Trying to not have repeating data (MySQL, php)

Question

Firstly I am brand new to PHP and MySQL.

My goal is to display testimonies from students that are in the database. I realize that my code is probably WAYYY overcomplicated, but any help is much obliged. Currently, It is displaying the same result. I think it's because I call for the same thing. Idk I am very confused. Help please!!

<div class="block_main_testimonials">
    <h4>Student Corner</h4>
<?php   
// Connect to the file above here   
require "includes/connect.php";  

$data = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM `testimonials` ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 0,1") 
or die(mysql_error()); 

$info = mysql_fetch_array( $data ) ; 

?>
                        <div class="one_half">
                            <div class="block_testimonials_2">
                                <div class="content">
                                    <div class="text">
                                        <p>“<?php echo $info['quote'] ;?>”</p>

                                        <div class="tail"></div>
                                    </div>

                                    <div class="author">
                                      <p><?php echo $info['name'] ; ?>,<span class="position"> <a href="/<?php echo $info['url']" echo $info['department']; ?</a></span></p></div>
                                </div>
                                <div class="clearboth"></div>
                            </div>
                        </div>

Hi - most of all, your code is unreadable. You don't need all those `Print`statements, just use them when you need to echo PHP variables / use PHP logic. — moonwave99, Jul 26 '13 at 18:22
Check out mysql manuals for `GROUP BY` and `LIMIT` and then make sure that you need them here. — u_mulder, Jul 26 '13 at 18:25
you're using `group by` with no aggregate functions, and are limiting the results to the first row found only, which will always be the SAME id. — Marc B, Jul 26 '13 at 18:28

score 0 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 11:49

I'm not sure what are you trying to do, but you don't want to use the GROUP BY clause.

If you want to select all entries, use:

mysql_query("SELECT * FROM `testimonials`");

If you want to select one random entry, use:

mysql_query("SELECT * FROM `testimonials` ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 1");

and get rid of the while loop:

$info = mysql_fetch_array($data);

If you want to select a certain number of random entries, use:
```
mysql_query("SELECT * FROM `testimonials` ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 2");
```
Where 2 is number of results you want to recive. This will never return one row twice unless you have the exact same row stored twice in the database.

If you want to select all entries in random order, use:

mysql_query("SELECT * FROM `testimonials` ORDER BY RAND()");

But please, if you're starting to learn PHP, don't use the mysql_* functions. Use mysqli or PDO instead.

How would I produce two random results that are not the same? — Nick Jones, Jul 26 '13 at 21:38

Trying to not have repeating data (MySQL, php)

1 Answers1