Help with query

Jazzy_Girl

Hello, I know how to select an actual category or field in the database in a table and to pull its row. I just don't know how to access a field based on the name it is.

In the below code of how far I am with this, the urlname is a web site name that will be entered through a form. The name of the table is getdata. In the database will be a web site name such as php builder or whatever. Then in the php builder field I will have data inserted into the php builder row. So-

<?
$conn = mysql_connect('mysql1', 'testthis', 'password');
$db = mysql_select_db("testthis");
$url = mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['urlname']);

$query = "SELECT $url from getdata Limit 1";
$result = mysql_query($query) or die(mysql_error());
I can piece the rest together from here.
?>

I don't know how to say "select the particular field in the table that matches the web name that is inserted into the form." The query doesn't seem to take the variabe $url as is. Thank you very much.
Or

$query = "SELECT ???? from getdata where ???? = '" . $url . "';";

sherry

Hello.

Here is a reference for MySQL: http://dev.mysql.com/doc/.

In left hand column under Documentation, select the MySQL version. Then in the search box, search for 'SELECT' or 'WHERE', 'ORDER BY', etc. Click on the reference manual link. There you'll find not only the formal description. syntax, etc., but also examples from users.

HTH

NogDog

$query = "SELECT field1, field2, field3 FROM getdata WHERE url_field = '" . $url . "'";

field1, field2, field3 - comma-separated list of fields you want to select from the table
url_field - name of the field that you want to compare to the value (could also be in the list of fields, above, if desired)

Jazzy_Girl

Thanks very much sherry, don't get much help from the ladies hardly ever.

I already tried that, thing is I don't know how to use the where with this. Pretty sure I don't need the order by thats just to sort items. Also not sure how to tie in the form field to select the proper database field.

Jazzy_Girl

I guess I missed nogs post. Thanks a lot nog. Problem is this will pull the field itself instead of its row with the data in it? Please let me know.

Also anyone know of another way so I don't have to put hundreds of fields in the php?

NogDog

Jazzy Girl wrote:
I guess I missed nogs post. Thanks a lot nog. Problem is this will pull the field itself instead of its row with the data in it? Please let me know.

Also anyone know of another way so I don't have to put hundreds of fields in the php?

I may well be misunderstanding the question. Probably the surest way to get the best answer is to show us an example of the data table structure, sample content, and what specifically you would want to show up in a query.

Jazzy_Girl

I can't print the schema because it doesn't show the rows I am trying to get. So I copied and pasted this off the database. Top words are the fields in the table listed as web names. Bottom words are the "rows or values" in each field. I am trying to get the "rows or values" of the web names(fields) based on which web name is entered into the form.

webname1 webname2 webname3

ones data twos data threes data

bradgrafelman

Jazzy Girl wrote:
Also anyone know of another way so I don't have to put hundreds of fields in the php?

As NogDog pointed out, you may need to elaborate on your structure/expected outcome here... personally, I can't imagine why you'd have 'hundreds of fields' that you need data from...

Jazzy_Girl

I thought the way he had it that the post from the form had to check against each name listed in his listed field1, field2, etc and I will have hundreds of fields. So maybe I am misunderstanding what he was trying to tell me.

NogDog

Jazzy Girl wrote:
I thought the way he had it that the post from the form had to check against each name listed in his listed field1, field2, etc and I will have hundreds of fields. So maybe I am misunderstanding what he was trying to tell me.

I think there may be a problem with the the data schema concept here. If I'm understanding correctly, it sounds like you're creating a new column for each webname? Instead, you should be creating a new row, with one of the columns being the webname. For simplicity, let's assume we do it with two columns in the table: "webname" and "data". Let's populate it with 3 rows:

webname   data
========  ==================
webname1  (webname1's data)
webname2  (webname2's data)
webname3  (webname3's data)

Then, if we want the data for webname2, whose name is in variable $url:

$query = "SELECT data FROM getdata WHERE webname = '$url'";

Does that make any more sense?

Jazzy_Girl

Ok, I figured out how to set your table. I was making it much too hard. I'll try it this way and see what happens.

Weedpacket

Jazzy Girl wrote:
And I received this error message. Unknown column 'url_field' in 'where clause'

The idea here being to replace "url_field" with whatever the name is of the field in which you are storing the URL. Since no-one else here yet knows what your table looks like NogDog had to make something up.

Incidentally, in case this is the cause of the confusion:

    these are fields
    (also called "columns" and
    probably other things as well)
  ________________/\________________
 /                                  \
 | field1 | field2 | field3 | field4|
-+--------+--------+--------+-------+
 | foo    | bar    | baz    | NULL  | \  These are records
 | wibble | womble | free   | NULL  |  > (also called "rows"...)
 | freddy | froody | freddie| spork | /

Jazzy_Girl

Nogs a genius.

NogDog

Jazzy Girl wrote:
Nogs a genius.

I'm not sure if that's quite true, but I've been in some aspect of this business for enough years to have already made many of the mistakes you can make -- and I've actually learned something from a few of them. 😉

Jazzy_Girl

Oh and modest too what a gem! Naw your a genius, revel in it, soak in it.