Adding COUNTS of multiple columns

[jaredlui]

MySQL server version: 5.0.92

 

Okay, I have learned that you cannot simply list a bunch of columns in a SELECT COUNT statement and expect it to work.

 

i.e. SELECT COUNT(images1,images2,images3) FROM members (which I guess really doesn't makes sense anyway)

 

I would think it's a pretty common thing to add the COUNTS of several columns in a table together and have found a plethora of articles on it, all different and none simple enough to makes sense to me.

 

Is there a common model that simply adds the COUNTS of column1 + column2 + column3?

 

This is what I want:

row | col1 | col2 | col3

1----| --X--| --X-- | --X

2----| ------| --X --| --X

3----| --X--| ------ | --X

----------------------------

----------2--+---2--+--3---= 7

 

If not what is the best practice? I thought about creating a single SELECT COUNT recordset for each column and then using php tp add them all up. However I have 10 columns that need to be added and I think I could do this easier than creating 10 more recordsets. Plus I'm a noob with PHp and MySQL. I've tried using UNION but I soon figured I was doing it wrong.

 

Thanks for your advice.

[Muddy_Funster]

count each column individualy:

SELECT COUNT(col1) as col1_total, COUNT(col2) as col2_total, COUNT(col3) as col3_total

[fenway]

And you can use arithmetic if you really want.

[jaredlui]

I appreciate your help gents.

 

Muddy_Funster that saved me a bunch of coding.

 

Thanks,

Jared