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Re: Most efficient way to randomize a quiz from a database [message #170568 is a reply to message #170563]

Mon, 08 November 2010 16:45

Matthew Leonhardt
Messages: 9
Registered: November 2010

Karma:

Junior Member

"Mason Barge" <masonbarge(at)gmail(dot)com> wrote in message
news:s87gd61ldtnkeuuc817uiej2qmv0s4vc88(at)4ax(dot)com...
> I'm creating a quiz using PHP 5.3 and MySQL (mysqli). The database has
> about 1000 questions and answers, in categories, and I want to ask 12
> randomly selected questions, one at a time.
>
> Which would be more efficient:
>
> 1) Make one call to the database and build an array, stored in session
> variables, of 12 randomly chosen rows; or

Most likely this method. You're talking about a fairly small amount of data
though, so I highly doubt you need to be worried about efficiency...

> 2) Make 12 requests to the database?
>
> I'm open to other general approaches if anyone has a suggestion I haven't
> considered.

You could also opt for a hybrid solution...generate a session array
containing 12 primary keys and then with each page load, just pop the next
question, so to speak :)

> I'd like to avoid reloading the page after every answer and I don't see
> how I could use Ajax with #1. The quiz has to be in PHP because I need to
> generate the final score as a PHP variable, not a javascript variable.

I don't see how #1 prevents an AJAX solution. What's your cause for worry
about that? Regarding the language in which the final score is calculated,
look at json_encode() and json_decode() for convenient data-passing between
the two languages.

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[Message index]

		Most efficient way to randomize a quiz from a database By: Mason Barge on Mon, 08 November 2010 16:08
		Re: Most efficient way to randomize a quiz from a database By: Captain Paralytic on Mon, 08 November 2010 16:26
		Re: Most efficient way to randomize a quiz from a database By: Matthew Leonhardt on Mon, 08 November 2010 16:45
		Re: Most efficient way to randomize a quiz from a database By: Mason Barge on Mon, 08 November 2010 18:52
		Re: Most efficient way to randomize a quiz from a database By: Erwin Moller on Tue, 09 November 2010 09:48
		Re: Most efficient way to randomize a quiz from a database By: Matthew Leonhardt on Tue, 09 November 2010 14:55
		Re: Most efficient way to randomize a quiz from a database By: Erwin Moller on Tue, 09 November 2010 16:09
		Re: Most efficient way to randomize a quiz from a database By: Matthew Leonhardt on Tue, 09 November 2010 18:46

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