HTML/PHP/CSS How to have alternate colours for table rows/columns

[Seeruk]

Like it says on the box ... how can I programatically get alternate background colours for either the rows or columns to make the table easier to read?

I'm using PHP to query a DB and produce results that could be as wide as 40 fields, and with upto 200 results.

Of course there could be a lot fewer results depending on the query, so I figure there must be a way using either php or the css that can say all odd numbered columns = grey, all even numbered columns = silver .... or something similar?

 

[Zugzwang152]

Originally posted by: Seeruk
Like it says on the box ... how can I programatically get alternate background colours for either the rows or columns to make the table easier to read?

I'm using PHP to query a DB and produce results that could be as wide as 40 fields, and with upto 200 results.

Of course there could be a lot fewer results depending on the query, so I figure there must be a way using either php or the css that can say all odd numbered columns = grey, all even numbered columns = silver .... or something similar?

$result = mysql_query("your query here");

echo "<table>";

$i = true;

while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {

echo "<tr>";

if($i) {

echo "<td bgcolor='#XXXXXX'>";

else {

echo "<td bgcolor='#YYYYYY'>";

}


//echo your data here

echo "</td>";

$i = !$i;

echo "</tr>";

}

echo "</table>";

 

[Seeruk]

Sweet!!! I'm off to try it now

Thanks a lot

 

[Seeruk]

Actually (this is my 1st dabble in PHP world!) I think I am going about producing the table in a different way using appends to a $view_db variable before echoing it at the end. Not sure how to piece your method together with mine

There is probably an easier way...?

 

[Seeruk]

A bump for the weekend

 

[imported_jb]

if you are going to use the append code, and if it's a set number of rows, you might as well add the color html right in there.
using the example Zug gave would be necessary if you didn't know what the # of rows were every time.
so i',m suggesting:

$view_db .= '<td bgcolor='#XXXXXX'>'.$row['ShipName'].'</td>';
$view_db .= '<td bgcolor='#YYYYYYY'>'.$row['ShipWreck'].'</td>';

just because it is only used for exactly 39 rows. if you used a method similar to Zag'z, you'd be manually setting True or False between every append.

 

[Seeruk]

Yeah I know... that's just it really because there will be an unkown number of rows. This is just a select * to test the db and format things in a worse case scenario (i.e. 89 rows and 40 columns are as big as it's gonna get for now).

Once all that is done I will be fancying things up a bit by adding filters and ability to custom query where the number of rows and columns will become unkown.

I suppose an additional question which I will need to address in the future is also a way to display the colum headings programatically too.

is

SELECT ShipName AS "Ship Name"

valid?


And I think I have seen a method of outputting to table but cannot find it... learning via the web can be a real trawl sometimes

 

[dukdukgoos]

Also, it's best practice to use CSS for styling instead of deprecated attibutes like bgcolor...

 

[stndn]

Not really an elegant solution, but it works (unless i made a typo?):
(going to edit the message to attach code -- still haven't figured out a way to attach code in quick reply >( ...)

Btw, are you thinking of alternating the color with each row, each column, or each cell?

Edit:
What dukdukgoos said about using CSS is true.. It's also more recommended, but the logic behind alternating CSS class works the same as attached

 

[Seeruk]

Hmmm interesting stuff - Will give it another stab today if only damn users would stop calling me asking me to actually do real work!!!

And yeah it will all be thrown in a css at the end.

Thanks guys