PHP and MySQL WHERE statement

[Cowfisher]

I can write simple MySQL stuff in PHP but I'm having problems putting
in WHERE clauses. Everytime I do I get errors like this:

Parse error: parse error, unexpected T_ENCAPSED_AND_WHITESPACE,
expecting T_STRING or T_VARIABLE or T_NUM_STRING in c:\program
files\apache group\apache\htdocs\vod\mineral_action.php on line 10

The code that generated this crap is:

$sql = "UPDATE character SET mining = $new_skill WHERE char_name =
$_SESSION['user']";

I do have my session correctly started and all that (I know this
mainly because I don't get error without the WHERE stuff and have
tested out the variable). I think I've tried everything under the sun
to try and get this working. This is in <? ?> as correctly needed
with PHP it's just something with the WHERE statements. I tried the
yahoo chat rooms but to no avail.

Besides looking for help with this problem, can anyone refer me to a
good irc chat room for php problems that has ACTIVE (not filled with
lurkers) people in it?

Thanks for your help!

[Steven]

"Cowfisher" <co*******@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:93**************************@posting.google.c om...

I can write simple MySQL stuff in PHP but I'm having problems putting
in WHERE clauses. Everytime I do I get errors like this:

Parse error: parse error, unexpected T_ENCAPSED_AND_WHITESPACE,
expecting T_STRING or T_VARIABLE or T_NUM_STRING in c:\program
files\apache group\apache\htdocs\vod\mineral_action.php on line 10

The code that generated this crap is:

$sql = "UPDATE character SET mining = $new_skill WHERE char_name =
$_SESSION['user']";

I do have my session correctly started and all that (I know this
mainly because I don't get error without the WHERE stuff and have
tested out the variable). I think I've tried everything under the sun
to try and get this working. This is in <? ?> as correctly needed
with PHP it's just something with the WHERE statements. I tried the
yahoo chat rooms but to no avail.

Besides looking for help with this problem, can anyone refer me to a
good irc chat room for php problems that has ACTIVE (not filled with
lurkers) people in it?

Thanks for your help!

Use double quote:

$_SESSION["user"]

-Steven

[JS Bangs]

Steven sikyal:

"Cowfisher" <co*******@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:93**************************@posting.google.c om...

I can write simple MySQL stuff in PHP but I'm having problems putting
in WHERE clauses. Everytime I do I get errors like this:

Parse error: parse error, unexpected T_ENCAPSED_AND_WHITESPACE,
expecting T_STRING or T_VARIABLE or T_NUM_STRING in c:\program
files\apache group\apache\htdocs\vod\mineral_action.php on line 10

The code that generated this crap is:

$sql = "UPDATE character SET mining = $new_skill WHERE char_name =
$_SESSION['user']";
[snip]

Use double quote:

$_SESSION["user"]

Don't do that. This will close your quote one one side of "user" and
reopen it one the other. It might compile (thought I doubt it), and it
might work because PHP assumes that barewords are single-quoted strings if
it can't figure out otherwise. It's still a very bad thing, though.

What you want is to use no quotes at all:

$sql = "UPDATE character SET mining = $new_skill WHERE char_name =
$_SESSION[user]";

This is an exception to the normal parsing of variable names, but that's
how PHP does it inside a double-quoted string. This information is in the
manual somewhere, but I can never find it.
Jesse S. Bangs ja****@u.washington.edu
http://students.washington.edu/jaspax/
http://students.washington.edu/jaspax/blog

Jesus asked them, "Who do you say that I am?"

And they answered, "You are the eschatological manifestation of the ground
of our being, the kerygma in which we find the ultimate meaning of our
interpersonal relationship."

And Jesus said, "What?"

[Steven]

"JS Bangs" <ja****@u.washington.edu> wrote in message
news:Pi*******************************@dante18.u.w ashington.edu...

Steven sikyal:

"Cowfisher" <co*******@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:93**************************@posting.google.c om...

I can write simple MySQL stuff in PHP but I'm having problems putting
in WHERE clauses. Everytime I do I get errors like this:

Parse error: parse error, unexpected T_ENCAPSED_AND_WHITESPACE,
expecting T_STRING or T_VARIABLE or T_NUM_STRING in c:\program
files\apache group\apache\htdocs\vod\mineral_action.php on line 10

The code that generated this crap is:

$sql = "UPDATE character SET mining = $new_skill WHERE char_name =
$_SESSION['user']";
[snip]

Use double quote:

$_SESSION["user"]

Don't do that. This will close your quote one one side of "user" and
reopen it one the other. It might compile (thought I doubt it), and it
might work because PHP assumes that barewords are single-quoted strings if
it can't figure out otherwise. It's still a very bad thing, though.

What you want is to use no quotes at all:

$sql = "UPDATE character SET mining = $new_skill WHERE char_name =
$_SESSION[user]";

This is an exception to the normal parsing of variable names, but that's
how PHP does it inside a double-quoted string. This information is in the
manual somewhere, but I can never find it.
Jesse S. Bangs ja****@u.washington.edu
http://students.washington.edu/jaspax/
http://students.washington.edu/jaspax/blog

Jesus asked them, "Who do you say that I am?"

And they answered, "You are the eschatological manifestation of the ground
of our being, the kerygma in which we find the ultimate meaning of our
interpersonal relationship."

And Jesus said, "What?"

Actually, I did this :

previous statement". $_SESSION["user"]."after statment...

It works, and I just tried it without the quote at all and it is also
working :)

Thanks for point that out.

-Steven