best way to check a table for info

[harkly]

What is the best way to go about checking a table to see if any information has been added (for a particular user)

 

my table:

 

music

userID | band | barbershop | classical | country | and about 15 more

 

 

My goal is to verify if any data for a particular user has been added to the table and if so, echo "Music I listen to: Band, etc"

if not then I do not want the "Music I listen to:" to echo at all.

 

I sort of have it working but am looking for the most efficient way to check the table.

 

$sql = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM music WHERE userId = 'test'");
$results = mysql_fetch_array( $sql );


  if ($results == null)
    { 
      echo " Blank \n";  
    }

  else
    {
      echo "  <br><br>Music I listen to:
              <span class='text'>
      \n";

      $sql = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM music WHERE userId = 'kelly'");

      while($r = mysql_fetch_array($sql)) {

        $string = "";

          if ($r['band']) $string .= "Band, ";
          if ($r['barbershop']) $string .= "Barbershop, ";
          if ($r['classical']) $string .= "Classical, ";
          if ($r['country']) $string .= "Country, ";
          if ($r['dance']) $string .= "Dance, ";
          if ($r['electric']) $string .= "Electroinical, ";
          if ($r['folk']) $string .= "Folk, ";
          if ($r['jazz']) $string .= "Jazz, ";
          if ($r['metal']) $string .= "Metal, ";
          if ($r['opera']) $string .= "Opera/Musicals, ";
          if ($r['orchestra']) $string .= "Orchestra, ";
          if ($r['punk']) $string .= "Punk Rock, ";
          if ($r['ragtime']) $string .= "Ragtime, ";
          if ($r['rap']) $string .= "Rap/Hip Hop, ";
          if ($r['reggae']) $string .= "Reggae/Ska, ";
          if ($r['religious']) $string .= "Religious, ";
          if ($r['rock_pop']) $string .= "Rock/Pop/Alternative, ";
          if ($r['world']) $string .= "World, ";
          if ($r['othr_music']) $string .= $r['othr_music_txt'];

          $string = rtrim($string, ", ");

          echo " $string \n";
        }
    }

 

 

I can get the results I want if I use something like this

  if ($band == null)

but I need to check at least 20 different fields.

[Psycho]

I don't think you can do what you are asking with your current structure. I'm not sure I even understand what the current structure is as it doesn't make sense to me. I would expect users may have multiple favorites under one genre (e.g. country) but non under another genre (e.g. barbershop).

 

You should modify your database structure. I would suggest the following:

 

1) a user table with basic user info, name, age, etc,

2. A genre with genre_id and genre_name. You would have one record for each genre you want to track

3. Finally a user_genre table to link the two above. The table could have fields for user_id, genre_id, artist_name, date_added.

 

You could then grab the most curretly added artist record for a user or know if there are none.

[harkly]

My database is not what I am inquiring about. What you are proposing would not work for my site.

 

I am just wondering if there is a better way to go about checking a table to see if any data has been put into it, the options are NULL or 1. If there is an 1 in any of the fields do this....

 

I am not that familiar with all the php options to use and couldn't find anything in google that was close to what I am looking for, probably becuase I am not using the correct verbage.

 

Any ways this is what I have working.

 

  if ($band == null && $barbershop == null && $classical == null && $country == null && $dance == null && $electric == null && $folk == null && $jazz == null && $metal == null && $opera == null && $orchestra == null && $punk == null && $ragtime == null && $rap == null && $reggae == null && $religious == null && $rock_pop == null && $world == null && $othr_music == null)

 

 

is there not something like a function or an array I can set up that does the same thing.