pulling records from two tables

[kappaluppa]

I have two tables in a mySQL database with same fields (one party enters data in one, another party enters data in the other - they don't want to use each other's tables).

These are tables of articles written by various authors. Currently I am sorting according to author using this code:

$TableName = "news";

$Query = "SELECT *, DATE_FORMAT(date, '%m-%d-%Y') AS date_format FROM $TableName where author_name LIKE '$someone_search' ORDER BY date DESC";

How do i tweak it so that it also pulls the same records (author_name LIKE '$someone_search') from another table named "othernews".

Thanks a lot!!!

[Anon]

You want to use a join.

The simplest form of a join would in your case be:

$Query = "SELECT *, DATE_FORMAT(date, '%m-%d-%Y') AS date_format FROM $TableName as tab_1 othernews as tab_2 where tab_1.author_name LIKE '$someone_search' and tab_2.author_name = tab_1.author_name ORDER BY date DESC";

For more info on joins :

http://ftp.plig.org/pub/mysql/doc/J/O/JOIN.html (UK Mysql mirror)

and http://www.w3schools.com/sql/sql_join.asp for a join overview

HTH
Justin

[Anon]

I don't think a JOIN will do it. As I read it, Kathy wants the UNION of two selects. I don't think mysql supports UNION yet so it'll probably take two separate queries.