note 82484 added to function.echo

I'm using a rating script and everything works fine. It uses a function call and then echos the result. The call of the function is thru the use of the echo command; <? echo rating('8'); ?> what I would like to do is use a variable in place of the number '8' the info from the variable changes often and there are over 3,000 values to choose from. I have seen arrays to input variables but the info comes from another database and new info is added weekly so creating and updating an array full of numerical values is out of the question. Is there a way to pass constantly changing information from a variable that already has the data in it at the time it is called into another variable in place of the '8' so that the <? echo rating('8') ?> will give me the result i need? ---- Server IP: 69.147.83.197 Probable Submitter: 71.71.108.205 ---- Manual Page -- http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.echo.php Edit -- https://master.php.net/note/edit/82484 Del: integrated -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/82484/integrated Del: useless -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/82484/useless Del: bad code -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/82484/bad+code Del: spam -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/82484/spam Del: non-english -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/82484/non-english Del: in docs -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/82484/in+docs Del: other reasons-- https://master.php.net/note/delete/82484 Reject -- https://master.php.net/note/reject/82484 Search -- https://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php