basic update problem help!

siobhan

Hi,

I am trying to update a database column through php but when I view the page in a browser the update doesn't seem to be running.

If I put the update sql in myphpadmin the update runs fine. What would be the reasons that this would happen?

I've included the code and db structure below:

<?php
$db=mysql_select_db($database_ginzagames, $ginzagames);
if (!$db)
{
echo 'Error: Could not connect to database. Please try again later.';
}
$query="SELECT * from javagames2";
$result = mysql_query($query);
if ($result)
echo ' You have successfully connected to the database.';
else
echo "Error: ".mysql_error();
$updating= "UPDATE javagames2 SET genre='Short' WHERE genre='Shoot'";
if ($updating)
echo ' You have successfully updated the database.';
else
echo "Error: ".mysql_error();
exit;
?>

CREATE TABLE javagames2 (
gameID int(11) NOT NULL auto_increment,
code int(11) NOT NULL default '0',
valid longtext NOT NULL,
name longtext NOT NULL,
genre longtext NOT NULL,
group longtext NOT NULL,
PRIMARY KEY (gameID)
) TYPE=MyISAM AUTO_INCREMENT=499 ;

laserlight

Did you actually connect to the database with say, mysql_connect()?

siobhan

sorry, yes I have this at the very beginning
<?php require_once('connections.php'); ?>
is that what you mean?

bastien

Hi again Siobhan

try this:

$query="SELECT * from javagames2";
$result = mysql_query($query);
if ($result)
		echo ' You have successfully connected to the database.';
}else{
		echo "Error: ".mysql_error();
}//end if

$updating = "UPDATE javagames2 SET genre='Short' WHERE genre='Shoot'";
$result = mysql_query($updating);  //you missed this line
if ($result){
		echo ' You have successfully updated the database.';
}else{
		echo "Error: ".mysql_error();
		exit;
}//end if

siobhan

Thanks! But still no luck. (I added in the missing { in case anyone is going to point that out)

It says it has updated the database but in fact it has done nothing.

Any other ideas?

tomhath

I tried the code bastien posted (with the fixed '{') and it worked the first time.

I suspect laserlight is close to the answer; you probably aren't connecting to the server or database that you think you are. Do you have a couple of test databases on that server? Or another server?

I'd echo out the value of $database_ginzagames and whatever server name you are connecting to. Also try looping through the rows returned by the 'select * ...' and see if they look like what should be in the database you expected to connect to.

siobhan

Okay that's the weird thing. Everything else works, select etc. It's just the update bit that isn't working. So I think it is connecting to the database, well, at least for the select part?

nemonoman

The user (username) that you are using to access the database may not have update privileges.

siobhan

nope, that's not it either. the user has update privileges. any other suggestions? Could it have something to do with IE6?

bastien

is there anything to actually update? If there is no new items to be updated, you won't see any diffs...

try changing the update value to something else to see if it does update or if its doing something else

also for a test, change this

$result = mysql_query($updating);

$result = mysql_query($updating)or die (mysql_error());

to see if there is a problem with the sql statement.

tomhath

You say the select is working.

But (as I said before) are you sure it's connecting to the server and database you think it is? You might be connecting to a different db than you assume; I don't see anything in your code that would tell you if you have connected/selected from the wrong database.