Question

I have an “Answer” database table below:

Answer Table

AnswerId SessionId QuestionId Answer
13       AAA       1          A
14       AAB2      2          A
15       AAB2      2          B

Now as you can see there is 1 answer for question 1 in Exam (Session) AAA, and these is 2 answers for question 2 in Exam (Session) AAB2.

Below is the “Question” Table:

Question Table:

SessionId  QuestionId QuestionContent NoofAnswers ReplyId QuestionMarks OptionId
AAA        1          What is 2+2?    1           1       5             2
AAC        1          3+3 and 4+4 ?   2           2       10            6

Now I have a search function where the user enters in a term from a question and compiles the search. So for example if the user enters in “+”, then below is what the results should display in the php/html table:

   QuestionContent Option Type  Number of Answers Answer Number of Replies  Number of Marks
   What is 2+2?    A-D          1                 A      Single               5
   3+3 and 4+4?    A-H          2                 AB     Multiple             5

But the problem is that it is displaying an extra answer, it is displaying this below:

   QuestionContent Option Type  Number of Answers Answer Number of Replies  Number of Marks
   What is 2+2?    A-D          1                 A AB     Single               5
   3+3 and 4+4?    A-H          2                 A AB     Multiple             5

Now my problem is that why is it displaying the wrong answers in both rows? The first row should only be “A” and second row should only be “AB”.

Below is the code (Which I have reduced so it is easier for you to read and hopefully see the problem) where it performs the query and outputs the results:

<?php

//connect to db


    // Build the query
    $questionquery = "
SELECT DISTINCT q.QuestionContent, o.OptionType, q.NoofAnswers, GROUP_CONCAT(DISTINCT Answer SEPARATOR '') AS Answer, r.ReplyType, 
       q.QuestionMarks, q.SessionId 
  FROM Answer an 
  INNER JOIN Question q ON q.QuestionId = an.QuestionId and an.SessionId = q.SessionId
  JOIN Reply r ON q.ReplyId = r.ReplyId 
  JOIN Option_Table o ON q.OptionId = o.OptionId 
      WHERE ".implode(" AND ", array_fill(0, $numTerms, "q.QuestionContent LIKE ?"))."
      GROUP BY an.SessionId, an.QuestionId
      ORDER BY ".implode(", ", array_fill(0, $numTerms, "IF(q.QuestionContent LIKE ?, 1, 0) DESC"))."
    ";

    // Make the referenced array
    $referencedArray = make_values_referenced(array_merge(
      array(str_repeat("ss", $numTerms)), // types
      $termArray,                         // where
      $termArray                          // order by
    ));


    // Bind parameters
    if (!call_user_func_array(array($stmt, 'bind_param'), make_values_referenced($referencedArray))) {
      die("Error binding parameters: $stmt->error"); 
    }


    // This will hold the search results
    $searchResults = array();
    $searchOption = array();
    $searchNoofAnswers = array();
    $searchAnswer = array();
    $searchReply = array();
    $searchMarks = array();

    // Fetch the results into an array
    if (!$stmt->num_rows()) {
      $stmt->bind_result($dbQuestionContent,$dbOptionType,$dbNoofAnswers,$dbAnswer,$dbReplyType,$dbQuestionMarks, $dbSessionId); 
      while ($stmt->fetch()) {
        $searchResults[] = $dbQuestionContent;
        $searchOption[] = $dbOptionType;
        $searchNoofAnswers[] = $dbNoofAnswers;
        $searchAnswer[] = $dbAnswer;
        $searchReply[] = $dbReplyType;
        $searchMarks[] = $dbQuestionMarks;
      }
    }

  }


      $questionnum = sizeof($searchResults);

    // If $searchResults is not empty we got results
    if (!empty($searchResults)) {
      echo "<p>Your Search: '$inputValue'</p>";  
      echo"<p>Number of Questions Shown from the Search: <strong>$questionnum</strong></p>";
      echo "<table border='1' id='resulttbl'>
      <tr>
      <th class='questionth'>Question</th>
      <th class='optiontypeth'>Option Type</th>
      <th class='noofanswersth'>Number of <br/> Answers</th>
      <th class='answerth'>Answer</th>
      <th class='noofrepliesth'>Number of <br/> Replies</th>
      <th class='noofmarksth'>Number of <br/> Marks</th>
      </tr>\n";
      $script = '';
      foreach ($searchResults as $key=>$question) {
      $script .= 'var key_' . $key . '="' . str_replace('"','\"', $question) . '";' . PHP_EOL;
        echo '<tr class="questiontd">'.PHP_EOL;
        echo '<td>'.htmlspecialchars($question).'</td>' . PHP_EOL;
        echo '<td class="optiontypetd">'.htmlspecialchars($searchOption[$key]).'</td>' . PHP_EOL;
        echo '<td class="noofanswerstd">'.htmlspecialchars($searchNoofAnswers[$key]).'</td>' . PHP_EOL;
        echo '<td class="answertd">'.htmlspecialchars(implode(' ', $searchAnswer)).'</td>' . PHP_EOL; 
        echo '<td class="noofrepliestd">'.htmlspecialchars($searchReply[$key]).'</td>' . PHP_EOL;
        echo '<td class="noofmarkstd">'.htmlspecialchars($searchMarks[$key]).'</td>' . PHP_EOL;
        echo "<td class='addtd'><button type='button' class='add' onclick=\"parent.addwindow(key_$key,'$searchMarks[$key]','$searchNoofAnswers[$key]','$searchOption[$key]','$searchReply[$key]','$searchAnswer[$key]');\">Add</button></td></tr>";
}
        echo "</table>" . PHP_EOL;
        echo '<script type="text/javascript">' . PHP_EOL;
        echo $script;
        echo '</script>' . PHP_EOL;


}
?>

Answer 1

Have you checked what the query itself returns? Thus you will identify if the problem is with the query or with the manipulation of the result.

When you fetch the results you create a $searchAnswer array where you append the rows. Then in the table you print the whole $searchAnswer array (you implode it). Isn’t this the problem?