ...

If there's matches - echo them, else if not - echo no matches

Would it be better to mabye put the files in an array then loop once through the array to return "no match" or pull out the matches? does that even make sense? i confuse myself sometimes

Check out this useful link: here

[Jeanco]

Create a flag, and once a match is found then print the statement and exit the loop. If the flag is never initiated then no statement was found so:

Set $flag == 0

If the string doesn't match, then move onto the next check

Else (string does match) $flag == 1

If the flag == 1 at the end of the loop then a match was found.

[code-2k3]

arrgh, so simple, never thought of it, thankyou

The following works perfectly

PHP Code:

<? 

$string = $_GET['string']; 
$path = "/home/me/public_html/dir/"; 

$fp = @opendir($path); 

if ($string && $string != "") { 
while (($file = readdir($fp)) !== FALSE) { 
   if (preg_match('/'.$string.'/', $file)) { 
   
   $match = "1"; 
   $filename = str_replace('.html','',$file); 
   echo "<a href=\"$file\">$filename</a><br>"; 
   } 
} 
closedir($fp); 
} 
else { 
   echo "no string";
   $match = "1"; 
}

if (!$match) {
   echo "no results for $string";
} 

?>

not ideal still i know, but i can tidy it up now it's stopped doing crazy things

[Jeanco]

No problem, glad I could help