PHP+file handling+confused???

[Twey]

// Defines.
define('DATABASE_FILE', 'database.php');
define('SEPARATOR', ',');
define('LINEBREAK', "\n");

define('USERNAME', 0);
define('PASSWORD', 1);
define('EMAIL', 2);
define('COUNTRY', 3);
define('ZIP', 4);

function updateUser($ccol, $cval, $col, $val) {
  $ret = 0;
  $lines = file(DATABASE_FILE); // Read DATABASE_FILE into $lines as an array, broken at the linebreaks.
  for($i = 0; $i < count($lines); ++$i) {
    $cline = explode(SEPARATOR, $lines[$i]); // Read $lines[$i] into $cline as an array, broken at SEPARATOR.
    if($cline[$ccol] == $cval) { // If this line matches the condition given,
      $cline[$col] = $val; // set the specified column to the specified value.
      $lines[$i] = implode(SEPARATOR, $cline); // Put $cline back together again, and insert it back into $lines.
      ++$ret;
    }
  }
  $f = fopen(DATABASE_FILE, 'w'); // Open the file.  Truncate to zero length (basically delete the file and create a new one; if memory corruption occurs here, bye-bye database)
  fwrite($f, implode(LINE_BREAK, $lines)); // Put the lines back together again and write them back to the database
  fclose($f);
  return $ret; // Return the number of lines matched and modified
}

Then, to modify the user with the username 'Twey' and set his country to "England":

updateUser(USERNAME, 'Twey', COUNTRY, 'England');

Sorry for the delay, I thought I'd posted, but evidently hadn't.

[shachi]

Never mind. Thanks for the script!!! I will try this right away. Twey By the way it'd have been a lot better if you posted it with remarks on what one line does. But never mind I'll try to figure it out myself. Thank you again.

[Twey]

There, all nicely linked and commented.

[shachi]

Oh thanks, but I think I have a problem now. Either I made a mistake in installing that script or there is some problem(I think I made a mistake but I am not sure). It doesn't update the name but adds a new line before the first line of the file.

I mean that if the database.php looks like this at first:

<?php exit()?>
Shachi,test,shachibista[at]gmail[dot]com,nepal

After running that script it becomes:

<?php exit()?>

Shachi,test,shachibista[at]gmail[dot]com,nepal

I don't know what the problem is but for testing purposes I just made a new file and tried executing that script. The new file looks sth like this:

<?php
define('DATABASE_FILE', 'database_fake.php');
define('SEPARATOR', ',');
define('LINEBREAK', "\n");

define('USERNAME', 0);
define('PASSWORD', 1);
define('EMAIL', 2);
define('COUNTRY', 3);
define('ZIP', 4);

function updateUser($ccol, $cval, $col, $val) {
  $ret = 0;
  $lines = file(DATABASE_FILE);
  for($i = 0; $i < count($lines); ++$i) {
    $cline = explode(SEPARATOR, $lines[$i]);
    if($cline[$ccol] == $cval) {
      $cline[$col] = $val;
      $lines[$i] = implode(SEPARATOR, $cline);
      ++$ret;
    }
  }
  $f = fopen(DATABASE_FILE, 'w');
  fwrite($f, implode("\n", $lines));
  fclose($f);
  return $ret;
}
updateUser(USERNAME, 'Shachi', COUNTRY, 'Nepal');
?>

[Twey]

Well, first let's make sure you understand what you're doing here -- your code says you does, but your text was a little vague.

updateUser(USERNAME, 'Shachi', COUNTRY, 'Nepal');

should find all users with the username "Shachi" and set their country to "Nepal." Is this what you intended?

Anyway, I've actually tested this, and it works:

<?php
define('DATABASE_FILE', 'database_fake.php');
define('SEPARATOR', ',');
define('LINEBREAK', "\n");

define('USERNAME', 0);
define('PASSWORD', 1);
define('EMAIL', 2);
define('COUNTRY', 3);
define('ZIP', 4);

function updateUser($ccol, $cval, $col, $val) {
  $ret = 0;
  $lines = array_unique(file(DATABASE_FILE));
  for($i = 0; $i < count($lines); ++$i) {
    $cline = explode(SEPARATOR, $lines[$i]);
    if($cline[$ccol] == $cval) {
      $cline[$col] = $val;
      $lines[$i] = implode(SEPARATOR, $cline);
      ++$ret;
    }
  }
  $f = fopen(DATABASE_FILE, 'w');
  fwrite($f, str_replace(LINEBREAK . LINEBREAK, LINEBREAK, implode("\n", $lines)));
  fclose($f);
  return $ret;
}
updateUser(USERNAME, 'Shachi', COUNTRY, 'Nepal');
?>

The empty lines it prepended weren't really a problem, but they were annoying, so I removed them, along with any duplicate rows found in the database.

However, for me the script worked from the start, albeit with aforementioned prepended lines, so this is no guarantee it'll work for you. Try it and see.

[shachi]

That is pretty much what I want. But there is a problem that the format of the data should be constant(username,password,email,country,zip) but anyways I think I found out a way but not sure it works right.

$key = $_POST['user'];
$fc=file("database.php");
$f=fopen("database.php","w");
foreach($fc as $line)
{
     if (!strstr($line,$key))
           fputs($f,$line);
}
fclose($f);
$f=fopen("database.php","a");
fwrite($f, $_POST['user'].','.$_POST['pass'].','.$_POST['email'].','.$_POST['country'].','.$_POST['zip']."\n");
fclose($f); 

What this does is finds the line with the username(which is unique through out the file) and then deletes that line and add a line at the end of the file with the username(will be submitted with the update form) password(is a must for updating profile) and country and zip will be also submitted with the form submission. I still need to write a conditional statement to not to let the user if the submitted data matches the one in the file. But what do you think Twey??

[shachi]

At first I thought the script I supplied in my earlier post would work but now I have a great problem because if the user doesn't supply anything for a certain value for e.g if a user wants to update just his password then it won't work the file will just append the data the user entered. Twey, or anyone else please help if anyone knows a fix for this problem. HELP!!!!

[Twey]

But what do you think Twey??

I think that what you say it would do is exactly the same as what mine does, except for the new line

But there is a problem that the format of the data should be constant(username,password,email,country,zip)

Er, it is in my code. If you want to change the order, move the defines around.

[shachi]

Er, it is in my code. If you want to change the order, move the defines around.

Move the defines around?? I couldn't get you. If I place the defines in some other order will it affect the code?? Please forgive me for my silly questions but I am just a newbie. And can you instruct me on how to make the function to accept more arguements(other than username and country).

EDIT: Never mind, I found out just place two other attribute vars in the function like function($test1,$test2) and place this between the if condition $cline[$test1] = $test2. Thanks Twey for all your help time and support.

[Twey]

Try this. I'm not too sure of it, though, since it uses quite a few functions I'm not all that familiar with.

<?php
define('DATABASE_FILE', 'database_fake.php');
define('SEPARATOR', ',');
define('LINEBREAK', "\n");

define('USERNAME', 0);
define('PASSWORD', 1);
define('EMAIL', 2);
define('COUNTRY', 3);
define('ZIP', 4);

function updateUser() {
  $ret = 0;
  $lines = array_unique([url=http://www.php.net/file]file[/file](DATABASE_FILE));
  $argv = func_get_args();
  $conditions = array();
  $changes = array();
  for($i = 0; $i < count($argv) && $argv[$i] != SEPARATOR; $i += 2)
    $conditions[$argv[$i]] = $argv[$i + 1];
  for(++$i; $i < count($argv); $i += 2)
    $changes[$argv[$i]] = $argv[$i + 1];
  for($i = 0; $i < count($lines); ++$i) {
    $cline = explode(SEPARATOR, $lines[$i]);
    $changeThisLine = false;
    foreach($conditions as $k => $v)
      if($changeThisLine = ($cline[$k] == $v)) continue;
    foreach($changes as $k => $v) {
      $cline[$k] = $v;
    ++$ret;
  }
  $f = fopen(DATABASE_FILE, 'w');
  fwrite($f, str_replace(LINEBREAK . LINEBREAK, LINEBREAK, implode("\n", $lines)));
  fclose($f);
  return $ret;
}
updateUser(USERNAME, 'Shachi', COUNTRY, 'nepal', SEPARATOR, COUNTRY, 'Nepal', EMAIL, 'some.new@email-address.com');
?>

Note that each argument works as an "or" operand.