While loop inside if else statement not working - php

Question

I have this code snippet that is failing to work, don't know what am doing wrong, am getting content from MYSQL database and using if else statement with while loop to echo the contents.
<?php
if ($row_item['cat_item_id'] == ''){
echo '<div class="col-sm-6 col-md-3"">
</p>
<p>
No Item To Show
</p>
</div>
</div>';
}
else {
while ($row_item = mysql_fetch_assoc($item)){
echo
'
<div class="col-sm-6 col-md-3" style="'.$row_item['display'].'">
<div class="thumbnail">
<img src="myaccount/user_data/'.$row_item['file_name'].'" />
</div>
<div class="caption">
<h3>'.$row_item['item_name'].'</h3>
<p>
<a href="item_detail.php?item='.$row_item['cat_item_id'].'" class="btn btn-primary" role="button">
View Item
</a>
<a href="contact_seller.php?contact='.$row_item['cat_item_id'].'" class="btn btn-default" role="button">
Contact Owner
</a>
</p>
</div>
</div>';
}
}
?>
Help me figure out what am not doing right.

Answer 1

You have to call while ($row_item = mysql_fetch_assoc($item))
first place.
Otherwise the $row_items doesn't get initialized properly.
So you put all inside
while ($row_item = mysql_fetch_assoc($item))
And check for the if-else conditions inside the while:
if ($row_item['cat_item_id'] == '') // this goes inside the while. Otherwise $row_item is not initialized properly

Answer 2

You are checking if
if ($row_item['cat_item_id'] == ''){
before you actually call
while ($row_item = mysql_fetch_assoc($item)){
To get $row_item
Try changing it to something like this:
while ($row_item = mysql_fetch_assoc($item)){
if ($row_item['cat_item_id'] == ''){
echo '<div class="col-sm-6 col-md-3"">
</p>
<p>No Item To Show</p></div></div>';
}else {
echo
'
<div class="col-sm-6 col-md-3" style="'.$row_item['display'].'">
<div class="thumbnail">
<img src="myaccount/user_data/'.$row_item['file_name'].'" />
</div>
<div class="caption">
<h3>'.$row_item['item_name'].'</h3>
<p>
<a href="item_detail.php?item='.$row_item['cat_item_id'].'" class="btn btn-primary" role="button">
View Item
</a>
<a href="contact_seller.php?contact='.$row_item['cat_item_id'].'" class="btn btn-default" role="button">
Contact Owner
</a>
</p>
</div>
</div>';
}
}

Answer 3

Try mysql_fetch_array
while ($row_item = mysql_fetch_array($item)){
echo
'
<div class="col-sm-6 col-md-3" style="'.$row_item['display'].'">
<div class="thumbnail">
<img src="myaccount/user_data/'.$row_item['file_name'].'" />
</div>
<div class="caption">
<h3>'.$row_item['item_name'].'</h3>
<p>
<a href="item_detail.php?item='.$row_item['cat_item_id'].'" class="btn btn-primary" role="button">
View Item
</a>
<a href="contact_seller.php?contact='.$row_item['cat_item_id'].'" class="btn btn-default" role="button">
Contact Owner
</a>
</p>
</div>
</div>';
}