Sorting two different database queries alphabeticly

[Fallen_angel]

I was wondering if I can alphabeticly sort the search results of two different tables ? or can I just do each table alphabeticly one after the other ?

if it is possible , how would I go about doing it ?

[btherl]

Can you post the table descriptions and tell us how you want to merge them?  It depends very much on how you are combining the data.

[Fallen_angel]

well I have my main database which has two different but very similar tables in it  I would like to be able to list the contents of any search that i do ( where the field exists in both ofcourse ) and have them sorted alphabetcly

for example the first query woudl be


[code]
$id = $_GET['id'];
include "connect.php";

$data=mysql_query(" SELECT * FROM reports where name_id='$id' ")
[/code]

and the seccond woudl be

[code]

$data2=mysql_query(" SELECT * FROM reports2 where name_id='$id' ")[/code]

now I know that if I was jsut doign one or the other I would just add ORDER BY  'fieldname' and for each query I woudl put somethign like

[code]while ($info= mysql_fetch_array($data) ) for the first and while ($info= mysql_fetch_array($data) )[/code]
for the first and

[code] while ($info2= mysql_fetch_array($data2) )[/code] for the seccond

however I am not sure how to do it when combining the two or if i can at all



thanx for any help you can give

[btherl]

If the tables are identical, then you can do this

[code=php:0]SELECT * FROM reports UNION reports2 where name_id = '$id'[/code]


If they're not identical but you only want fields which are common to both, you can also do

[code=php:0]SELECT * FROM (select id, field1, field2 FROM reports) UNION (select id, field1, field2 FROM reports2) where name_id = '$id'[/code]


Then you can order that query.

If you want to merge matching rows between the two tables and sort those merged rows, then that's totally different, that's a join.  If you want that, post again :)  Table definitions would help.