Selecting random rows

jredwilli

How do you select more than one row in a mysql table but not consecutive rows, so something like this

("SELECT id, title FROM tablename WHERE id = 2, 4, 14, 25, etc")

I know Im just drawing a blank, and it's something stupid Im not remembering, but thanks.

jib0

This will do the trick:

SELECT id, title FROM tablename WHERE id IN(2, 4, 14, 25, etc.);

bogu

Mysql RAND()

ORDER BY RAND() combined with LIMIT is useful for selecting a random sample from a set of rows

jredwilli

Ya I know how to use that to get random rows, and I saw the sticky post about how to do it better, but I don't see how I can use it to select ... well specific rows, but random ones, not like 1,2,3,4,5 or rand() limit 4,10 or 5-10 rand() or anything like that.

I mean selecting specifically say
2, 4, 7, 15, 18, or something else not in any order or whatever. What I want to do is call certain specific images to show as a featured group of images, and I was wondering if there was a way to select each one, because they are stored in a blob table, and I just wanted to do it this way, if it can be done like that.

rulian

you can select those specific rows and ORDER BY RAND()
or load them in an array and randomize in PHP