PHP Multidimensional Array or better option? - php

Question

I have a code that takes posted data from form A and then find the prices of goods and display them. Now i need to do more with the following data in the body of the 2nd form:
Item name
Item Qty
Item Price
The code is here:
<?php
echo "<div style='width:30%; height:auto; border: 2px solid;'>";
echo "<h1>The Items Are...</h1><br>";
//array that will hold the sum of each item cost
$totalAmountArray = array();
foreach ($_POST['basket'] as $name => $value)
{
//indexer for totalAmountArray
$i=0;
if($value > 0){
//echo $name . ": " . $value . "<br>";
$itemPrice;
//reassign
$itemName = $name;
$itemQty = $value;
//sql connection..
mysql_connect();
mysql_select_db("xxxxxx");
$result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM pricing WHERE item = '".$name."'");
while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result)){
$itemPrice = $row['price'];
/*DEBUGGING*/
echo "Item Name: <b>".$itemName . " </b># ";
echo "<b>".$itemPrice ." </b>X ".$itemQty."<br>";
}//end of while loop
//multiply to get total for this item - store in temp
$temp = $itemQty * $itemPrice;
//store temp at index i in totalAmountArray
array_push($totalAmountArray, $temp);
unset($result);
unset($itemPrice);
unset($itemQty);
unset($temp);
}//end of if-statement
}//end of foreach
echo "<h1>Total Amount:<br></h1> ";
//print_r($totalAmountArray);
$sum;
foreach($totalAmountArray as $perItemPrice){
$sum += $perItemPrice;
}
echo "<b>SR. ".$sum."</b>";
echo "</div>";
?>
I am thinking of storing all the details returned from above foreach's into multidimensional array to have something like this:
[0] => itemName => itemQty => itemPrice <br>
[1] => itemName => itemQty => itemPrice <br>
[2] => itemName => itemQty => itemPrice <br>
[3] => itemName => itemQty => itemPrice <br>
.....
would this be the best way? and how can it be done? I am really unfamiliar with multidimensional arrays in practice (only in theory).
Thanks a lot for the help and advice,

Answer 1

I may be wrong but since you want an advise I just do not see the point on why would you use a two dimensional array in this situation (although I may misunderstood your question and may wrong but I think the best way to solve your problem is to create a class Item in that class has a variables itemName itemQty itemPrice and then store information about every object item in to an array

Answer 2

Hold an array of an array. Making multi dimensional arrays can get a little confusing. For each item, it holds an array of all its data. Another way is to make an object (class), say "items" which holds each piece of data from the form. Each form submission object is then put into an array for sorting and retrieval.
So it would be
[sudo PHP]
class foo
{
int formID
string submitterName
string bar
}
foo->formID = $row['id']
myArray[lastPosition + 1] = foo
for (int i = 0; i < foo.length; i++)
{
echo foo[i]->formID
}
I haven't touched PHP in years, sorry about the wierd half-PHP looking code, just thought I might deliver an answer quickly!