Topic awaiting preservation: MySQL/PHP - pass variable to a MySQL select statement?

Been playing around with a few things and can't figure out if I'm doing something wrong or if I simply can't do it (this is all very new to me).

I want to specify a variable via the URL.

I want to query the database looking for results where a specified field matches that variable.

Can I do this?

If so, what is the proper syntax?

Any help appreciated. Thanks =)

As in
"select * from table where name = '$name'";

Well, yes.

But it's giving me problems.

I have my query setup the way it's gone through in the GN tutorial -

$query = "select * from brewery_tbl where brewery_country=$country order by brewery_name";

$result = mysql_query($query, $connection);

while ($row = mysql_fetch_row($result))

..yadda yadda.

I get this error on the page -
Warning: mysql_fetch_row(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource

I have the country specified in the URL, and there are results that match (and the table/column names are valid).

If I take out the 'where' clause, and just get all the results, it works fine.

Do I have something seriously wrong? Have I overlooked something silly?

When you are using strings you usually need to surround the passed info with single quotes (the exception is for numbers but it's best just to always use them)
$query = "select * from brewery_tbl where brewery_country= '$country' order by brewery_name";

after the query put:

echo mysql_error() to see the error message.



.:[ Never resist a perfect moment ]:.

[This message has been edited by bitdamaged (edited 08-08-2002).]

Ok, well I had been playing around with and without quotes, and with quotes I get no warning, but get no results either.

I tried echoing $result, and got this - "Resource ID #2".

I have no idea what that means....?

Trying to echo mysql_error() has given no result either

I guess I need to go read some more and try again

Thanks.

{{edit -

ok, I feel like an ass. It seems to be a matter of case-sensitivity. I had *thought* I had read that it would not be case sensitive for this issue, but it is. I also thought I had covered myself by trying it both ways, but didn't realize the URL resolved to a lowercase letter either way. The brewery_country data all starts with a capital letter. The URL was passing lowercase, even if I typed it as Uppercase. So, now I just need to find how to pass an uppercase first letter via the URL or make the search case-insensitive.

}}




[This message has been edited by DL-44 (edited 08-08-2002).]

Well, I don't have time to look at the tutorial right now, but I use mysql_fetch_array more than mysql_fetch_row. It's a little easier to work with IMHO.

Yeah? I've been looking at both of them, but haven't gotten as far as trying out mysql_fetch_array yet.
I seem to have a solution, whether it's the best one I can't say, but it works. Just a simple $country = ucfirst($country); before the query has done the trick.

We'll see how the rest of it goes now.

Thanks again =)

Glad you got it working....

Did you get my email about the new Gurus forums?

Yes. I have a couple mails I have to respond to still - I'll get to yours as soon as I get home tonight. I haven't gone back to the styling work for the forum since the first bout, have to talk to emperor about a couple technical issues and then I'll be a bit more clear on all of it