Combine 2 repeater rows with same values

• CaliD

• January 17, 2020 at 5:28 pm

I would like to combine 2 rows so that I can merge them alphabetically into a list. The first row takes a select value and a text price and the second row takes a text value and a text price.

I tried using array_merge_recursive but it doesn’t result into a row so it wont print in my if/while row loop. (its not the loop as the loop works with the un-merged arrays.

• Daniel Buth

• January 17, 2020 at 6:33 pm

Without you providing any code samples I can only guess what is really happening on your site, but the following might be applicable:

<?php
$i = 0;
while( ... ) {
	if ( $i == 0 ) {
		// Do an odd row...
		$i++;
	} else {
		// Do an even row...
		$i--;
	}
}
unset( $i );

• CaliD

• January 20, 2020 at 3:23 pm

Thanks, what I mean is to combine two arrays (captured from two different acf repeater rows), so that they combine and can be sorted alphabetically.
Each repeater has these fields
$this_array = repeater fields $arg1 and $arg2
$that_array = repeater fields $arg1 and $arg2
$result = array_merge_recursive($ar1, $ar2);
sort($result);

This sample does note combine them and display them alphabetically:

<?php
$this_array                           = get_field('this_array');
$that_array                           = get_field('that_array');
?>
<ul class="panel">
  <?php    if( have_rows('this_array') ): ?>
      <?php  while ( have_rows('this_array') ) : the_row();
          $arg1                    = get_sub_field('arg1');
          $arg2                      = get_sub_field('arg2');
      ?>
          <li><?php the_sub_field('arg1') ?><span>
              <?php the_sub_field('arg2') ?></span></li>
      <?php endwhile; ?>
      <?php  else : // no rows found
  endif; ?>
  <?php    if( have_rows('that_array') ): ?>
        <?php  while ( have_rows('that_array') ) : the_row();
            $arg1                    = get_sub_field('arg1');
            $arg2                      = get_sub_field('arg2');
          ?>
                  <li><?php the_sub_field('arg1') ?><span>
                      <?php the_sub_field('arg2') ?>
                      </span></li>
        <?php endwhile; ?>
        <?php  else : // no rows found
  endif; ?>
</ul>

• Daniel Buth

• January 21, 2020 at 4:57 pm

The arrays cannot be combined while they are being fetched and printed. Store them in another array instead and then process them all at the same time.
I did not run this code, so watch out for missing punctuation and such:

<?php
$this_array  = get_field( 'this_array' );
$that_array  = get_field( 'that_array' );
$final_array = []; // An array of all rows.

// Add all rows of $this_array to the array of all rows.
if ( have_rows( 'this_array' ) ) :
	while ( have_rows( 'this_array' ) ) : the_row();
		$final_array[] = [
			'arg1' => get_sub_field( 'arg1' ) ,
			'arg2' => get_sub_field( 'arg2' ) ,
		];
	endwhile;
endif;

// Add all rows of $that_array to the array of all rows.
if ( have_rows( 'that_array' ) ) :
	while ( have_rows( 'that_array' ) ) : the_row();
		$final_array[] = [
			'arg1' => get_sub_field( 'arg1' ) ,
			'arg2' => get_sub_field( 'arg2' ) ,
		];
	endwhile;
endif;

// Sort the $final_array here.
// See: https://www.php.net/manual/en/array.sorting.php

// Print each row.
foreach ( $final_array AS $row ) {
	echo '<li>' . $row['arg1'] . '<span>' . $row['arg2'] . '</span></li>';
}

• CaliD

• January 22, 2020 at 1:43 pm

Thank you, I managed to get that but they are still not merging alphabetically.
Here is my code:
`<!– ********************************** PIGEONS AND DOVES –>
<?php if( ($pigeons_and_doves || $other_pigeons_and_doves) ): //<!– THIS WILL NOT HIDE when empty –>

// Add all rows of $this_array to the array of all rows.
if ( have_rows( ‘pigeons_and_doves’ ) ) :
while ( have_rows( ‘pigeons_and_doves’ ) ) : the_row();
$final_array[] = [
‘bird_name’ => get_sub_field( ‘pigeon_and_dove_species’ ) ,
‘price’ => get_sub_field( ‘bird_price’ ) ,
];
endwhile;
endif;

// Add all rows of $that_array to the array of all rows.
if ( have_rows( ‘other_pigeons_and_doves’ ) ) :
while ( have_rows( ‘other_pigeons_and_doves’ ) ) : the_row();
$final_array[] = [
‘bird_name’ => get_sub_field( ‘other_pigeon_and_dove_species’ ) ,
‘price’ => get_sub_field( ‘other_bird_price’ ) ,
];
endwhile;
endif;
sort($final_array);
?>
<div class=”animal-listing-col”>
<table>
<tr>
<th>Pigeons and Doves</th>
<th>PRICE</th>
</tr>
<?php foreach($final_array as $row) {
?>
<tr>
<td><?php echo $row[‘bird_name’]; ?> </td>
<!– CURRENCY –> <td><?php if( get_field(‘currency’) && $row[‘price’] && is_numeric($row[‘bird_price’])): the_field(‘currency’); endif; ?>
<?php echo $row[‘price’]; ?>
</td>
</tr>
<?php } ?>
</table>
</div> <!– end pigeons loop –>
<?php endif; ?>
<!– ********************************** end pigeons and doves –>

• CaliD

• January 22, 2020 at 3:27 pm

They sort in their own original rows but the combined array is not merging.

• Daniel Buth

• January 23, 2020 at 4:44 am

sort() sorts an array by value, but in this case the value is an array with two keys. So, which one should it pick for sorting, “bird_name” or “price”? The code cannot know. You have to tell it.
For this purpose usort() allows you to define a function that is used for sorting:

usort(
	$final_array ,
	function( $a , $b ) { return strcmp( $a['bird_name'] , $b['bird_name'] ); }
);

• CaliD

• January 23, 2020 at 5:15 am

Thanks, but that is still sorting the list into the first and second acf rows.

• Daniel Buth

• January 23, 2020 at 9:32 am

I have no idea what that sentence means.

• CaliD

• January 23, 2020 at 12:41 pm

Sorry, I will try to illustrate below:

pigeons_and_doves is an acf repeater that collects one set of data with two keys
other_pigeons_and_doves is an acf repeater that collects one set of data with two keys
when combining them into the array with this sort method it is listing them as

pigeons_and_doves key values first
A some name in list (pigeons_and_doves)
Z some name in list (pigeons_and_doves)
X some name in list (pigeons_and_doves)

other_pigeons_and_doves key values first
F some name in list (other_pigeons_and_doves)
B some name in list (other_pigeons_and_doves)
D some name in list (other_pigeons_and_doves)

so when they are run out in the loop that you advised with the usort they are displaying like this: (pigeons_and_doves all at top of list and other_pigeons_and_doves all at bottom of the list)

A some name in list (pigeons_and_doves)
X some name in list (pigeons_and_doves)
Z some name in list (pigeons_and_doves)
B some name in list (other_pigeons_and_doves)
D some name in list (other_pigeons_and_doves)
F some name in list (other_pigeons_and_doves)

INSTEAD OF LIKE THIS
A some name in list (pigeons_and_doves)
B some name in list (other_pigeons_and_doves)
D some name in list (other_pigeons_and_doves)
F some name in list (other_pigeons_and_doves)
X some name in list (pigeons_and_doves)
Z some name in list (pigeons_and_doves)

• Daniel Buth

• January 30, 2020 at 9:27 am

Thanks for that explanation.
On my end, this usort() call does exactly what it is supposed to:

<?php
$arr = [
	0 => [ 'bird_name' => 'C' , ] ,
	1 => [ 'bird_name' => 'X' , ] ,
	2 => [ 'bird_name' => 'A' , ] ,
	3 => [ 'bird_name' => 'F' , ] ,
];

usort(
	$arr ,
	function( $a , $b ) { return strcmp( $a['bird_name'] , $b['bird_name'] ); }
);

var_dump( $arr );
/*
Prints:

array(4) {
  [0]=>
  array(1) {
    ["bird_name"]=>
    string(1) "A"
  }
  [1]=>
  array(1) {
    ["bird_name"]=>
    string(1) "C"
  }
  [2]=>
  array(1) {
    ["bird_name"]=>
    string(1) "F"
  }
  [3]=>
  array(1) {
    ["bird_name"]=>
    string(1) "X"
  }
}
*/

Are the names perhaps prefixed with information that does not belong there, for example:

• “B” is in fact “other_pigeons_and_doves B”
• “A” is in fact “pigeons_and_doves A”
• “X” is in fact “pigeons_and_doves X”

and so on? No other possibility comes to my mind.

Please post an example of data that is not sorted correctly.