I'm building a large dictionary of terms, MySQL-backed. Currently there are 3,223 entries in the database. I'm converting this into mobile format for handheld devices (constrained screen real-estate, limited "browser" capabilities, etc.)

Due to the limitations of the screen size, I've been asked to create named anchors that will go from the top of the list of terms, down to the next closest match of letters.

For example:

   <a href="#Ba">Ba</a> 
   <a href="#Be">Be</a>
   <a href="#Bi">Bi</a> 
   <a href="#Bo">Bo</a>
   <a href="#Bu">Bu</a>
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Each term displayed, would lack a <a name=".."> attribute unless its letter changed from the previous term's first two letters.

The first word to begin with "Be" would have an anchor that would put the user there when they selected it from the top of the page. It should look something like this:

   <a id="339" href="?term=Bay">Bay</a><br />
   <a id="340" href="?term=Bay_Tree">Bay Tree</a><br />
   <a id="341" href="?term=Bayonet">Bayonet</a><br />

   <!-- Note that the anchor changes on this first "Be" word -->
   <a id="342" href="?term=Beach" name="Be">Beach</a><br />
[download]

It all works right now, except adding the named anchors at their respective "first instance" of words that begin with $letter . [aeiou];.

How can I detect the change in the words, as I'm outputting them one by one from my results set?

Here's a sample of the words from the live db. I've added indicators below, where anchors would logically be inserted:

__DATA__
   1930:    Nails               <-- #Na here
   1931:    Naked
   1932:    Name     
   1933:    Napkin   
   1934:    Narcotics
   1935:    Narrow
   1936:    Nature
   1937:    Nausea
   1938:    Navel
   1939:    Navy
   1940:    Nazi
   1941:    Nearsighted         <-- #Ne here
   1942:    Neck
   1943:    Necklace
   1944:    Necktie
   1945:    Necromancer
   1946:    Need
   1947:    Needle   
   1948:    Negligee
   1949:    Neighbour
   1950:    Neighbourhood
   1951:    Nephew
   1952:    Neptune
   1953:    Nerd
   1954:    Nervous_Breakdown
   1955:    Nest     
   1956:    Net      
   1957:    Nettles  
   1958:    New   
   1962:    New_Year
   1959:    News  
   1960:    Newspaper
   1961:    Newspaper_Reporter
   1963:    Nickname            <-- #Ni here
   1964:    Niece
   1965:    Night
   1966:    Nightclub
   1967:    Nightgown
   1969:    Nightingale
   1968:    Nightmare
   1970:    Ninepins 
   1971:    Nipples  
   1972:    Nobility            <-- #No here
   1973:    Noise  
   1974:    Noodles
   1975:    Noose  
   1976:    North
   1977:    Northern_Lights  
   1978:    Nose
   1979:    Notary
   1980:    Notebook
   1981:    November
   1982:    Nuclear_Bomb        <-- #Nu here
   1984:    Numbers
   1983:    Numbness 
   1985:    Nuns   
   1986:    Nuptial
   1987:    Nurse
   1988:    Nursing
   1989:    Nuts 
   1990:    Nymph
[download]

Thanks, my fellow monks.