Ifractions-web/php

save.php

iFractions is developed to run mainly on the client side. However, it communicates with a database using MySQL to save the player information after each level. The file save.php manages the connection between the game and the database.

How to set up the database connection correctly

In order for iFractions to successfully establish a connection to the database you must:

1. set up a MySQL database.
2. update /php/save.php
3. update /js/globals.js

1) Creating the MySQL database for iFractions

You must have MySQL installed on the server.

Considering the database name to be db_ifractins and the table to be ifractions, you can setup the MySQL database as follows:

CREATE DATABASE db_ifractions;

USE db_ifractions;

CREATE TABLE ifractions (
    line_id int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
    line_hostip varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
    line_playername varchar(256) CHARACTER SET latin1 COLLATE latin1_general_ci NOT NULL,
    line_datetime varchar(20) CHARACTER SET latin1 COLLATE latin1_general_ci NOT NULL,
    line_lang varchar(6) CHARACTER SET latin1 COLLATE latin1_general_ci NOT NULL,
    line_game varchar(10) CHARACTER SET latin1 COLLATE latin1_general_ci NOT NULL,
    line_mode varchar(1) CHARACTER SET latin1 COLLATE latin1_general_ci NOT NULL,
    line_operator varchar(5) CHARACTER SET latin1 COLLATE latin1_general_ci NOT NULL,
    line_level int(5) NOT NULL,
    line_mappos int(5) NOT NULL,
    line_result varchar(6) CHARACTER SET latin1 COLLATE latin1_general_ci NOT NULL,
    line_time varchar(20) CHARACTER SET latin1 COLLATE latin1_general_ci NOT NULL,
    line_details varchar(120) CHARACTER SET latin1 COLLATE latin1_general_ci NOT NULL,
    PRIMARY KEY (line_id)
) ENGINE = InnoDB AUTO_INCREMENT = 1816 DEFAULT CHARSET = latin1;

2) /php/save.php

You have to set values for the following variables in /php/save.php to match the database's:

$servername = "localhost";  // INSERT MYSQL server name
$username = "put_username"; // INSERT MySQL user name
$password = "put_password"; // INSERT MySQL password
$dbname = "db_ifractions";  // INSERT database name (default=db_ifractions) 
$tablename = "ifractions";  // INSERT table name (default=ifractions)

3) /js/globals.js

There is a global function postScore() inside /js/globals.js. When the information is collected on the current game file, it is sent as a parameter to this function. Here is where all the information collecting is completed, the data is sent to /php/save.php and the connection to the database done.

const data = 'line_ip='// INSERT the IP of the machine where the MySQL was set up
    + '&line_name=' + //player's name
    + '&line_lang=' + // selected language for the game
    + // data received from the game as parameter to this function

Where do we use the database in the code?

There is also a function postScore() in every game file:

• /js/gameSquareOne.js
• /js/gameSquareTwo.js
• /js/gameCircleOne.js

After each level is completed, information about the player's progress is sent do the database through the function postScore(). The data collected in the game is structured as a string that is going to be sent to the database (as can be seen below).

const data = '&line_game=' +    // collect game shape
+ '&line_mode=' +   // collect level type
+ '&line_oper=' +   // collect sublevelType
+ '&line_leve=' +   // collect the selected difficulty for the game
+ '&line_posi=' +   // collect the players position on the map
+ '&line_resu=' +   // collect status for players answer (correct or incorrect)
+ '&line_time=' +   // collect time spent finishing the game
+ '&line_deta=' +   // collect extra details specific to current game

The variable data is then sent as a parameter to the global function postScore() in /js/globals.js, that completes the string and sends the information to the database using /php/save.php.