PHP, looping through query results in SQL - php

Question

I'm currently having trouble trying to create a loop for my desired outcome.
I'm currently creating a student record card which stores numerous data of different students (fake students).
I have created a query which returns the relevant data I need (see picture one, phpmyadmin)
SELECT mods.mid, mtitle, credits, enrl.ayr
FROM stud, smod, mods, enrl
WHERE stud.sid = '154279' AND stud.sid = smod.sid
AND smod.mid = mods.mid AND stud.sid = enrl.sid
ORDER BY `enrl`.`ayr` DESC
As you can see by the results, there are attributes:
mid
mtitle
credits
ayr
I have ordered by ayr in decending order. I am trying to make a loop that will run through the return on this query and print out each row until the end of whatever the current year is. Almost grouping all rows with the same year e.g. '2001/02' into a sub table which I can then name and print.
As you can see by my second picture of the student records page, I need to be able to print all records for the one year, then create a new header for the next existing year and print all containing rows for that.
{EDIT}
PHP Code:
$query = "SELECT mods.mid, mtitle, credits, enrl.ayr
FROM stud, smod, mods, enrl
WHERE stud.sid = '154279' AND stud.sid = smod.sid AND smod.mid = mods.mid AND stud.sid = enrl.sid
ORDER BY enrl.ayr DESC
";
$scap = '';
$curYear = $row['ayr'];
if($result = $link->query($query)) {
while ($row = $result->fetch_assoc() && $row['ayr'] == $curYear) {
$scap .= "<table id=\"test\" style=\"width:100%\">
<tr>
<td> " . $row['mid'] . " </td> <td> " . $row['mtitle'] . "</td> <td> " . $row['credits'] . " <td> " . $row['ayr'] . "</td>
</tr>
</table>";
}$result->free();
}
Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Let's say you commit to one query max for the whole page. Like I said in comments
I would have a variable, call it $curYear. Start it out as some junk
string. In your loop, if the cur year thing is different than
$curYear, create a new segment in your output but regardless update
$curYear variable
That was not meant to interfere with your existing source code (that much). It is just a sentinel to alert you to a year change (year/term whatever).
So it starts as some junk value, like "797fsdf*"
Now inside your while, remember, you have ALL the years coming in from that result set for all years.
Do what I said in that pink block above comparing that variable $curYear to
$row['ayr']
When those two values are different, time to do whatever HTML treatment you want (creating a new html table, a new div, who cares). Let's call this the separation thing.
Regardless, after you output the row, make sure you have set $curYear to $row['ayr']. Why is that important? Because the next loop you want to know if you need to do the separation thing.
The tricky part is if you are doing html tables, you have to close out the previous table (prior year) if you are not on your first year