CODEWITHSUNDEEP
php
Sean
Sean

Reputation: 1

combining PHP functions

I've inherited some php that parses an xml file to populate a page full of unordered lists and am wondering if there is a way to consolidate the php functions to make them more efficient.

There are 25 or so functions like the following:

function oaAccounting(){

  // load SimpleXML
  $term = new SimpleXMLElement('training_list.xml', null, true);
  echo <<<EOF
  <ul>
EOF;

  foreach($term as $term)
  {
     if(preg_match("/accounting/i", $term->keyword)){
        echo <<<EOF
        <li>{$term->name}</li>
EOF;
     }
  }
  echo '</ul>';
}

each one scans the xml file for the term/keyword it's searching for and adds the term as a list element to an unordered list specific to that function. The next function does the same thing but for a different term/keyword and adds it to a separate unordered list.

is there a way to combine all this to prevent having to do the foreach and if 25 times in a row?

Thanks!

Upvotes: 0

Views: 69

Answers (2)

Madara&#39;s Ghost
Madara&#39;s Ghost

Reputation: 174967

Abstract your function.

Pass the file and the search terms as arguments to the function, and work with that.

Something like:

function parse_xml_file($file, $terms)

Then use pass $file and $terms when calling the function.

For more information, see Teh big bad manual.

Upvotes: 1

John Conde
John Conde

Reputation: 219814

This revised function takes one parameter, the word to look for, and then uses it in the preg_match() function. So to use it all you need to do is call it with the term you're searching for. This should replace all of the hard coded functions.

function searchXML($search){

    // load SimpleXML
    $terms = new SimpleXMLElement('training_list.xml', null, true);
    echo <<<EOF
    <ul>
    EOF;
    foreach($terms as $term)
    {
        if(preg_match("/$search/i", $term->keyword)){
            echo <<<EOF
            <li>{$term->name}</li>
        EOF;
    }}
    echo '</ul>';
}

Upvotes: 0

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