I have a simple PHP page that lists files in a directory:

PHP Code:

<?php
$dir = "./FORMS/SNF/";
// Open a known directory, and proceed to read its contents
if (is_dir($dir)) {
   if ($dh = opendir($dir)) {
       while (($file = readdir($dh)) !== false) {
    if($file == "." || $file == ".." )
        continue;
           echo "<a href=\"".$dir.$file."\">".$file."</a><br/>";
       }
       closedir($dh);
   }
}
?>

I'm having trouble sorting the display. I think I would use

PHP Code:

sort($file) 


but where do I put it? I tried putting it right under the 'while (($file...' line but that causes an error "Parse error: parse error, unexpected T_IF in /usr/local/php_classes/forms/PHP4_scandir3.php on line 26." When I put it in after 'continue;' I get the list, but with this warning: "Warning: sort() expects parameter 1 to be array, string given in /usr/local/php_classes/forms/PHP4_scandir3.php on line 27."

I'm sure I'm making this harder than it needs to be. Thanks in Advance.

Well... the answer is in the error message you get :
Warning: sort() expects parameter 1 to be array

Instead of displaying the files within the while loop, you can store filenames on an array:
replace

PHP Code:

echo "<a href=\"".$dir.$file."\">".$file."</a><br/>"; 


with

PHP Code:

$files[]=$file; 


Then after the while loop you call the sort() function and then start another while (for/foreach) loop to display the sorted array

Thanks -

I no longer get the error, but the results are not sorting. Here is what I have changed in the code:

PHP Code:

$dir = "./FORMS/SNF/";
if (is_dir($dir)) {
   if ($dh = opendir($dir)) {
       while (($file = readdir($dh)) !== false) {
       if($file == "." || $file == ".." )
        continue;
        $files[]=$file;
       }
        sort($file);
       foreach ($file as $key=>$value) {
       echo "<a href=\"".$dir.$file."\">".$file."</a><br/>";
       }
       closedir($dh);
   }
} 


The results are not sorted (the file names all start with a number "010 Attendance","101 Incident", etc.

The mistake is in my foreach loop, right?

Thanks,

No.
Your problem is that the sort function sort by the first characters in the string. In your case, 010, 101, etc...

The sorting is right upon that criteria.
Sort have 1 parameter that you can give to alter it's algorithm, but from what I see, you will need to sort not on the full file name, but on a substring of the file name, ignoring the first numeric part.
Am I right ?

If so, you will need to create an "reference" array, and the real files array.
The reference will hold the shortened name only, and the real files array which will not be numerical but indexed by strings.

What I mean is that you need to create it like this:

PHP Code:

$shortName=myShorteningFunction($fullName);
$aryFiles[$shortName]=$fullName; 


This will create an array, but it will index it via a string, and not a number.

You order the reference array, and after it's sorted, you iterate through it.
For each short name, you call the corresponding value in the longName array.

PHP Code:

sort($aryRef);
foreach($aryRef as $shortName){
  echo $aryFiles[$shortName];
} 


Thanks - actually, I want this type of sort:

If the listed files are:
110 Restraint Flowsheet 04_07 - SNF.pdf
137b Physical Therapy Progress Notes - SNF.pdf
150 Activity Assessment 04_07 - SNF.pdf
101 Daily Nursing Assessment 04_07 - SNF.pdf
209-210 MOT Consent Refusal 04_07 - SNF.pdf

I want them to display as:
101 Daily Nursing Assessment 04_07 - SNF.pdf
110 Restraint Flowsheet 04_07 - SNF.pdf
137b Physical Therapy Progress Notes - SNF.pdf
150 Activity Assessment 04_07 - SNF.pdf
209-210 MOT Consent Refusal 04_07 - SNF.pdf

I really just need to sort on the first three characters, including the numbers. Is it the same approach you describe? Will a string sort put the "0" before the "1" asnd the "1" before the "2" etc?

As you might have deduced, I'm a PHP Newbie.

Thanks,

I mispoke.

PHP Code:

$dir = "./FORMS/SNF/";
if (is_dir($dir)) {
   if ($dh = opendir($dir)) {
       while (($file = readdir($dh)) !== false) {
       if($file == "." || $file == ".." )
        continue;
        $files[]=$file;
       }
        sort($files);
       foreach ($files as $key=>$value) {
       echo "<a href=\"".$dir.$file."\">".$file."</a><br/>";
       }
       closedir($dh);
   }
} 


echos nothing at all.

I tried

PHP Code:

$dir = "./FORMS/SNF/";
if (is_dir($dir)) {
   if ($dh = opendir($dir)) {
       while (($file = readdir($dh)) !== false) {
       if($file == "." || $file == ".." )
        continue;
        $files[]=$file;
        sort($files);
        echo "<a href=\"".$dir.$file."\">".$file."</a><br/>";
                                                }
                            }
       closedir($dh);
                  } 


and get the list, but unsorted.

PHP Code:

$dir = "./FORMS/SNF/";

function shortimg($str){
  list($short)=explode(" ",$str,2);
  return $short;
}

if (is_dir($dir)) {
  if ($dh = opendir($dir)) {
    while (($file = readdir($dh)) !== false) {
      if($file !== "." && $file !== ".." )
        //We get the short version of the file name
        //ans store them in 2 arrays
        $short=shortimg($file);
        $aryRef[]=$short;
        $files[$short]=$file;
      }
      //We force PHP to oerder them using a numeric algorithm
      sort($aryRef,SORT_NUMERIC);
      //And we parse the reference array
      foreach ($aryRef as $key) {
        //Here, $key is the same as that was $short previously
        $file=$files[$key];
        //1) You don't need to escape variables in strings if the strings delimiter are "
        //2) In a web environment, the directory separator is shlash ( / ), and not backslash ( \ ) like in windows/dos shell
        echo "<a href=\"$dir/$file\">$file</a><br/>";
      }
      closedir($dh);
  }
} 


I didn't tried to run it, but this should do the trick...

tripy,

Thanks!

It sorts like I need.

It is listing ".." twice and "." twice, but I'll work on that part.

Thanks again for your help.

It is listing ".." twice and "." twice, but I'll work on that part.

I think I missed a {} block...
Try like this:

PHP Code:

$dir = "./FORMS/SNF/";

function shortimg($str){
  list($short)=explode(" ",$str,2);
  return $short;
}

if (is_dir($dir)) {
  if ($dh = opendir($dir)) {
    while (($file = readdir($dh)) !== false) {
      if($file !== "." && $file !== ".." ){
        //We get the short version of the file name
        //ans store them in 2 arrays
        $short=shortimg($file);
        $aryRef[]=$short;
        $files[$short]=$file;
      }
    }
    //We force PHP to oerder them using a numeric algorithm
    sort($aryRef,SORT_NUMERIC);
    //And we parse the reference array
    foreach ($aryRef as $key) {
      //Here, $key is the same as that was $short previously
      $file=$files[$key];
      //1) You don't need to escape variables in strings if the strings delimiter are "
      //2) In a web environment, the directory separator is shlash ( / ), and not backslash ( \ ) like in windows/dos shell
      echo "<a href=\"$dir/$file\">$file</a><br/>";
    }
    closedir($dh);
  }
} 


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