How to create an array

Pulling random items from db

[abbeyvet]

I want to pull random items from a product database, and am having a bit of a problem getting it exactly as I want it.

I am using this:

$sql = "SELECT * from products WHERE pSection=7 ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 0,3";

Which is fine, it pulls products from pSection 7 fine. But I want it to pull from several sections at once. I tried making an array like this:

$randpsections = array("9", "10", "11", "12");
and then
$sql = "SELECT * from products WHERE pSection=$randpsections ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 0,3";

But I get an error.

Obviously I have very limited PHP knowledge so would appreciate any help.

Thanks

[Little_G]

Hi,

try:

$randpsections = array("9", "10", "11", "12");
and then
$sql = "SELECT * from products WHERE pSection=" . $randpsections[mt_rand(0,count($randpsections)-1] . "ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 0,3";

Andrew

[abbeyvet]

Thanks for your help, looks like it should be right, but is getting an error:

Parse error: parse error, unexpected ']' in /home/sites/www.example.com/web/test.php on line 33

which is this line:

<?php $sql = "SELECT * from products WHERE pSection=" . $randpsections[mt_rand(0,count($randpsections)-1] . " ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 0,3";

Don't see the error - any suggestions?

The rest of the code, in case it is relevant, is below.

<?php
$randpsections = array("9", "10", "11", "12");
$sql = "SELECT * from products WHERE pSection=" . $randpsections[mt_rand(0,count($randpsections)-1] . " ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 0,3";
$result = mysql_query($sql) or die(mysql_error());

while ($newArray = mysql_fetch_array($result)) {
$name = $newArray['pName'];
$image = $newArray['pImage'];
$doit = $newArray["pDescription"];
$max=70;
$modstr=((strlen($doit)>$max)?substr($doit,0,$max) . "..." : $doit);
echo "stuff here";
}
@mysql_free_result($queryprod);
?>

[andye]

I'm a Perl guy rather than a PHP one so apologies if this is off base, but maybe you should count the brackets in

$randpsections[mt_rand(0,count($randpsections)-1]

?

hth, a.

[abbeyvet]

Yep, thanks, that was it! This works:

<?php $sql = "SELECT * from products WHERE pSection=" . $randpsections[mt_rand(0,count($randpsections)-1)] . " ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 0,3";

[whoisgregg]

A slightly different approach... This one has the DB do all the heavy lifting. (May not be faster, but included here because learning the "IN (value1,value2,...)" method is helpful for many situations.)

$randpsections = array("9", "10", "11", "12"); 
$sql = "SELECT * from products WHERE pSection IN (" .implode(",", $randpsections). ") ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 0,3";

[jatar_k]

I'm with whoisgregg

IN is a better way to go

>> learning the "IN (value1,value2,...)" method is helpful for many situations

another good one is BETWEEN ;)

[abbeyvet]

Thank you whoisgregg - that works great and I was unaware of the IN thing, so have learned something new.

:)