Using a simple counter

harryhood · 03-22-2005, 03:20 AM

I have a small project where records are queried from a database using php and the results are then displayed to the user. To display the results I am using a simple

PHP Code:


			
do {

echo '<tr><td style=background-color: somecolor>some text</td></tr>';



} while {......}

routine.

What I would like to do is alternate the color of the background text in each row shown by the do - while loop. I know I can assign "somecolor" to a variable and alternate the value of somecolor based on a counter being odd or even. I just do not know how to declare or increment the counter.

I am wondering what the simplest way to accomplish this would be. Sorry if I did not explain this very well. I've been staring at a screen all day and think I am going blind. :)

Any help would be appreciated.

AlEast · 03-22-2005, 03:40 AM

PHP Code:


			


//Initialize Vars

$altCounter=1;



do {

 

  //if odd then white if even then black

  $somecolor = (1&$altCounter) ? "white":"black"; 

  echo '<tr><td style=background-color: $somecolor>some text</td></tr>';

  $altCounter++;



} while {......}

This should work out for you and I'm sure others can suggest other methods as well. Basically just store

NotteScura · 03-22-2005, 02:48 PM

The code I use normally for something like that is...

PHP Code:


			
// Initialize Vars

$rowEven = 0;



do {

  // If odd, use white, if even use black

  if(!$rowEven) {

    $rowEven = 1;

    $bgColor = "white";

  }

  else {

    $rowEven = 0;

    $bgColor = "black";

  }



  echo "<tr><td style=background-color: $bgColor>Text</td></tr>";

} while (...);

Obviously my version is a longer way of doing it compared to AlEast's, so you may stick with his version, I just find it easier to read when done in this fashion. :)

NS

Dr John · 04-08-2005, 05:05 PM

You don't need a counter. Try this (in simple pseudocode)

your do

if somecolor==black
somecolor = white;
else somecolor = black;

your phpcode

while

CreativeLogic · 04-08-2005, 06:27 PM

Yea, the counter really isn't needed unless for some other purpose not mentioned in the first post.

ShadowWind · 04-13-2005, 12:22 PM

Actually there is a cool trick in C that should work in PHP...

To toggle between on and off in any situation, you can just do this (if you don't have a counter running)...

$j=1-$j;

if $j equals 1 then it equals 0
if $j equals 0 then it equals 1

Then just check $j to do whatever you want 0 or 1 to represent.

Dr John · 04-13-2005, 01:38 PM

ShadowWind, if you look three posts above yours you'll see basically the same thing, but without the extra step of finding the value of $j (which should start with $j=1 somewhere outside the if construction to seed the initial value). And several of the other posts use variants of the toggle technique, eg NotteScura's method.