How to correctly set layout using example below

Question

So lets say below are the correct and incorrect answers for each question:

Question Number: 1   Correct Answer(s) B     Incorrect Answers A C D
Question Number: 2   Correct Answer(s) A C   Incorrect Answers B D
Question Number: 3   Correct Answer(s) D     Incorrect Answers A B C

Below shows the current layout and the way it should be laid out:

The code for the current output is this:

<table border='1' id='penaltytbl'>
<thead>
<tr>
<th class='questionth'>Question No.</th>
<th class='answerth'>Incorrect Answer</th></tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<?php
$row_span = array_count_values($searchQuestionNo);
$prev_ques = '';
foreach($searchQuestionNo as $key=>$questionNo){

?>

<tr class="questiontd">
    <?php
    if($questionNo != $prev_ques){
    ?>
    <td class="questionnumtd q<?php echo$questionNo?>_qnum" rowspan="<?php echo$row_span[$questionNo]?>">
    <?php echo$questionNo?><input type="hidden" name="numQuestion" value="<?php echo$questionNo?>" />
    </td>
    <?php
    }  
    ?>
<td class="answertd"><?php echo implode(',', $incorrect_ans[$key]);?></td>
</tr>
<?php
$prev_ques = $questionNo;
}
?>
</tbody>
</table>

Answer 1

here is exactly what you want your output to be like

<?php
$incorrect_ans = array(
                   array('A','C','D'),
                   array('B','C','D'),
                   array('A','B','D'),
                   array('A','B','C'));

$searchQuestionNo = array(
                   1,
                   2,
                   2,
                   3);

$ques_ans = array();    //to store incorrect answers against ques no.

$q_occ_count = array_count_values($searchQuestionNo);
foreach($searchQuestionNo as $key => $questionNo)
{
    if ( ! array_key_exists($questionNo, $ques_ans))
    {
        if($q_occ_count[$questionNo] === 1) //if a ques has only one correct ans
        {
            $ques_ans[$questionNo] = $incorrect_ans[$key];  //store the array of incorrect ans against the ques no as key 
        }
        else //if a ques has more than 1 correct ans
        {
            //find the intersection of incorrect_ans arrays for this ques
            $q_keys = array_keys($searchQuestionNo, $questionNo);
            $q_incorrect_ans = $incorrect_ans[$q_keys[0]];
            foreach($q_keys as $q_key) {
                $q_incorrect_ans = array_intersect($q_incorrect_ans, $incorrect_ans[$q_key]);
            }       
            $ques_ans[$questionNo] = $q_incorrect_ans;  //store the array of incorrect ans against the ques no as key
        }
    }
}
var_dump($ques_ans);
?>
<table border='1' id='penaltytbl'>
<thead>
<tr>
<th class='questionth'>Question No.</th>
<th class='answerth'>Incorrect Answer</th></tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<?php

foreach($ques_ans as $questionNo => $inc_ans)
{
    $q_row_span = count($inc_ans);
    ?>
    <tr class="questiontd">
        <td class="questionnumtd q<?php echo $questionNo?>_qnum" rowspan="<?php echo $q_row_span ?>">
                <?php echo $questionNo?><input type="hidden" name="numQuestion" value="<?php echo $questionNo?>" />
        </td>
        <?php

        foreach ($inc_ans as $ans)
        {
        ?>
            <td class="answertd"><?php echo $ans; ?></td>
        </tr>
        <?php
        }
}
?>
</tbody>
</table>

Demo

the code above works even if you are having 3 correct answers

Answer 2

To change your current table structure to your desired table structure you need to modify-
(1) the rowspan in each your <td class="questionnumtd"> and
(2) how you echo your <td class="answertd">'s

The easiest is the <td class="answertd">. Change

    <td class="answertd"><?php echo implode(',', $incorrect_ans[$key]);?></td>
</tr>

to

    <?php
    foreach($incorrect_ans[$key] as $answer){ ?>
            <td class="answertd"><?php echo$answer?></td>
           </tr>
    <?php
    }

The <td class="questionnumtd"> rowspan is a little harder as in your current table structure & code you show that there is 2 rows of $incorrect_ans[$key] for question 2. Using the foreach loop below, it sets a question rowspan $q_row_span[$i] based off all the $incorrect_ans[$key]

$q_counter = 1;// counter for $row_span
$i = key($row_span);  // gets first question number
foreach ($incorrect_ans as $key => $val){
    if($q_counter == 1){
        $q_row_span[$i] = count($val);}
    else{
        $q_row_span[$i] += count($val);}
    if($q_counter >= $row_span[$i]){
        $q_counter = 1;
        $i++;}
    else{
        $q_counter++; }
}

---

Try -

<table border='1' id='penaltytbl'>
<thead>
<tr>
<th class='questionth'>Question No.</th>
<th class='answerth'>Incorrect Answer</th></tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<?php
$row_span = array_count_values($searchQuestionNo);
    $q_counter = 1;// counter for $row_span
    $i = key($row_span);  // gets first question number
    foreach ($incorrect_ans as $key => $val){
        if($q_counter == 1){
            $q_row_span[$i] = count($val);}
        else{
            $q_row_span[$i] += count($val);}
        if($q_counter >= $row_span[$i]){
            $q_counter = 1;
            $i++;}
        else{
            $q_counter++; }
    }
$prev_ques = '';
foreach($searchQuestionNo as $key=>$questionNo){

?>

<tr class="questiontd">
    <?php
    if($questionNo != $prev_ques){
    ?>
    <td class="questionnumtd q<?php echo$questionNo?>_qnum" rowspan="<?php echo$q_row_span[$questionNo]?>">
    <?php echo$questionNo?><input type="hidden" name="numQuestion" value="<?php echo$questionNo?>" />
    </td>
    <?php
    }  

    foreach($incorrect_ans[$key] as $answer){ ?>
    <td class="answertd"><?php echo$answer?></td>
</tr>
<?php
    }
$prev_ques = $questionNo;
}
?>
</tbody>
</table>

See this phpfiddle that shows your original structure, and the new structure with the code above. http://phpfiddle.org/main/code/z8e-74b