class DatabaseConnector {
   const CONNECTION_STRING = 'myconnectionstring';
}

//Referece that connection string constant like so...
DatabaseConnector::CONNECTION_STRING;

So there you go, mystery solved

In case you’re wondering what the :: is called, it’s a Paamayim Nekudotayim, which is Hebrew for the cryptic phrase: double colon!

Cheers,
Byron

$mymd = date('Ymd', $row->date_due);
$tymd = date('Ymd');  //Today

switch (true) {
	case $mymd == $tymd :
		$ind = "today";
		break;
	case $mymd < $tymd :
		$ind = "overdue";
		break;
	case $mymd < ($tymd + (6 - date('w'))) :
		$ind = "restofweek";
		break;
	default :
		$ind = (int) date('Ym',$row['duedate']);
		break;
}

If you’re looking for the lower and upper case string functions…here you go:

strtolower($string);

strtoupper($string);

Why not a strtoproper(), just to keep it consistent? Well, consistency here wouldn’t exactly be consistent for PHP, would it ?

$original = "foo";
$ref = &$original;

echo $ref;   \\Prints  "foo"....Note that you don't continue to use the '&' after the var is initialized

now change $original

$original = "bar";

echo $ref;  \\Now prints:  "bar"

$ref would be unaffected by changes to $original if it had been set using the normal: $ref = $original;

Next to figure out what that @ is doing in PHP code…

[UPDATE] David sheds light on the “@” below…Thanks David!

Cheers,
Byron

My Codeigniter SQL JOIN Problem

Let me start by saying that this was my problem, not Codeigniter’s. If only I’d read the freakin’ manual a little closer. So anyhoo, my problem was that I was trying to join 2 tables with a LEFT OUTER JOIN, but it wasn’t working. My code was looking like:

        $this->db->select('tr_dests.*', 'tr_states.state_name');
        $this->db->where('dest_id',$dest_id);
        $this->db->from('tr_dests');
	$this->db->join('tr_states','tr_dests.state = tr_states.state', 'LEFT OUTER');

        $query = $this->db->get();

This was giving me the left hand table data just fine, but I was getting an empty result for my “state_name” column. It is shameful how long I spent trying to figure out what my problem was. Of course, I was convinced that there was something wrong with Codeigniter Activerecord class. So, I really didn’t try everything.

The Answer:

The problem was in my SELECT statement. I really thought I was ok there, but how wrong I was! Only use one string of fields per line. This is how you would do the SELECT:

        $this->db->select('tr_dests.*, tr_states.state_name');

        or

        $this->db->select('tr_dests.*');
        $this->db->select('tr_states.state_name');

        or as Derek notes below in the comments

        $this->db->select('tr_dests.*, tr_states.state_name', FALSE);

        The FALSE argument is optional. It tells CodeIgniter not to protect the fields or table names with back slashes.  Generally, you won't need to use that.

Maybe that will save someone an hour or two…or three. I feel stupid…lesson learned!