I'm going to assume that your table is setup to have the rows BookID and AuthorName, adjust accordinging: function makeInsertQuery(array $authors, $bookId) { $sql = "INSERT INTO book_authors (BookID, AuthorName) VALUES ('$bookId', '"; foreach($authors as &$author) { $author = mysql_real_escape_string($author); } if(!ctype_digit($bookId)) { return false; } $sql .= implode("', '$bookid'), ('", $authors); // Eric Foo', '123'), ('John Bar', '123'), ('Ricky Bam', '123'), ('; $sql = substr($sql, 0, -4); return $sql; } On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 8:50 AM, PJ <af.gourmet@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Ashley Sheridan wrote: > > On Mon, 2009-06-15 at 17:38 -0400, PJ wrote: > > > >> Jay Blanchard wrote: > >> > >>> [snip] > >>> In what way would this simplify or ease my pain? > >>> The difficulty, it seems to me, is not in retrieving the rows, but > >>> rather how to pass the row data to the variables. And since the number > >>> of rows is variable, I believe that the only way to assign the > variables > >>> is by use of a loop? I think I'm beating my head against the wall for > >>> nothing... :-( > >>> [/snip] > >>> > >>> You asked for easier. In this way the data is assigned to a usable > >>> variable right out of the gate and that is an array variable. You can > >>> actually use it with either mysql_fetch_array or mysql_fetch_row. > >>> > >>> Here is your query; > >>> > >>> $sql = "SELECT first_name, last_name, book_author.ordinal > >>> FROM author, book_author > >>> WHERE book_author.bookID = $idIN && book_author.authID = > author.id > >>> ORDER BY ordinal"; > >>> > >>> You need not declare another array, but do it this way instead; > >>> > >>> if ($results = mysql_query($sql, $db)) { > >>> while ( $row = mysql_fetch_array($results, MYSQL_ASSOC) ) { > >>> echo $row['first_name']; > >>> echo $row['last_name']; > >>> > >>> > >> Then I have to add some loopy thing to assign the values to the > >> $variables... a real pita since my variable do not lend themselves too > >> well to linear alterations ($varIn, $var2IN, $var3IN... etc... so $i=0 > >> and $i++ arren't going to be too cooperative here... I guess I'd have to > >> change that to $var1IN... and then figure out how to do $var.$i.IN ... I > >> already tried, but don't seem to have it right > >> > >>> ....etcetera..... > >>> } > >>> } > >>> > >>> The lazy part I will agree with :) > >>> > >>> > >> Well, I shouldn't say it, but laziness is a characteristic of > >> "intelligence": why do more than you have to when you can be doing > >> something else. Actually, I am anything but lazy, I spend innumerable > >> hours trying to understand what all this coding is about... searching > >> the web and rummaging (and I do mean "rummaging") in all the lists and > >> posts ... but just going through 20 or 30 listings out of more than > >> 20,000 is already taxing... much easier to ask on the list... if someone > >> can understand my fuzzy questions, they may find the grace and > >> generosity to take pity on the ignoramus... ;-) > >> And I enjoy the ribbing and the humour ... it's a really very nice list! > >> > >> > >> -- > >> Hervé Kempf: "Pour sauver la planète, sortez du capitalisme." > >> ------------------------------------------------------------- > >> Phil Jourdan --- pj@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > >> http://www.ptahhotep.com > >> http://www.chiccantine.com/andypantry.php > >> > >> > >> > > Why do you need them in separate variables? Can't you use them using > > array syntax elsewhere in your code? > Basically, I don't know how else to handle inserting and updating random > number of authors. Each book in the db may have up to 5 authors. I > imagine there is a simpler way to do it; I just don't have the knowledge > or experience or the time to learn another way. I'd be happy to have you > look at the code and hear some feedback. It's probably a miracle that > the site is working... ;-) > Oh, it's www.ptahhotep.com - my daughter's egyptology site; I just > migrated from pure (almost) html to php/mysql/css and am just doing the > finishing touches now - the edit page. > > -- > Hervé Kempf: "Pour sauver la planète, sortez du capitalisme." > ------------------------------------------------------------- > Phil Jourdan --- pj@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > http://www.ptahhotep.com > http://www.chiccantine.com/andypantry.php > > > -- > PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) > To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php > >