Parse order question

Question

I have a fairly complicated sequence of queries that I need run in order as later queries rely on results from a previous query and I'm using PHP to help refine and save data. I need to pass in a PHP value into two of my EE queries but I can't get a result and I'm presuming it's a parse order issue. Can anyone advise me on how to fix this? I need to make the "category" parameter in the 2nd EE query dynamic, its currently hardcoded as 51.

    {!-- get category for approved skill --}
{exp:channel:entries 
    channel="skills" 
    status="open"
    entry_id="{segment_2}" 
    limit="1"
    dynamic="no"
    disable="member_data|pagination"
}
    {categories}
        <?php $cats[] = "{category_id}"; ?>
    {/categories}

    <?php $cat = end($cats);?>

{/exp:channel:entries}



{!-- get total number of skills belonging to category --}
{exp:channel:entries 
    channel="skills" 
    status="open"
    category="51"
    dynamic="no"
    disable="member_data|pagination"
}

    <?php $skill_count = "{total_results}";?>

{/exp:channel:entries}

Answer 1

Well... You can't do that in a easy way, because the first exp:channel:entries need a PHP parsing on output, but the second one need it on input.

You can, of course use an embed.

[...]
    {embed="all/categories" ids="{categories}{category_id}|{/categories}"}
[...]

But is simpler to use the related_categories_mode on the second exp:channel:entries.

{!-- get total number of skills belonging to category --}
{exp:channel:entries 
    channel="skills" 
    status="open"
    related_categories_mode="yes"
    limit="100"
}
    {total_results}    
{/exp:channel:entries}