variation of FireFly's "Online Users" hack

i want to change this hack to make it use images instead of numbers. an easy way to do would be to make one zillion gif files named 1.gif, 2.gif.... 894.gif. however, a much more elegant solution would be to create all the digits individually, then have them replace the actual values. so if i have 89 members online the 2 digits will be replaced by 8.gif and 9.gif.

i'm not sure what is the exact aproach on this. can you spare few minutes of your time and give me a solution?
please, post a code example in this thread.

i attached a picture, so you see actually what i try to achieve.
thanks for taking the time to help me solve this problem.

[Reeve of shinra]

I think it has something to do with png file types. I dont know much about it except that you can have scripts in php place a value over an image.

*shrug* its a start.

[Reeve of shinra]

flash can also be updated dynamically .. so that might be another option for you ...

[TECK]

unfortunatelly, the font is extremly small. in flash, it will be invisible. the only way i see it is by using the little digits i made. it should be a way to call and replace them individually, using if arguments. i honestly dont know how to do it. help is apreciated. thanks.

[Admin]

Here's one way to do that. $number holds the number you want to turn into images:

PHP Code:

$number = 123;
$images = '<img src="' . implode('.gif"><img src="', preg_split('//', (string) $number, -1, PREG_SPLIT_NO_EMPTY)) . '.gif">'; 

(the preg_split() call is taken from PHP's manual)
For that number you'll get this output:

<img src="1.gif"><img src="2.gif"><img src="3.gif">

[TECK]

i'm the happiest guy in the world.. you saved me a ton of work firefly!!!!! thank you so much!!!
i will try it tonight....

[TECK]

so i can use this function with basically every numbers listed in VB, like for example posts/threads right?

[Admin]

Yup.

[TECK]

thanks for the the help, firefly.

[TECK]

ok, now firefly(or any experienced hacker)... i have another prob... when i try to replace the number of threads in forumhome, i get stuck. here's what i did:
i opened functions.php and located the $threadcount. then i got amased with the + in there:

$threadcount[high]+[/high]=$getchildforum[threadcount];

if it wouldnt be that +, i would do this:

PHP Code:

$threadcount=$getchildforum[threadcount];
$threadcountimage='<img src="'.implode('.gif"><img src="',preg_split('//',(string) $threadcount,-1,PREG_SPLIT_NO_EMPTY)).'.gif">'; 

can i do this?

PHP Code:

$threadcount+=$getchildforum[threadcount];
$threadcountimage='<img src="'.implode('.gif"><img src="',preg_split('//',(string) $threadcount+,-1,PREG_SPLIT_NO_EMPTY)).'.gif">'; 

can you explain to me please what the + do?
thanks alot.