Flat File Databases

[Blitz]

I'm trying to write a simple news script using flat file databases, and basically I want to know if there's an easier way to change the position I write to (instead of the top or bottom) without counting bytes. Like if I could just look for a keyword or something within an existing file that I've already created.

Also, is it possible when creating a file using fopen() to include a variable in the name, like $variable".html" or something?

[jatar_k]

Welcome to WebmasterWorld Blitz,

>> if there's an easier way to change the position I write to

I am guessing you are using something along the lines of fseek then. I don't use flatfile db's very often and usually they are small or have few columns. I load them into arrays sometimes or read through line by line and do things using line/record numbers.

>>is it possible when creating a file using fopen() to include a variable in the name, like $variable".html"

most definitely, I often construct the filename and pass the whole thing to fopen just in case I mess something up it is easier to debug

$filename = $variable . ".html";
$fp = fopen($filename,'r');

[Blitz]

Allright, thanks, but I do know how to use fseek(). I just need to know if there's a way to go to a specific keyword instead of navigating through a byte offset.

[TheBlueEyz]

Blitz,

What you could do is read the file into a string, split it at the keyword, append the new string you want in the middle, and then rewrite the whole deal to the file.

That's the only way I can think of doing it. Mostly because just "writing at some point in the middle of the file" would end up overwriting the rest of the file.

[Blitz]

Ah, thanks. Just one last question, if you'll bear with me. How would I do that? ;)

[jatar_k]

you could use file_get_contents [ca2.php.net] and read it into a string
or file [ca2.php.net] and read it into an array

[Blitz]

Allright, thanks. Another last question if you will, how would I split it to insert the other string into it?

[TheBlueEyz]

// get the file contents in a string
$file_as_a_string = file_get_contents($file);

//explode the string at your keyword
//returns an array
$split_at_keyword = explode('your_keyword', $file_as_a_string);

// $split_at_keyword is now an array
// if 'your_keyword' only occurs once, there will
// be two array elements
// otherwise, there may be alot of elements
// you'll have to taylor this to your needs

// get the first part of the file
$new_string = $split_at_keyword[0];

// add in your new stuff
$new_string .= "What you want to add";

// tack on the rest of the file
// implode collapses the array again back into a string
$new_string .= implode('',$split_at_keyword[1]);

// write your new string to a file
$fp = fopen($file, 'w+b');
fwrite($fp, $new_string);
fclose($fp);

Hope that helps :)

[TheBlueEyz]

One other note:

This isn't how I would do this.

If you ABSOLUTELY had to be able to rewrite a file from central section, I would probably key each line or section so I'd just know exactly where to jump to, rather than using the ambiguous 'split at a keyword' approach.

It's ambiguous because the keyword may exist in multiple places so you don't really know where to add in your new stuff.

Say your flat file was a list of news stories; I would separate them by something like

<<---1--->>
story
<<---2--->>
story2

etc...

Then when you printed them out you'd have a nicely organized array with the new stories in it. And appending new data in it is as simple as splitting at

<<---5--->> or something.

[Blitz]

Yeah, that's what I was going to do. Thanks, I'll give that a try, TheBlueEyz. I should probably learn MySQL. It would make this easier I bet. I'm just trying to do a simple review system.