Creating a function that takes arguments and passes variables - php

Question

I am creating a script that will locate a field in a text file and get the value that I need.
First used the file() function to load my txt into an array by line.
Then I use explode() to create an array for the strings on a selected line.
I assign labels to the array's to describe a $Key and a $Value.
$line = file($myFile);
$arg = 3
$c = explode(" ", $line[$arg]);
$key = strtolower($c[0]);
if (strpos($c[2], '~') !== false) {
$val = str_replace('~', '.', $c[2]);
}else{
$val = $c[2];
}
This works fine but that is a lot of code to have to do over and over again for everything I want to get out of the txt file. So I wanted to create a function that I could call with an argument that would return the value of $key and $val. And this is where I am failing:
<?php
/**
* #author Jason Moore
* #copyright 2014
*/
global $line;
$key = '';
$val = '';
$myFile = "player.txt";
$line = file($myFile); //file in to an array
$arg = 3;
$Character_Name = 3
function get_plr_data2($arg){
global $key;
global $val;
$c = explode(" ", $line[$arg]);
$key = strtolower($c[0]);
if (strpos($c[2], '~') !== false) {
$val = str_replace('~', '.', $c[2]);
}else{
$val = $c[2];
}
return;
}
get_plr_data2($Character_Name);
echo "This character's ",$key,' is ',$val;
?>
I thought that I covered the scope with setting the values in the main and then setting them a global within the function. I feel like I am close but I am just missing something.
I feel like there should be something like return $key,$val; but that doesn't work. I could return an Array but then I would end up typing just as much code to the the info out of the array.
I am missing something with the function and the function argument to. I would like to pass and argument example : get_plr_data2($Character_Name); the argument identifies the line that we are getting the data from.
Any help with this would be more than appreciated.
::Updated::
Thanks to the answers I got past passing the Array.
But my problem is depending on the arguments I put in get_plr_data2($arg) the number of values differ.
I figured that I could just set the Max of num values I could get but this doesn't work at all of course because I end up with undefined offsets instead.
$a = $cdata[0];$b = $cdata[1];$c = $cdata[2];
$d = $cdata[3];$e = $cdata[4];$f = $cdata[5];
$g = $cdata[6];$h = $cdata[7];$i = $cdata[8];
$j = $cdata[9];$k = $cdata[10];$l = $cdata[11];
return array($a,$b,$c,$d,$e,$f,$g,$h,$i,$j,$k,$l);
Now I am thinking that I can use the count function myCount = count($c); to either amend or add more values creating the offsets I need. Or a better option is if there was a way I could generate the return array(), so that it would could the number of values given for array and return all the values needed. I think that maybe I am just making this a whole lot more difficult than it is.
Thanks again for all the help and suggestions

Answer 1

function get_plr_data2($arg){
$myFile = "player.txt";
$line = file($myFile); //file in to an array
$c = explode(" ", $line[$arg]);
$key = strtolower($c[0]);
if (strpos($c[2], '~') !== false) {
$val = str_replace('~', '.', $c[2]);
}else{
$val = $c[2];
}
return array($key,$val);
}
Using:
list($key,$val) = get_plr_data2(SOME_ARG);

Answer 2

you can do this in 2 way
you can return both values in an array
function get_plr_data2($arg){
/* do what you have to do */
$output=array();
$output['key'] =$key;
$output['value']= $value;
return $output;
}
and use the array in your main function
you can use reference so that you can return multiple values
function get_plr_data2($arg,&$key,&$val){
/* do job */
}
//use the function as
$key='';
$val='';
get_plr_data2($arg,$key,$val);
what ever you do to $key in function it will affect the main functions $key

Answer 3

I was over thinking it. Thanks for all they help guys. this is what I finally came up with thanks to your guidance:
<?php
$ch_file = "Thor";
$ch_name = 3;
$ch_lvl = 4;
$ch_clss = 15;
list($a,$b)= get_char($ch_file,$ch_name);//
Echo $a,': ',$b; // Out Puts values from the $cdata array.
function get_char($file,$data){
$myFile = $file.".txt";
$line = file($myFile);
$cdata = preg_split('/\s+/', trim($line[$data]));
return $cdata;
}
Brand new to this community, thanks for all the patience.