Eliminating Duplicates

Query clean up

[bumpaw]

I am pulling from Category in thousands of rows in a table and the results are strings delimited by "\". I explode() the strings as they loop out and get some clean arrays called $chop. After explode() I would like to have no duplicate values.

[3]
 $cat_query = mysql_query($Csql) or die(mysql_error());
 // Count the rows
 $cat_num = mysql_num_rows($cat_query);
 if($cat_num > 0) {
 $x=0;
 while($cat = mysql_fetch_array($cat_query)) {
 $x=$x+1;
 $chop = explode("\\",$cat["Category"]);
 
 echo "$chop[0] $chop[1] $chop[2] $chop[3] $chop[4] <br />";
 
 }[/3]

PRESENT OUTPUT:
Disposables Coffee Service Coffee
Disposables Coffee Service Coffee Stirrers
Disposables Coffee Service Filters
Disposables Coffee Service Unwrapped
Disposables Coffee Service Wrapped

DESIRED OUTPUT:
Disposables
Coffee Service
Coffee
Filters
Unwrapped
Wrapped

[dreamcatcher]

Try array_unique()

$cat_query = mysql_query($Csql) or die(mysql_error());
// Count the rows
$cat_num = mysql_num_rows($cat_query);
if($cat_num > 0) {
$x=0;
while($cat = mysql_fetch_array($cat_query)) {
$x=$x+1;
$chop = explode("\\",$cat["Category"]);
$chop = array_unique($chop);
}
foreach ($chop as $chopped)
{
echo $chopped."<br />";
}

Although I may have read that wrong about what you want.

dc

[bumpaw]

This doesn't seem to work. I am trying to come up with a list of unique names for a long navigation menu. As I cycle through each array the goal is to save only new values as in the example I posted.

[dreamcatcher]

Right, I think I got it. Try this:

$new = array();
$cat_query = mysql_query($Csql) or die(mysql_error());
// Count the rows
$cat_num = mysql_num_rows($cat_query);
if($cat_num > 0) {
$x=0;
while($cat = mysql_fetch_array($cat_query)) {
$x=$x+1;
$chop = explode("\\",$cat["Category"]);

for ($i=0; $i<count($chop); $i++)
{
if (!in_array($chop[$i], $new))
{
$new[] = $chop[$i];
}
}
foreach ($new as $cats)
{
echo $cats."<br>";
}

Does that work?

dc

[bumpaw]

Not yet but the approach seems right with in_array().
It seems to be in an endless loop now. I really appreciate your help and if you need I can sticky you with a link for you to see the actual output.

[dreamcatcher]

Ah, try unsetting the $chop variable after each loop.

$new = array();
$cat_query = mysql_query($Csql) or die(mysql_error());
// Count the rows
$cat_num = mysql_num_rows($cat_query);
if($cat_num > 0) {
$x=0;
while($cat = mysql_fetch_array($cat_query)) {
$x=$x+1;
$chop = explode("\\",$cat["Category"]);

for ($i=0; $i<count($chop); $i++)
{
if (!in_array($chop[$i], $new))
{
$new[] = $chop[$i];
}
unset ($chop);
}
foreach ($new as $cats)
{
echo $cats."<br>";
}

dc