Question

My code:

echo "<table width='200px' cellpadding='5' cellspacing='0'><tbody>";

$total = 500;
for ($j = 0; $j < $total;$j++) {
    echo "<tr>";
    echo "<td>" . ($j+1) . "</td>";
    echo "<td>" . get_coupon_code() . "</td>";
    echo "</tr>";
}

function get_coupon_code() {
    $characters = 'ABCDEFGHJKLMNPQRSTUZWXYZ';
    $random_string_length = 8;
    $string = '';
    for ($i = 0; $i < $random_string_length; $i++) {
        $string .= $characters[rand(0, strlen($characters) - 1)];
    }
    return $string;
}

echo "</tbody></table>";

What would be the way to ensure that each code that’s generated is unique?

Answer 1

use static array variable to store your coupon codes and before returning the code ensure that it is not available in the array. Or more simpler, store the codes in an array handled in a session.

function get_coupon_code() {
$arr = $_SESSION['codes'];
    $characters = 'ABCDEFGHJKLMNPQRSTUZWXYZ';
    $random_string_length = 8;
    $string = '';
    for ($i = 0; $i < $random_string_length; $i++) {
        $string .= $characters[rand(0, strlen($characters) - 1)];
    }
if (is_array($arr) && in_array($string, $arr))
{
return get_coupon_code();
}
else{
$_SESSION['codes'][] = $string;
    return $string;
}
}

Edited adding return to inner call of get_coupon_code()