Storing multiple file paths inside a database

Orc · 02-13-2008, 03:10 AM

How do I store multiple file paths or files inside the database, for them to be in all in one id?

Say if I wanted to get the id of a file, but there were multiple files, how would I put them all together to one id? :S

Or say I had two tables, one for title, description, and one for the id and files. How would I combine these?

Andrew · 02-13-2008, 03:51 AM

Instead of just using the ID field, you can create a row in the table named 'files', and you could list them off, separating them by a semicolon and storing them that way. (You can then use a function like explode() to get the into an array for any manipulation.)

Orc · 02-13-2008, 03:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew

Instead of just using the ID field, you can create a row in the table named 'files', and you could list them off, separating them by a semicolon and storing them that way. (You can then use a function like explode() to get the into an array for any manipulation.)

list them off? What do you mean?

xenon · 02-13-2008, 08:55 PM

He means serialization. Something like:

Code:

path1|path2|path3

And then explode by the |.

Orc · 02-13-2008, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xenon

He means serialization. Something like:

Code:

path1|path2|path3

And then explode by the |.

But I want to output those files paths. Then I would have to do a pattern match, cause it's a path.

Alan @ CIT · 02-14-2008, 12:02 AM

Using the examples above, you'd end up with an array of the file paths that you could pattern match / output as you wished.

For example, say your files field in your database contained:

Code:

/home/www/images/file1.png|/home/www/images/file2.jpg|/home/www/images/file3.gif

You would then select that field from your database and use something like:

PHP Code:


			
$filePaths = explode('|', $result['filepaths']);

The $filePaths variable would then contain an array that looked something like:

PHP Code:


			
// [0] => '/home/www/images/file1.png'

// [1] => '/home/www/images/file2.jpg'

// [2] => '/home/www/images/file3.gif'

Which you could then manipulate as you wished.

To re-serialize the data, just use the implode() function.

Alan

Orc · 02-14-2008, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan @ CIT

Using the examples above, you'd end up with an array of the file paths that you could pattern match / output as you wished.

For example, say your files field in your database contained:

Code:

/home/www/images/file1.png|/home/www/images/file2.jpg|/home/www/images/file3.gif

You would then select that field from your database and use something like:

PHP Code:


			
$filePaths = explode('|', $result['filepaths']);

The $filePaths variable would then contain an array that looked something like:

PHP Code:


			
// [0] => '/home/www/images/file1.png'

// [1] => '/home/www/images/file2.jpg'

// [2] => '/home/www/images/file3.gif'

Which you could then manipulate as you wished.

To re-serialize the data, just use the implode() function.

Alan

Oh thanks! I've never really tried explode, so I wouldn't know if that happened or not. I just thought when it exploded it did this:

PHP Code:


			
[0] => '/home/www/images/file1.png/home/www/images/file2.jpg/home/www/images/file3.gif'

Thanks for clearing that up :D

EyeDentify · 02-14-2008, 09:00 AM

Do you at all look in the one place where info are to be found:

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor

?

If not you should really start.
It´s a great source of information about various functions and so on about PHP.

Good luck.
/EyeDentify

Village Idiot · 02-14-2008, 02:05 PM

Better to use a relational table or three fields on the table then explode it like that. It's never a good idea to store data like that. It's also bad for this purpose because | can go into a filename.In the unlikely event that someone sticks that in there, you have a problem on your hands.

Nor · 02-14-2008, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EyeDentify

Do you at all look in the one place where info are to be found:

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor

?

If not you should really start.
It´s a great source of information about various functions and so on about PHP.

Good luck.
/EyeDentify

Thats just ignorant...

anyways search up:

PHP: serialize - Manual could be helpful in your case.

sarmenhb · 02-17-2008, 03:29 AM

try trowing all the paths into a variable like

Code:

$variable = $path[1]."|".$path[2]."|".$path[3];

$query = "INSERT INTO somename(id,path) VALUES(null,'$path')";
$save = mysql_query($query);

your table structure should be

Code:

create table somename(id NOT NULL ,path mediumblob)
ENGiNE = myisam (or whatever u choose);

then you can do like

Code:

$query = "SELECT path FROM somename";
$output = mysql_query($query);

if(mysql_num_rows($output)) { 


while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($output)) {

$data = $row['path'];
}

for($i=0;$i<count(data);$i++) {

echo $data[$i]."<br>";
}
}

let me know if this is what you needed, i got cared away :p