sub find_connections {

    my ($this, $degree, $is_course) = @_;
    my ($type, $type_id);

    if ($is_course) {
        $sql = "SELECT * FROM course WHERE course_id = '$this'";
        $type = "course";
        $type_id = 0;
    }
    else {
        $already_expanded[@already_expanded] = $this;
        $sql = "SELECT * FROM friend WHERE user1 = '$this' LIMIT 0, 200";
        $type = "friend";
        $type_id = 1;
    }

    my $return = $db->query($sql);

    while (my %row = $return->fetchhash()) {

    my $new_id;
    if (!$is_course) {
        # get the new id from the friend pair
        #if ($row{user1} eq $this) {
        #  $new_id = $row{user2};
        #} else {
        #  $new_id = $row{user1};
        #}
        $new_id = $row{user2};
    }
    else {
        $new_id = $row{id};
    }

    next unless ($degree > $num_degrees or $cs{$new_id} or can_see($user, $new_id, $type));

    # see if the id is already a node; if not, add it
    my $node_exists = 0;
    for (my $i = 0; $i < @node and !$node_exists; $i++) {

        check_connection_row("#...pass vars by reference...");

    }

}

sub check_connection_row {

    $node_exists = 1 if ($node[$i]{id} eq $new_id and $node[$i]{type} eq 1);

    if (!$node_exists and $degree <= $num_degrees) {
        my $next_node = @node;
        $node[$next_node]{id} = $new_id;
        $node[$next_node]{type} = 1;
    }

    # see if there's an edge between the two already; if not, add it
    if ($node_exists or $degree <= $num_degrees) {

        my $edge_exists = 0;
        my $this_index = find_node ($this, $type_id);
        my $new_index = find_node ($new_id, 1);

        for (my $i = 0; $i < @edge and !$edge_exists; $i++) {

            my $cond1 = $edge[$i][0] eq $this_index and $edge[$i][1] eq $new_index; # would use meaninful condition name if I knew the subject
            my $cond2 = $edge[$i][0] eq $new_index and $edge[$i][1] eq $this_index; # would use meaninful condition name if I knew the subject

            $edge_exists = 1 if ($cond1 or $cond2);

        }

        unless ($edge_exists) {
            my $next_edge = @edge;
            $edge[$next_edge][0] = $this_index;
            $edge[$next_edge][1] = $new_index;
        }

    }

    return unless ($degree < $num_degrees + 1);

    # if we want to consider friends farther out, do so now
    my $expansion_exists = 0;

    for (my $i = 0; $i < @already_expanded and !$expansion_exists; $i++) {
        $expansion_exists = 1 if ($already_expanded[$i] eq $new_id);
    }

    find_connections ($new_id, $degree + 1, 0) if (!$expansion_exists && !$is_course or can_see ($user, $new_id, "friend"));

}