mysql_fetch_array().... pissing me off!

[DJMiles]

I'm using this code as an index page so far

<?php
/* Glacier Board
By ProwerBot of SkySoft Net
Started June 24, 2008
*/

//Connect to the DB and make the skin//
include("functions/connect.php");
include("functions/themename.php");
include("themes/$skin/header.php");

//Create the thing with your user panel//
echo("<hr />
<div class='menubar'>User CP</div>");
if (isset($_COOKIE['username_gb']))
echo("Welcome back, " .$_COOKIE['username_gb']. ".");
else
echo("Welcome Guest. <a href='?view=sign_in'>Sign in</a> or <a href='?view=register'>Register</a>");
echo("</div>
</td>
<td>
<div class='titlebar'>Main Content</div>
<div class='content'>");

//Get a few other things ready//
$view = $_GET['view'];
if (empty($view)) {
$view = home;
}


//Call the switch function//
switch($view) {




//Index page//
case "home":
$sql = "SELECT * FROM news ORDER BY id DESC";
$result = mysql_query($sql);
while($rows = mysql_fetch_array($result)){ 
 echo (" <div class='box_container'><div class='box'> " . $rows['newstitle'] ." </div><div class='box_content'>" . $rows['newspost'] . "</div> <br>");
}
break;
}

echo("</div>");
mysql_close();
?>

And this part of the code

case "home":
$sql = "SELECT * FROM news ORDER BY id DESC";
$result = mysql_query($sql);
while($rows = mysql_fetch_array($result)){ 
 echo (" <div class='box_container'><div class='box'> " . $rows['newstitle'] ." </div><div class='box_content'>" . $rows['newspost'] . "</div> <br>");
}

ends up with

Warning: mysql_fetch_array(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /home/djmilez/public_html/index.php on line 43

Lol can someone help?

[NogDog]

That tells you that your call to mysql_query() resulted in a MySQL error, and false was returned by it instead of a result resource ID. Therefore you need to find out why it's failing, which means checking to see if $result == false, and if so, logging or outputting some debug data, such as the actual query (the $sql variable) and the last reported error via the mysql_error() function.

$result = mysql_query($sql);
if(!$result)
{
   user_error(mysql_error() . "<br />\n$sql");
   // output some useful error message to the user here.
}
else
{
   // now do the mysql_fetch_array() stuff to output the results
}

[sarahrtan]

maybe because you have 3 <div> start tag and only 2</div> end tag on your echo. hehe just a guess.

[scrupul0us]

ive ALWAYS had issues with include if i used brackets... try this:

include "functions/connect.php";
include "functions/themename.php";
include "themes/$skin/header.php";

Because include() is a special language construct, parentheses are not needed around its argument.

if your DB connect wasnt loading then it makes sense that the $result isnt a valid resource

also, add this to the top of your page:

// REPORT ALL PHP ERRORS
error_reporting(E_ALL);

so u can see errors

[bradgrafelman]

Well as you quoted, it doesn't matter with include whether or not you use parenthesis or not. Plus, if it was a DB connection issue, we would have seen a warning message earlier (e.g. when mysql_query() was called). Since we did not, it's probably safe to assume that the connection was made.

Whether or not the database could be selected, or the query failed for some other reason, we can't say, thus the need to see the MySQL error message.