asp/vbscrip to php/mysql - help!!!

hi,
sorry if this is not the right place to post this...

I am trying to convert some ASP/VScript code to PHP/Mysql but I am having some problems. Thanks so much in advance.

--- working ASP code ---
// Basic idea: customer orders 10 items. Code generates: 0zzie0001...ozzie0010. Customer orders 100 more items, code generates: ozzie0011-ozzie0100. untill it reaches ozzie9999. Get the idea? The following code works great in ASP but can't reproduce in PHP.

cID = "ozzie";
vQuantity = request.form("howmany");

sql = "SELECT MAX(accessionNum) AS lastNum FROM Customerorder WHERE customerNumber = '" & cID & "';"
set strRS = Conn.Execute(sql)

'now refer to alias
lastNumRS = strRS(0)

'test for null value
if lastNumRS ="" Then
lastNumRS = 0
end if

'Picks up(or chops off) the last 4 characters and Formats as Int.
lastNum = CInt(Trim(Right(lastNumRS,4)))

'READ THE LAST ENTRY FOR THE ACCESSION NUMBER, SAVE IT TO LastNum

'//Add quantity and lastNum, save it to temp
temp = Cint(lastNum) + cint(vQuantity) '// here is where it gets incremented to the next number.

FOR j = lastNumT TO temp-1
strNewItem = Cstr(j+1) '//this is done so we can concatenate the strings.

IF Len(strNewItem) < 4 THEN
strNewItem = String(4-Len(strNewItem),"0")
strNewItem = cID & strNewItem & j+1
else
strNewItem = cID & strNewITem
END IF
'// Result: ozzie0001 - ozzie9999.

--- end of working ASP code ---

---PHP/MYsql code ------
// same idea.

$user_accession_id = "SELECT MAX(accessionNumber) AS lastEntry FROM customerorder WHERE customerNumber = '".$row['id']."'";
$query = mysql_query($user_accession_id) or die("Invalid query: " . mysql_error());

$num_rows = mysql_num_rows($query);

//echo "$num_rows";
if ($lastEntry == NULL){
$lastEntry = 0;
//echo $lastEntry;
}
$quantity= 10; // debugg. Value coming from user.
$tmpVal = $lastEntry + $quantity; // sum of the two.
for($i = $lastEntry; $i < $tmpVal; $i++ )
{
//$id = $i+1;
if (strLen($tmpVal) < 4)
{
$total_num_char = (4 - strLen($tmpVal));
for ($j = 1; $j <= $total_num_char; $j++)
{
$item = $new_string . "0"; // I think here is the problem!!!!!!
$item = $item . ($i + 1);
}
echo ("$item<p>");
}
else {
$item = $new_string . $item;
}
}
//echo ("$item<br>");

?>
// RESULT: ozzie01; ozzie02; ozzie03 to ozzie010 instead of ozzie0001 - ozzie0100.

//if quantiy is 1000, the results are: ozzie01 - ozzie01000 not ozzie0001 - ozzie1000 which is what I want! Please help.

---PHP/MySql code -----

wah, terrible ugly code, please use code tags

without getting into your logic because your indentation scares me, i don't see why you just don't do a loop 1 to max value requested, and then case the length of the iterator, if it's length = 1 you tack on 000 at the begginning, if it's length = 2 you tack on 00, simple case statement.