PHP - Structuring Tables For Data

This portion is kind of stumping me. Basically, I have a two tables in this DB: users and users_access_level (Separated for DB normalization)

users: id / username / password / realname / access_level
users_access_level: access_level / access_name

What I'm trying to do, is echo the data onto an HTML table that displays users.username in one table data and then uses the users.access_level to find users_access_level.access_name and echo into the following table data, I would prefer not to use multiple queries if possible or nested queries.

Example row for users: 1234 / tmac / password / tmac / 99
Example row for users_access_level: 99 / Admin

Using the examples above, I would want the output to appear as such:

Username: Access Name: Tmac Admin
I am not 100% sure where to start with this, but I pick up quickly, I just need a nudge in the right direction.

The code I attempted to create just shows my lack of knowledge of joining tables, but I'll post it if you want to see that I did at least make an effort to code this myself.

Thanks for reading!

I am not sure how to explain this, so I have some examples to go along.

So This is how classes are normally laid out (from everything I have seen).

Code: [Select]
     Base Class
     /       \
Class A     Class B
You initiate class A or class B and inherits the base class functionality along with it.

What I would like to do is something like this:

Code: [Select]
     Base Class
     /       \
Class A     Class B
     \       /
     Root Class
I would like to initiate the Root Class, and it inherits functionality from class A and class B and the base class.

Here are my thoughts:

You create an instance of the root class, this wouldn't do much other than tie everything together. Class A and B would have many similar functions such as process(), refund(), etc. (this whole ordeal is for credit cards, were going to be using 2 Gateways). So basically the root class will decide which gateway to use, were going to do 50/50 using mt_rand() for now, this would be in the root class. Then we call Class A or B which would be able to use functions from the base class such as getting the card from the database, decoding the hashed cc number value back to a valid cc number, etc.

How should I make something like this?

Thanks!

Good Afternoon,

I'm having trouble working out how to structure my class, I don't think how it currently is structured is as efficient as it could be. It does work how it currently is, but probably is not the most ideal way to go about doing things?

The class goes something like this...
class Name {
     public $x;
     public $a1, $a2, $a3, $a4;

     __construct($x=array(1)) {
         $this->x = ValidateArray($x);
         $a1 = self::Method1($this->x);
         $a2 = self::Method2($this->x);
         $a3 = self::Method3($this->x);
         $a4 = self::Method4($this->x);
} 

    private ValidateArray($x) {
    // validate the array
    return $this->x;
}

    public Method1($x) {
    $x = ValidateArray($x);
     // do stuff
    return $this->a1;   
}   

    public Method2($x) {
    $x = ValidateArray($x);
     // do stuff
    return $this->a2;   
}   

    public Method3($x) {
    $x = ValidateArray($x);
     // do stuff
    return $this->a3;   
}   

    public Method4($x) {
    $x = ValidateArray($x);
     // do stuff
    return $this->a4;   
}   

}

I'm sure there must be an easier way to use ValidateArray(); in each method? If I want to call a public method on it's own, is there a way to cancel the __construct() ? seems inefficient for the __construct() to run all the methods if I'm not using the instantiation to pass an array as an argument, but rather just want to use a particular method?
Thank you in advance for any help/suggestions and insight.

Kind Regards,
Ace

I have been reading in Larry Ullmans book "Visual QuickPro Guide PHP 6 and MySQL 5" and I find it well-written. Since it is from 2008, it does not contain anything about MySQL PDO, but rather does it in the mysqli_* way. Larry suggest placing the secret database password and more along with a database connection script in a connect.php file, placed above the webroot if possible. Then later, when he is creating queries and executing them in other php files, he includes the connect.php file before making the queries.   Now I know it is very important to be careful with the Error handling, so the script won't output errors, which could reveal something about the database making it less secure. Therefore I am wondering how to structure things when using PDO. I need to write error-handling scripts for the following situations:   a) Connection to the database doesn't succeed b) The execution of the queries doesn't succeed c) User input in HTML forms are not appropriate   and probably more. The recommended way of handling errors when using PDO seems to be writing some try-catch code. But then I don't see how I can keep the connection to the database completely inside the connect.php file. Either I will need to use a die() or exit() inside this file or I will need to give up my idea to keep everything which concerns the connection to the database in the file mentioned AND write nested try-catch sentences - first make sure the connection works, then make sure the query will execute properly.   I don't like either of those approaches. Firstly I have been told that using exit() is bad programming and secondly it seems to get more complicated using nested try-catch code and to let database connection take part in diverse php-files.   Maybe somebody have a smart, convenient and secure way to do it?   Erik  

Hi all,

I am lost again in this PHP world. I am trying to set up a grade book for my reporting system. I have got totally lost in the code and I am need of some help.

Many Thanks

F

Code: [Select]
<?php 
function doquery($query) {
  $db = "prs";
   $link = mysql_connect("localhost","gandalf","A3tti2ca")
     or die("Could not connect to server! Error: ".mysql_error());
   mysql_select_db($db,$link)
     or die("Could not select $db! Error: ".mysql_error());
   $result = mysql_query($query,$link)
     or $result = "Query Error!<p>Query: $query<p>Error: ".mysql_error();
   mysql_close($link);
   return($result);
}

function parseresults($result) {
   if ($line = mysql_fetch_array('$result', MYSQL_ASSOC)) {
        displayform($line);
   } 
        else {
    print "A database problem has occurred. Contact the database administrator<p>";
  }
}


function displayform($line) {
<<<HTML
 <form action="gradebook2.php" method="post">
   <H4>Thank You, <p>
HTML;

   print $line['firstname']." ".$line['surname']." (#".$line['upn'].") in set ".$line['class_set'];
   print ' has been sucessfully added to the system.<p>';
         echo"<form id=\"Gradebook\" name=\"gradebook\" method=\"post\" action=\"gradebook2.php\">
        <table width=\"77%\" border=\"1\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#de6057\">
         <tr>
           <td width=\"45%\" class=\"footer\">
 <label class=\"form_labels\">Coursework Mark</label>
                                 </td>
           
 <td width=\"55%\">
  <input name=\"cw_mark\" type=\"text\" id=\"cw_mark\" value=".$line['english_cw_mark']." tabindex=\"1\" size=\"6\" maxlength=\"4\" />
<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"upn\" value=".$line['upn'].">
</td>
         </tr>
        
<tr>
           <td class=\"footer\">Coursework Comment </td>
           <td>
  <label>
  <textarea name=\"cw_comment\" id=\"cw_comment\" cols=\"35\" rows=\"7\" value=".$line['english_cw_commnents']."></textarea>
        </label>
</td>
        </tr>
        
<tr>
           <td class=\"footer\"><label class=\"form_labels\">Exam Mark</label></td>
           <td>
<input name=\"exam_mark\" type=\"text\" id=\"exam_mark\" value=".$line['english_exam_mark']." tabindex=\"3\" size=\"6\" maxlength=\"4\">
</td>
         </tr>
       
    <tr>
           <td class=\"form_labels\">Exam Comment </td>
                   <td>
     <label>
             <textarea name=\"exam_comment\" id=\"exam_comment\" cols=\"35\" rows=\"7\" value=".$line['english_exam_comments']."></textarea>
                </label>
         </td>
         </tr>
       
    <tr>
           <td class=\"form_labels\"><label>Commendation in Poetry</label></td>
          <td>
  <select name=\"com_poetry\" id=\"com_poetry\" value=".$line['com_poetry'].">
                         <option value=\"No Commendation\" selected=\"selected\">No Commendation</option>
                        <option value=\"Commendation Awarded\">Commendation Awarded</option>
</select>
</td>
       </tr>
        
       <tr>
            <td class=\"form_labels\"><label>Commendation in Creative Writing</label></td>
             <td>
<select name=\"com_creative\" id=\"com_creative\" value=".$line['com_creative'].">
                    <option selected=\"selected\">No Commendation</option>
                   <option value=\"Commendation Awarded\">Commendation Awarded</option>
</select>
              </td>
                 </tr>
        
<tr>
           <td class=\"form_labels\">Commendation in Literary Interpretation</td>
           <td>
  <select name=\"com_lit_int\" id=\"com_lit_int\" value=".$line['com_lit_int'].">
             <option value=\"No Commendation\" selected=\"selected\">No Commendation</option>
            <option value=\"Commendation Awarded\">Commendation Awarded</option>
</select>
</td>
         </tr>
        
<tr>
          <td class=\"form_labels\"><label>Overall Comments</label></td>
            <td>
    <textarea name=\"overall_comments\" id=\"overall_comments\" cols=\"35\" rows=\"7\" value=".$line['english_overall_commnents'].'"></textarea>
 </td>
         </tr>
       
    <tr>
           <td>&nbsp;</td>
           <td>
<input type=\"reset\" name=\"Reset\" id=\"Reset\" value=\"Reset Form\" tabindex=\"12\" /> &nbsp;&nbsp;
   <input type=\"submit\" name=\"submit\" id=\"submit\" value=\"Submit Form\" tabindex=\"11\" />
</td>
         </tr>
       </table>
  </form>";
}


$student_upn = (integer) $_POST["stu_upn"];
$query = "select count(*) as numberRecords from english where upn = ".$student_upn."";
$result = doquery($query);
$row = mysql_fetch_array($result);

if ($row['numberRecords'] == 0)  
{
$query = "select students.upn from students where students.upn = '".$student_upn."'";
$result = doquery($query);
$row = mysql_fetch_array($result);
$cw_mark = $row['english_cw_mark'];
$cw_comment = $row['english_cw_comments'];
$exam_mark = $row['english_exam_mark'];
$exam_comment = $row['english_exam_comments'];
$com_poetry = $row['com_poetry'];
$com_creative = $row['com_creative'];
$com_lit_int = $row['com_lit_int'];
$overall_comment = $row['english_overall_comments'];
$insert = "insert into english (upn, english_cw_mark, english_cw_comments, english_exam_mark, english_exam_comments, com_poetry, com_creative, com_lit_int, english_overall_ comments) values (".$student_upn.",'".$cw_mark."','".$cw_comment."', '".$exam_mark.",'".$exam_comment."','".$com_poetry."','".$com_creative."','".$com_lit_int."','".$overall_comment."',0);
print $insert;
doquery($insert);
}

$query =  select students.upn as upn, firstname, surname, class_set, from customers left join english on students.upn = english.upn where students.upn = ".$student_upn.";
$result = doquery($query);

if (is_resource($result)) {
  parseresults($result);
} else {
   print "$result";
}
print "<a href=\"gradebook.php\"><h4>Grade Another Student</h4></a>";
?>