Get last row with content in spesific column. And insert data into "holes"

[Oxymen]

Hi. I am making a mysql table where there is always a posibility that a cell is empty. i will try to illustrate:

[table]
[tr]
[td]Firstname[/td][td]Lastname[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Bob[/td][td]Larsen[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Lyle[/td][td][/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Brian[/td][td]Holmes[/td]
[/tr][/table]

I want my form to insert the next lastname that is submitted into row two as this is empty.
The first and last names have no relationship as this is only a database of names, and I dont
want to make one table for firstnames and one table for second names. but still I dont want
to have holes in the table.
I also need a way to get the last row of first and second name individualy, not just the last row
in the table, to hinder that empty rows are outputted later.

Thanks a lot!!!

[AndyB]

[quote]... but still I dont want to have holes in the table.[/quote]

Why not? Who cares?  It's easier to code around datafields containing nothing than try looking to fill gaps in a database (which is one step away from trashing a perfectly good database)

[Barand]

Wouldn't it then be better then to have table defined as

[pre]names
--------
id int not null auto_increment primary key,
nametype char,                                  // F or L (first or last name)
name varchar(20)[/pre]

You then have no holes and get the last lastname added with
[code]SELECT name FROM names
WHERE nametype = 'L'
ORDER BY id DESC
LIMIT 1[/code]

[Oxymen]

Thanks Barand, I didnt think of that sollution, that will work.