Whats wrong with this SQL? love newbie

[Anon]

i am building a simple FAQs database, 2 tables, categories and questions/answers, i have cats on the left and q and a's on the right, but am getting SQL syntax error on second statement
TIA
dom

<?
include('connect.php');
error_reporting(E_ALL ^ E_NOTICE);

$category = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM faqcategories ORDER BY faqcategoryTypeName");
if (!$category) { echo("<P>Error performing query: " . mysql_error() . "</P>"); exit();}

IF ( $faqcategoryTypeName == "" ) {
$faqcategoryTypeName == "general"
;}
ELSE {
}
$faqs = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM faqanswers, faqcategories WHERE faqanswers.faqcategoryID = faqcategories.faqcategoryID AND faqcategories.faqcategoryTypeName=$faqcategoryTypeName");

if (!$faqs) { echo("<P>Error performing query: " . mysql_error() . "</P>"); exit();}

?>
<table width=100%>
<tr>
<td>
<?
while ( $row = mysql_fetch_array($category) ) {
$type = $row["faqcategoryTypeName"];
echo "<a href=faq.php?faqcategoryTypeName=$type> $type</a><br>";
}
?>
</td>
<?
$row = mysql_fetch_array($faqs);

$question = $row["faqquestion"];
$answer = $row["faqanswer"];

echo "<td>$question : $answer</td>";
?>

[[deleted]]

It would help if you also posted the error and the query that caused it. I mean the real query, not just the code that makes the query.

[Anon]

Thanks Vincent
Error performing query: You have an error in your SQL syntax near '' at line 1

I'm not sure what you mean, this happens on the page load, ie no query set bu user and i have tried to default it to show 'general' category

TIA
dominic

[[deleted]]

I mean: what doe this:

SELECT * FROM faqanswers, faqcategories WHERE faqanswers.faqcategoryID = faqcategories.faqcategoryID AND faqcategories.faqcategoryTypeName=$faqcategoryTypeName

produce?

The fact that it complains about "near ''" probably means that $faqcategoryTypeName is empty.

[Anon]

Thanks vincent

it would be empty when first viewed but i thought i would solve that by checking if it was and if so setting the variable to general?

tia dom

[[deleted]]

After a closer inspection of your script I noticed this:

$faqcategoryTypeName == "general"

this should be with just one '=' sign.

the double '=' are only used in comparison, and the single '=' sign is for assigning values.

[Anon]

Vincent
you are great thanks i will go and try now
dom