Is there a more efficient way to do this PHP code

Question

This code works and is fine, but I was wondering if there was an easier way to code something like this?

<?php
while($rows=mysql_fetch_array($result)){
$pid=$rows['id'];
$d = $rows['date'];
echo '<style>tr, td {border:0;} #dat{text-align:right;} #co {background-color:#33B533;}        </style>';
echo '<div id="postd">';
echo '<table id="mdata">';
echo '<tr>';
echo '<td>';
echo '<a href="profile.php?name=';
echo $rows['name'];
echo '">' . $rows["name"] . '</a>';
echo '</td>';
echo '<td id="dat">';
echo $result7 = nicetime($d);
echo '</td>';
echo '</tr>';
echo '<tr>';
echo '<td>';
echo $rows['post'];
echo '</td>';
echo '<td id="dat">';
echo '<form method="post" action="delete.php">';
echo '<input type="hidden" value="';
echo $rows['id'] . '" name="id" />';
echo '<input id="sub" type="submit" name="delete" value="Delete" />';
echo '</form>';
echo '<form method="post" action="edit.php">';
echo '<input type="hidden" value="';
echo $rows['id'] . '" name="id" />';
echo '<input id="sub" type="submit" name="edit" value="Edit" />';
echo '</form>';
echo '</td>';
echo '</tr>';
echo '<tr>';
echo '<td>';

$sql9 = "SELECT * FROM `like` WHERE postid='$pid' AND userid='$userid'";
$result9=mysql_query($sql9);

if($result9){
echo '<form method="post" action="like.php">';
echo '<input type="hidden" value="';
echo $rows['id'] . '" name="id" />';
echo '<input type="hidden" value="';
echo $userid . '" name="nid" />';
echo '<input id="sub" type="submit" name="like" value="Like" />';
echo '</form>';
}
echo '</td>';
echo '<td id="dat">';
if ($rows['like'] == 1) {
echo $rows['like'] . " Like";
} else if ($rows['like'] == 0) {
echo "";
} else {
echo $rows['like'] . " Likes";
}
echo '</td>';
echo '</tr>';
echo '</table>';
echo '</div>';

$sql2="SELECT * FROM comments WHERE postid='$pid' ORDER BY date ASC";
$result2=mysql_query($sql2);

while($rows2=mysql_fetch_array($result2)){
$c = $rows2['date'];
echo '<table id="co" border="1px solid black" width="250px" align="center">';
echo '<tr>';
echo '<td>';
echo $rows2['name'];
echo '</td>';
echo '<td id="dat">';
echo $result4 = nicetime($c);
echo '</td>';
echo '</tr>';
echo '<tr>';
echo '<td>';
echo $rows2['comment'];
echo '</td>';
echo '</tr>';
echo '</table>';
}

echo '<form action="addcomment.php" method="post">';
echo '<table id="co" border="1px solid black" width="250px" align="center">';
echo '<tr>';
echo '<td>';
echo '<textarea id="target" type="text" name="com" placeholder="Comment"></textarea>';
echo '</td>';
echo '<td>';
echo '<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Post">';
echo '</td>';
echo '</tr>';
echo '</table>';
echo '<input type="hidden" value="';
echo $rows['id'] . '" name="id" />';
echo '<input type="hidden" name="name" value="Jon" />';
echo '</form>';

echo '<br/>';


} 

?>

Basically I've created a Facebook type system. This spools the posts down in the order they are posted in the database. Check it out at http://bockhorst.comeze.com/Wall/wall.php Its still a work in progress. Also does anyone know a php compressor?

Answer 1

The more efficient way to do this is to use a proper development framework that provides some structure and cohesion to your code. What you have here is a stew of SQL, HTML, and code. It's extremely hard to maintain an application written like this.

Additionally you're using the woefully out of date mysql_query interface. Please, don't. It's terrible. You really should be using an ORM to handle your routine database interfacing, something like Doctrine or Propel. These make it easier to compose the queries correctly and deal with the data instead of being stuck trying to render all your application logic directly in SQL.

If you're dead-set on doing SQL by hand, PDO is the way to go.