Print List of Table with "SELECT DISTINCT"

[equipment]

I am trying to print the list of a table which I requested with "SELECT DISTINCT" as below

 

$db_connect = mysqli_connect(DB_HOST, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, DB_NAME);

$sql_get = "SELECT DISTINCT category FROM con";

$sql_run = mysqli_query($db_connect, $sql_get) or mysqli_error($db_connect);

$sql_assoc = mysqli_fetch_assoc($sql_run);

 

 

What is now needed to print the list of the table data by this conditions?

 

I tried the while loop, but I seem to approach wrong, and get endless loops or errors.

[Maq]

Post the code you tried and the error messages you received. 

[equipment]

I tried different approach, I just could not get it to work, though the SQL statement does work I've checked it with MySQL.

 

For example:

$sql_tags = $sql_assoc['category'];

while($sql_tags) {
echo $sql_tags;
}

 

 

Though it fails and it also causes an endless loop.

[Maq]

You need to put it in the while loop:

while($sql_assoc = mysqli_fetch_assoc($sql_run))
{
   echo $sql_assoc['category'];
}

[equipment]

Thanks a lot, it is a detail I missed, which does happen to me.

 

I am wondering why does the while loop work when the assignment is put into the conditional checking?

 

What happens if it is simply the variable?

 

 

[xyph]

If it is simply the variable, the conditional statement always evaluates to true.

 

while( TRUE ){} will cause an infinite loop.

 

Each time you call mysqli_fetch_assoc, it will return the NEXT row in the result set. When there are no rows left, it returns FALSE.

 

So, each time the while loop checks it's conditionals, mysqli_fetch_assoc will either return the next row, or FALSE. When it returns FALSE, the conditional evaluates as FALSE, and the while stops looping.