table output

I'm trying to output a table with alternate background color rows.

The following snippet outputs a table after connecting to a mySQL database
with posts but they all have the same bgcolor.

Any help with the syntax will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Tony Ritter
.........................................
<?

<table width=100% cellpadding=3 cellspacing=1 border=1>
<tr>
<th bgcolor=\"#497fbf\"><font color=\"#ffffff\">AUTHOR</font>
</th>
<th bgcolor=\"#497fbf\"><font color=\"#ffffff\">POST</font></th>
</tr>";

while ($posts_info = mysql_fetch_array($get_posts_res)) {
$post_id = $posts_info['post_id'];
$post_text = nl2br(stripslashes($posts_info['post_text']));
$post_create_time = $posts_info['fmt_post_create_time'];
$post_owner = stripslashes($posts_info['post_owner']);

$color1 = "#CCFFCC";
$color2 = "#BFD8BC";
$posts_info = 0;
$row_color = ($posts_info % 2) ? $color1 : $color2;

//add to display
$display_block .= "
<tr>
<td width=35% valign=top
bgcolor=\"$row_color\"><p>$post_owner<br>[$post_create_time]</td>
<td width=65% valign=top bgcolor=\"$row_color\"><p>$post_text<br><br>
<a href=\"replytopost.php?post_id=$post_id\"><strong> REPLY TO
POST</strong></a></td>

</tr>";

}

//close up the table
$display_block .= "</table>";
?>

I have only been monitoring this group for 5 days now and have seen 10
questions involving alternate row colors for PHP tables. Being an
intermediate PHP programmer myself, I know that there are at least twenty
tutorials on how to accomplish this on any typical Google search by simply
typing in "PHP Alternate Row Colors". I am going to regard any question on
this topic nothing more than simple spam harvesting from now on.

GFYself

JD



"Anthony Ritter" <tony@gonefishingguideservice.com> wrote in message
news:3f42eb4d@news.greennet.net...
> I'm trying to output a table with alternate background color rows.
>
> The following snippet outputs a table after connecting to a mySQL database
> with posts but they all have the same bgcolor.
>
> Any help with the syntax will be greatly appreciated.
> Thank you.
> Tony Ritter
> ........................................
> <?
>
> <table width=100% cellpadding=3 cellspacing=1 border=1>
> <tr>
> <th bgcolor=\"#497fbf\"><font color=\"#ffffff\">AUTHOR</font>
> </th>
> <th bgcolor=\"#497fbf\"><font color=\"#ffffff\">POST</font></th>
> </tr>";
>
> while ($posts_info = mysql_fetch_array($get_posts_res)) {
> $post_id = $posts_info['post_id'];
> $post_text = nl2br(stripslashes($posts_info['post_text']));
> $post_create_time = $posts_info['fmt_post_create_time'];
> $post_owner = stripslashes($posts_info['post_owner']);
>
> $color1 = "#CCFFCC";
> $color2 = "#BFD8BC";
> $posts_info = 0;
> $row_color = ($posts_info % 2) ? $color1 : $color2;
>
> //add to display
> $display_block .= "
> <tr>
> <td width=35% valign=top
> bgcolor=\"$row_color\"><p>$post_owner<br>[$post_create_time]</td>
> <td width=65% valign=top
bgcolor=\"$row_color\"><p>$post_text<br><br>
> <a href=\"replytopost.php?post_id=$post_id\"><strong> REPLY TO
> POST</strong></a></td>
>
> </tr>";
>
> }
>
> //close up the table
> $display_block .= "</table>";
> ?>
>
>
>
>
>

On 19-Aug-2003, "JKD" <dev@null.org> wrote:

> I have only been monitoring this group for 5 days now and have seen 10
> questions involving alternate row colors for PHP tables. Being an
> intermediate PHP programmer myself, I know that there are at least twenty
> tutorials on how to accomplish this on any typical Google search by simply
> typing in "PHP Alternate Row Colors". I am going to regard any question on
> this topic nothing more than simple spam harvesting from now on.
>
> GFYself

Kinda harsh for a noobe. This question comes up a lot because there are a
lot of beginners here, not because of anything sinister. Most of us started
as beginners. :-)

The next time someone stomps on you because you asked or answered a question
poorly consider it karma.


--
Tom Thackrey
www.creative-light.com

"Anthony Ritter" <tony@gonefishingguideservice.com> wrote
in message news:<3f42eb4d@news.greennet.net>...
>
> I'm trying to output a table with alternate background color rows.
>
> The following snippet outputs a table after connecting to a mySQL
> database with posts but they all have the same bgcolor.

OK, let's look at your code:

> while ($posts_info = mysql_fetch_array($get_posts_res)) {

This means that $posts_info is an array.

> $row_color = ($posts_info % 2) ? $color1 : $color2;

But here you expect $posts_info to be a number... You are asking
PHP to convert an array into a number, which PHP can't really do,
so it tries to first convert it into a boolean (which comes out
to be TRUE, because empty arrays evaluate to FALSE, all other arrays
to TRUE), and then convert that boolean into an integer (1). The
end result: $posts_info in this expression always evaluates to 1.

Try this instead:

if ($row_color == $color1) {
$row_color = $color2;
} else {
$row_color = $color1;
}

Cheers,
NC

On 19-Aug-2003, "Anthony Ritter" <tony@gonefishingguideservice.com> wrote:

> I'm trying to output a table with alternate background color rows.
>
> The following snippet outputs a table after connecting to a mySQL database
> with posts but they all have the same bgcolor.
>
> Any help with the syntax will be greatly appreciated.
> Thank you.
> Tony Ritter
> ........................................
> <?
>
> <table width=100% cellpadding=3 cellspacing=1 border=1>
> <tr>
> <th bgcolor=\"#497fbf\"><font color=\"#ffffff\">AUTHOR</font>
> </th>
> <th bgcolor=\"#497fbf\"><font color=\"#ffffff\">POST</font></th>
> </tr>";
>
> while ($posts_info = mysql_fetch_array($get_posts_res)) {
> $post_id = $posts_info['post_id'];
> $post_text = nl2br(stripslashes($posts_info['post_text']));
> $post_create_time = $posts_info['fmt_post_create_time'];
> $post_owner = stripslashes($posts_info['post_owner']);
>
> $color1 = "#CCFFCC";
> $color2 = "#BFD8BC";
> $posts_info = 0;
> $row_color = ($posts_info % 2) ? $color1 : $color2;
>
> //add to display
> $display_block .= "
> <tr>
> <td width=35% valign=top
> bgcolor=\"$row_color\"><p>$post_owner<br>[$post_create_time]</td>
> <td width=65% valign=top
> bgcolor=\"$row_color\"><p>$post_text<br><br>
> <a href=\"replytopost.php?post_id=$post_id\"><strong> REPLY TO
> POST</strong></a></td>
>
> </tr>";
>
> }
>
> //close up the table
> $display_block .= "</table>";
> ?>

You're pretty close. You can't use $posts_info to switch colors, because you
set it to 0 so it doesnt change.

Add this before the while loop:
$row_count = 0;

change the color test to:
$row_color = ($row_count % 2) ? $color1 : $color2;

add this somewhere in the loop:
$row_count ++;

You should also move the initialization of $color1 and $color2 outside the
loop or just stick the literals into the color test:
$row_color = ($row_count % 2) ? '#ccffcc' : '#bfd8bc';

--
Tom Thackrey
www.creative-light.com

Thank you Nikolai and Tom for the clear explanations.

Best wishes...
Tony Ritter