Query help please

leeg_23

I am trying to make a home page that will display part of the last 10 entries into the database as links to those records. Here is my code.
$query = ("SELECT defectid, brief, timestamp FROM defect
ORDER BY timestamp DESC
LIMIT 0, 5");
$result = mysql_query($query) or die ("Error in query: $query. " . mysql_error());

if (mysql_num_rows($result) > 0)
{

while($row = mysql_fetch_object($result))
{
?>

<li><a href="story.php?$defectid=<? echo $row->defectid; ?>">
<?echo $row->$brief;?>
</a> 

<? echo formatDate($row->timestamp); ?>


<?
}
}
else
{
?>
No defects currently available
<?
}
?>
For some reason I can't get it to display the link to the full entry, it actually doesn't even display the correct link, it displays $row->brief;?>

Please help, and thank you very much for the assistance.

Lee

[deleted]

?>
<a href="story.php?$defectid=<? echo $row->defectid; ?>">
<?echo $row->$brief;?>
</a>

You've got dollar signs in '?$defectid' and
<?echo $row->$brief;?>

This should work:
<a href="story.php?defectid=<? echo $row->defectid; ?>">
<?echo $row->brief;?>

but
a much better/easier way to do it is:

while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result, MYSQL_ASSOC))
{
echo '<a href="story.php?defectid='.$row['defectid'].'">'.$row['brief'].'</a> ';
echo '';
}

A forum, a FAQ, email notification, what else do you need?

Time to YAPF!: http://www.hvt-automation.nl/yapf/

leeg_23

Thank you very much for that, I was actually coming in to say that I had found my syntax error. One last question if I may. My defectid is my unsigned auto_increment primary key. I have been trying to figure out how to print that out on the screen with a link to it before the brief text.
Could you please help and thanks again.

[deleted]

I don't really understand the question, your original post already printed database data in a link, so what's the difference between taht and this?

A forum, a FAQ, email notification, what else do you need?

Time to YAPF!: http://www.hvt-automation.nl/yapf/

Anon

Yes, it does print a link. My first variable is defectid, which is my unsigned auto_increment field.
What I have to trying to do is print that out with a link. I tried to add the <a href> but with the code I currently am using all that is printing as a link is my brief variable. I have been trying to have the defect number print out then the brief message right after it.

Sorry for the confusion, I'm extremely new to PHP and MYSQL. Just trying to learn, and thank you very much for all your help.

Lee