Alternative to global array variable?

[PaulR]

I’m trying to structure my first application in separate files as follows (the logic being that manipulation of an array in memory will be quicker than continually reading from file):

index.php - declares an array, and reads a text file (perhaps 150,000 lines of text ~ 3MB) into that array using a function in the included file functions.php. User clicks a link to continue to list.php

list.php - needs to manipulate the array declared in index.php, includes ‘functions.php’.

show.php - needs to manipulate the array declared in index.php, includes ‘functions.php’.

functions.php - contains functions accessible to all files.

I have no problem accessing the global array in functions php using the ‘global’ keyword but how can I access it in list.php and show.php which aren’t ‘included’ in index?

I guess I’m asking how can list.php and show.php share the same scope as index.php without being ‘included’ (and I suspect the answer is they can’t!) or is there a way to emulate a pointer to this global array?

TIA

Paul

[m11]

Are you saving the array to session?

[PaulR]

No, I haven’t read up on that yet… is that the way to go?

Paul

[PaulR]

Right, I think I understand the essential features of sessions now but if I read the file into an array and save it like so in index.php:

$_SESSION[‘myArray’] = $arrayFromFile

…doesn’t that mean that when I access this session variable from another program file that it will be read back in from a file on the server? I’m guessing that session variables would have to be stored in a file on the server rather than in memory, which seems to negate any advantage this might offer!

Paul