mysql_fetch_array question

[bobr3940]

I have a database that has information on magazines in a library.
I want to be able to find the first year that we have an issue of the magazine in the database so I wrote the following function:

    public function minimum_year($magazine){
        $qstring = 'SELECT min(`year`) from `issue` where `magazineid` = '.$magazine;  

        $result = magdexDB::getInstance()->dbquery($qstring);
        while ($row = mysql_fetch_array( $result )){
            echo 'Year: '.$row['year'];
        }
    }

This gives me a result of: Year:

if I change the one line to read: echo 'year:'.$row[0];
then I get: Year: 2004

This is the result I expect. Why can't I use the field name in the $row array?

Is there a function that I could use to show me the field names that are stored in the array?

I have a feeling that this has something to do with the MySQL function min() that I used in the query.

Thanks

[dagon]

you can use the field name, but the filed name in your case is min(year) not year

print_r($row); will show you what is returned.

if you want year, you can just create the alias in the query

SELECT min(year) as year ...

[Pikachu2000]

EDIT: I should have read the query more carefully, as the problem isn't related to this, but it may still be useful.

Although I don't see in the MySQL manual what the default is if the result_type isn't declared,
mysql_fetch_array( $result, MYSQL_NUM ) returns an array with numeric indices
mysql_fetch_array( $result, MYSQL_ASSOC ) returns just an associative array
mysql_fetch_array( $result, MYSQL_BOTH ) returns both associative and numbered indices
mysql_fetch_assoc( $result ) returns just an associative array

[bradgrafelman]

Pikachu2000;10945997 wrote:

Although I don't see in the MySQL manual what the default is if the result_type isn't declared

It's defined in the function prototype:

int $result_type = MYSQL_BOTH

as well as in the "Return Values" section.