Question

Retrieving Info. from a MySQL Database using PHP

Asked by: SkiDawg5211

I am in the process of developing an online RPG-type game. I am using a MySQL database hosted by my free website hoster (it's true!). I am able to use PHP to connect to the database withour any errors, but whe I attempt to retrieve the information using something like ...

$result = @mysql_query('SELECT * FROM <table>');
while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result))
{
echo('<p>' . $row['<field>'] . '</p>');
}

... trying to access the information from my table in my database, just to make sure it works. But the thing is that it doesn't. It doesn't give me an error message, it just doesn't display anything.  And when I connect I use a die statement to prompt me if there is a connection error ... but there isn't. I was wondering if there were any like security issues with reading database info or anything? And if there is or isn't, where is my problem? Sincere thanks, Kevin.

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Asked On
2004-01-06 at 15:50:49ID20842911
Topic

MySQL Server

Participating Experts
2
Points
125
Comments
8

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Answers

 

by: snoyes_jwPosted on 2004-01-06 at 16:06:55ID: 10057483

Just to make sure that the query works, do this:
$result = @mysql_query('SELECT blah blah blah') OR die(mysql_error());

Also, try not using () with echo:
echo '<p>' . $row['<field>'];

 

by: SkiDawg5211Posted on 2004-01-06 at 16:49:04ID: 10057778

I'll try that. And yes, I didn't mean to type the () with echo. =P I didn't copy-and-paste from my PHP file. Just a habit from something else I guess.

I used this file named test.php for testing what you said ...

<html>
<head>
<title>DB Testing</title>
</head>
<body>
<?php
$dbcnx = @mysql_connect('localhost', '<username>', '<password>') or die (mysql_error());
@mysql_select_db('<database>') or die (mysql_error());
$result = @mysql_query('SELECT * FROM <table>') OR die(mysql_error());
?>
</body>
</html>

... and it didn't say anything. Which is good. No errors. Phew. And when I add an echo line ...

<html>
<head>
<title>DB Testing</title>
</head>
<body>
<?php
$dbcnx = @mysql_connect('localhost', 'cvcy_crazy736', 'dwi321ibfu') or die (mysql_error());
@mysql_select_db('cvcy_silentpro') or die (mysql_error());
$result = @mysql_query('SELECT * FROM SilentPro') OR die(mysql_error());
echo $result;
?>
</body>
</html>

... it says "Resource id #3" ... ??? One of my fields in my <table> is named "id" ... could that have anything to do with it?

 

by: ZontarPosted on 2004-01-06 at 18:04:12ID: 10058203

1. Don't use the '@' when testing, as this suppresses the PHP error messages!

2. Um, I really REALLY hope you didn't just post your DB name, username and password here... PLEASE tell me you didn't really just do that. Please!

2. Try this:

<?php
$dbcnx = mysql_connect('localhost', '[username]', '[password]') or die (mysql_error());
mysql_select_db('cvcy_silentpro') or die (mysql_error());
$result = mysql_query('SELECT * FROM SilentPro') OR die(mysql_error());
echo "<p>Number of records returned: " . mysql_num_rows($result) . "</p>";
while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result))
{
  echo "<p>" . $row[0]  . "</p>\n";
  echo "<p>" . $row[1]  . "</p>\n";
  echo "<p>" . $row[2]  . "</p>\n";
  /*  etc. */
}
?>

 

by: ZontarPosted on 2004-01-06 at 18:06:03ID: 10058212

>  it says "Resource id #3" ... ??? One of my fields in my <table> is named "id" ... could that have anything to do with it?

No. That identifies the result set just returned by MySQL. so that you, PHP, and MySQL all know you're talking about the same one.

 

by: SkiDawg5211Posted on 2004-01-07 at 16:28:00ID: 10067139

Nope. That's not my database name and login and password. :) It says there's zero records. Does that mean I have nothing in my table? But that can't be, because I use phpMyAdmin as well as a GUI, if you will, and I can clearly see that I have the correct table and I have fields in the table. What could I be doing wrong??? Maybe I'm not fully understanding phpMyAdmin's way of displaying ... I have two FIELDS in my table ... are they different from ROWS?

And Zontar: So what DOES that mean?

 

by: snoyes_jwPosted on 2004-01-07 at 17:04:55ID: 10067363

Fields are generally shown as column labels.  You might have a "User" field and a "Date_Joined" field.  They are part of the database schema, or structure.  They describe what the data means, or organize it into groups of similar data.

The rows are generally individual records, with a value for each field - row1 might have User "Joe Smith", who joined "2004-01-01", while row2 might have User "Bob Jones", who joined "2004-01-03".  They are the actual data.

That "Resource id #3" is, as Zontar said, an identifier for the result set, which you will probably never need to worry about.  It does, however, let us know that the connection worked and that your SQL statement is legal syntax (it would be "FALSE" otherwise).

If the line mysql_num_rows($result) returns "0", then it means that the query did not return any data.  If your query was 'SELECT * FROM SilentPro', then it means that the table SilentPro contains no records.  (You might have said something like SELECT * FROM SilentPro WHERE name = "Fred", in which case the table might contain data, but the query returned nothing because none of the users happened to be named Fred).

 

by: SkiDawg5211Posted on 2004-01-07 at 17:14:18ID: 10067405

I think I understand where I was going wrong with rows and fields ... I know now the difference. In your test php script, Zontar, it does say that I have 1 row, which I should have. And when I add another one, it says I have two, when I drop it, it says one again. But

echo "<p>" . $row[0]  . "</p>\n";

and so on doesn't display anything. I tried to access specific selections in the table, but nothing appears. It still does not display any error messages.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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