Скачать или смотреть How to Extend an Array in PHP While Managing Student Preferences

Discover how to effectively manage and extend an array in PHP, ensuring student preferences are honored while following specific constraints in a school setting.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/63225518/ asked by the user 'hashyx' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/4421892/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/63234375/ provided by the user 'UnpassableWizard' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/5300921/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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How to Extend an Array in PHP While Managing Student Preferences

Managing arrays efficiently is crucial in programming, especially when dealing with complex data like student preferences in academic settings. If you're new to PHP, you might find yourself faced with unique challenges, such as extending arrays to meet specific requirements. In this guide, we will explore a practical example involving students selecting topics for their theses and how to develop a script that honors their preferences while adhering to constraints.

The Problem

In a typical educational institution, students often choose their thesis topics under the guidance of tutors. A specific scenario presents itself when:

Each student has three preferences for tutors, sorted in order of preference.

A tutor can supervise a maximum of three students.

Tutors may specialize in more than one subject.

Given these constraints, our goal is to develop a PHP script that:

Maximizes the number of students who receive their first choice.

Ensures no tutor supervises more than three students.

Provides feedback on whether the chosen tutor is a student's first, second, or third choice.

Initial Setup

Let’s start by defining the initial structure of our data. Here's how we can represent students’ preferences and tutors using PHP arrays:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

The Solution

Step 1: Shuffle Student Preferences

We introduce a function to randomize student selections to avoid bias in assignments.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 2: Assign Students to Tutors

Using a loop, we can iterate through the randomized list of students to assign them to tutors based on their preferences, prioritizing their first choice.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 3: Check Constraints

For each student, we need to check if the tutor can take more students based on:

Current student count per tutor.

Tutor's specialization relative to the subject preference of the student.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 4: Handle Unassigned Students

If students cannot be assigned their preferences, we need to capture these students and assign them to any free spots available under the same conditions.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

This PHP script not only randomizes student selections but also adheres to specific constraints regarding tutor supervision and subject specialization. By following the steps outlined, you can effectively extend your array manipulation skills and manage complex data structures, leading to better performance and organization in your PHP applications.



By implementing the above steps, you should find it easier to solve similar programming challenges in PHP, combining your array manipulation skills with real-world applications.