Multi columns with category headings strategy?

Hi,

I am trying to create a links list with links categories in a sort vertical display.
For this i have

$columns = 4;
$num_rows = count($links);

//we are going to set a new variables called $rows
$rows = ceil($num_rows / $columns);
//to do this display, we will need to run another loop
//this loop will populate an array with all our values
while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result)) {
    $data[] = $row['stuff'];
}


for($i = 0; $i < $rows; $i++) {

    echo "<tr>\n";
    
    //here will run another loop for the amount of columns
    for($j = 0; $j < $columns; $j++) {
        if(isset($data[$i + ($j * $rows)])) {
            echo "<TD>" . $data[$i + ($j * $rows)] . "</TD>\n";
        }
    }
    echo "</TR>\n";
}

Code (markup):

And this works but now i want to have category headings

In a one column list this works

$category = '';
foreach ($links as $link){
$catName = $link['linkCat'];
$linkName = $link['linkTitle'];
$linkURL = $link['linkHREF'];
	if ($catName != $category) {
	//show heading
	$category = $catName;
	$msg .= "<tr>";
	$msg .= "<td class=\"category\">";
	$msg .= "<strong>".ucfirst($category['name'])."</strong>";
	$msg .= "<br />";
	$msg .= "</td>";
	$msg .= "</tr>";
	}//end heading
$msg .= '<tr><td>';
$msg .= $linkName;
$msg .= '<br />';
}

Code (markup):

But when i try to incorporate this in the vertical display it keeps repeating the category heading??

with this i get the repeated category headings and not just once. I have attached a screenshot.

echo "<TABLE BORDER=\"0\">\n";

//here we changed the condition to $i < $rows
for($i = 0; $i < $rows; $i++) {
//heading
   echo "<TR>\n"; 
    //here will run another loop for the amount of columns
    for($j = 0; $j < $columns; $j++) {
		$category = '';	
			
        if(isset($data[$i + ($j * $rows)])) {
			$catName = $data[$i + ($j * $rows)]['linkCat'];
			if ($catName != $category) {
				//show heading
				$category = $catName;
				//--echo "<tr>";
				echo "<td class=\"category\">";
				echo $category;
				echo "<br />";
				echo "</td>";
				//echo "</tr>";
			} 
            echo "<TD>" . $data[$i + ($j * $rows)]['linkTitle']. "</TD>\n";
        }
		
    }
    echo "</TR>\n";
}
echo "</TABLE>\n";

Code (markup):

Any tips??

 

<?php
	$column = 4;
	
	$data = array (
		0=>array("col1 data1", "col2 data1", "col3 data1", "col4 data1"),
		1=>array("col1 data2", "col2 data2", "col3 data2", "col4 data2"),
		2=>array("col1 data3", "col2 data3", "col3 data3", "col4 data3"),
		3=>array("col1 data4", "col2 data4", "col3 data4", "col4 data4")
	); 
	
	$table = "
		<table border='1'>
			<tr>
				<td>Column 1</td>
				<td>Column 2</td>
				<td>Column 3</td>
				<td>Column 4</td>
			</tr>
	";
	
	for($i=0; $i<$column; $i++)
	{
		$table .= "<tr>
				<td>".$data[$i][0]."</td>
				<td>".$data[$i][1]."</td>
				<td>".$data[$i][2]."</td>
				<td>".$data[$i][3]."</td>
			</tr>";
	}
	$table .= "</table>";
	
	echo $table;
?>

PHP:

 

@blacksheep666, tx but that is not what i am after

this is what i had in mind

  <table border='1'>
    <tr>
                <td><strong>col1 </strong></td>
                <td> data5</td>

                <td><strong>col3</strong> </td>
                <td>data5</td>
            </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>data1</td>
      <td>data6</td>
      <td>data1</td>
      <td>data6</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td>data2</td>
        <td><strong>col2</strong> </td>
        <td> data2</td>

        <td> <strong>col4</strong> </td>
            </tr><tr>
                <td> data3</td>
                <td>data1</td>
                <td>data3</td>
                <td>data1</td>

            </tr><tr>
                <td>data4</td>
                <td> data2</td>
                <td> data4</td>
                <td>data2</td>
            </tr></table>

HTML:

My theory is
//check the linkCat of each link
//if this linkCat is != earlier cat
//print it else no print

Something like this http://www.tugbucket.net/wp-content/uploads/mctagmap-2col.gif

 

<?php
    $column = 4;
   
    $data = array (
        "A"=>array("col1 data1", "col2 data1", "col3 data1", "col4 data1"),
        "B"=>array("col1 data2", "col2 data2", ),
        "C"=>array("col1 data3", "col2 data3", "col3 data3", ),
        "D"=>array("col1 data4", "col2 data4", "col3 data4", "col4 data4","col4 data4","col4 data4")
    );
   
    $table = "<table border='0'>";
	foreach ($data as $key => $val)
	{
		if ($val)
		{
			$table .= "
				<tr>
					<td><b>{$key}</b></td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td><hr /></td>
				</tr>";
			
			foreach ($val as $data_val)
			{
				$table .= "
					<tr>
						<td>{$data_val}</td>
					</tr>
				";				
			}
		}
	}
	
	$table .= "</table>";
	
	echo $table;
?>

PHP:

 

hmm,

couple of things
1/ how to make this multi columns?
2/ how to dynamicly populate the arrays?

 

hmm, ok now i know how to color each link per category(see attach).
But still i want to have the category name once and the appropiate links underneath it and over category list can be on two colums.