mysql link or not in mysql_query

Anon

I normally use this code for my connection to mysql:
$mysql_link = mysql_connect($hostname,$root,$password);

And in my queries I use:
$result = mysql_query($the_query,$mysql_link)

Apparently it works even if I us:
$result = mysql_query($the_query)

The reason I include the link identifier in the result query is because I read that in my first PHP book.
So is there a particular reason why I should or should not include the mysql connection identifier in the result queries?
Does it affect performance or is it only to make clear which mysql connection one uses.

BTW, I seldomly have more than one mysql connection.

Anon

If $mysql_link is not provided, MySQL defaults to the last connection used. Therefore, if you are only using one connection (i.e. not connecting to multiple dbases), you can safely not provide $mysql_link, and have MySQL assume it.
Justin

Anon

Justin - you wrote:
"If $mysql_link is not provided, MySQL defaults to the last connection used"

So for the first mysql_query, I therefore need the extra arg i mysql_query.
I.e. If I have a IF statement or Switch, I may therefore need it in case I haven't made a query before.

Anon

No - if you're only going to be connecting to one database in the script, you don't need the link identifier. You don't even need to create it:

@mysql_connect("host","user","pass") or die("blah");
$result_index = mysql_query("blah";
...

a
d
a
m

Anon

This is somewhat unrelated but it turned up in my search. How do you have the results which are displayed become or take on the properties of as link themselves. Eample would be something like below

table with datatbase info:

Big Company 3000 big street Bigville, CA
Small fry 400 french lane Greasyville, CA
etc.......

I want the user to be able to click on the name of the company to possibly go to that companys website from mine. How do you do that?????? LOL but seriously need to know!

Thanks
flippurr

Anon

Presuming you have the URL in the database, something like:

while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($mysql_result_index)) {
echo "<a href=\"$row[URL]\">$row[Company], $row[Address]</a><br>\n";
}

adam