PHP check empty variable or not - php

Question

I have a SQL query and an array where I put values to exclude. When I perform my query, I would like to test my variable.
If not empty ==> Display values
If empty ==> Display one time 0 result.
My SQL query gives in output these values:FGFR1e12, FGFR3e7, FGFR3e14
When I perform my php script, I manage to display values but it doesn't enter in the loop else when the variable is empty.
Does anyone know what I am doing wrong in my script ?
Here's my script:
<?php
require_once ('config.php');
$VariantNContrib = "SELECT DISTINCT Reference FROM mytable";
$PerformVariantNContrib = mysqli_query($conn, $VariantNContrib) or die(mysqli_error($conn));
// Values to exclude are stored in an array
$arrayNoContrib = array(
'FGFR1e12',
'FGFR3e7',
'FGFR3e14'
);
while ($rowVarNContrib = mysqli_fetch_assoc($PerformVariantNContrib)) {
if (!in_array($rowVarNContrib["Reference"], $arrayNoContrib)) {
$NContribList = '' . implode(',', $rowVarNContrib) . '; ';
if (!empty($NContribList)) {
echo '<br/>Variants:' . $NContribList . '<br/>';
}
else {
echo "0 results";
}
}
}
?>

Answer 1

Your code should be:-
$arrayNoContrib=array('FGFR1e12', 'FGFR3e7', 'FGFR3e14');
while($rowVarNContrib = mysqli_fetch_assoc($PerformVariantNContrib)) {
if(!empty($rowVarNContrib) && !in_array($rowVarNContrib["Reference"],$arrayNoContrib)){ // check $rowVarNContrib array is not empty
$NContribList=implode(',',$rowVarNContrib); // remove empty string
echo "Variants: $NContribList"."<br>"; // remove earlier <br>
}else{
echo "0 results"."<br>"; // add <br>
}
}

Answer 2

Hi I dont know why you have used implode if i am right. You have a array in which you have some values and you are fetching some reference and if all are same then you are displaying 0 result and if not then you are displaying that refence number. Then Please once try this one.
<?php
require_once ('config.php');
$VariantNContrib="SELECT DISTINCT Reference FROM mytable";
$PerformVariantNContrib=mysqli_query($conn,$VariantNContrib) or die(mysqli_error($conn));
//Values to exclude are stored in an array
$arrayNoContrib = array(
'FGFR1e12',
'FGFR3e7',
'FGFR3e14'
);
$i = 0;
while($rowVarNContrib = mysqli_fetch_assoc($PerformVariantNContrib)) {
if (!in_array($rowVarNContrib["Reference"], $arrayNoContrib)) {
$NContribList = trim($rowVarNContrib["Reference"]);
if (!empty($NContribList)) {
echo '<br/>Variants:' . $NContribList . '<br/>';
$i++;
}}
}
echo $i." results";

Answer 3

empty() function does not return true for string which is single space. " ".
$NContribList=''.implode(',',$rowVarNContrib).' ';
In above code you've space at the end of the string and that is the reason empty() is returning FALSE.
Either remove that space from the string or use PHP trim() to remove unnecessary spaces.