SQL Insert and Alter/Modify question

[alexaugot]

Hi,

I'm writing a small database browser app that allows the user to walk through a database, browse the fields, and perform some basic SQL statements on the fields. Basicly, a lite version of phpMyAdmin.

Anyway, my question reloves around some basic SQL, which I don't have a firm grasp of just yet. Basicly (and I don't know if this is a good idea or not) the script gets 7 variables -

$field_assoc['name']
$field_assoc['value']
$field_assoc['type']
$field_assoc['properties']
$field_assoc['is_null']
$field_assoc['primary_name']
$field_assoc['primary_value']

1-5 are the variables the user selected via the form on the previous page, and 'primary_name' is the unalterted name of the primary field, and 'primary_value' is the unaltered value of the primary_field. So basicly, what I need is the SQL code that sort of mirros this psuedocode -

ALTER COLUMN someColumn SET someThing = $field_assoc['value'] WHERE $field_assoc['primary_name'] = $field_assoc['primary_value'];

If anyone is an SQL wiz, the help would be appriciated.

Thanks,
-Alex

[[deleted]]

A suggestion: start reading some SQL docs. The MySQL manual is full of syntax descriptions, read about the UPDATE syntax.

[alexaugot]

I have the O'Reilly MySQL/MSQL book right in front of me, but it's really not that helpful. It's much more of a syntatic manual, than a learning guide.

I'll take a look at the update function, though.

Thanks,
-Alex