Hello, I have a problem. The browser returns:
"Warning: extract() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /customers/0/9/a/erinaceus.eu/httpd.www/php/filmsite/table3.php on line 42" when I test the program on my server. I did exactly what the book said. What's wrong? Here's my coding:

function get_director()
{
global $movie_director;
global $director;

$query_d="SELECT people_fullname
FROM people
WHERE people_id='$movie_director'";
$results_d=mysql_query($query_d) or die(mysql_error());
$row_d=mysql_fetch_array($results_d);
extract($row_e);
$director=$people_fullname;
}

Greetings,

You get the results from the query in $row_d yet extract $row_e .... see the mistake?

Thank you, but no, I don't see the mistake. In PHP, I'm still flying blind, sort of, just copying the code from the book and inserting other strings here and there. This code is hauled straight out of the book, and it is not in the errata.

Yeah, OK; now I see it! But this does not affect the problem. This is how it is:
function get_director()
{
global $movie_director;
global $director;

$query_d="SELECT people_fullname
FROM people
WHERE people_id='$movie_director'";
$results_d=mysql_query($query_d);
$row_d=mysql_fetch_assoc($results_d);
extract ($row_d);
$director=$people_fullname;
}

This writes the warning message on my screen that I've seen in so many places out there on the web. Someone at Phpbuilder suggested that using globals was old-fashioned and dangerous, so perhaps I am barking up the wrong tree altogether?

After I changed _d to _e, I got "Warning: extract() expects parameter 1 to be array, boolean given in..." instead. So, it is an exaggeration to say that it changed nothing, but it solved nothing, did it?!

Greetings,

Well do you have a connection to the database?

If you do have a connection to the db is the connection resource held in a variable? If it is try making the variable global within the function.

And the globals the person at phpbuilder is on about are different to the globals your using within the function.

Well, there must be a connection, mustn't there, since the names do appear in the table. Here is the link: http://erinaceus.eu/php/filmsite/table3.php

Would you please clarify "the connection resource held in a variable" and "making the variable global within the function".

Greetings,

Nevermind about the resource as it's not needed the error is probably due to not getting a result or the director and lead actor are not set for a film.

Try this:
And lookup variable scope in google which will explain why you may need to make a variable global if you want to alter/set it's value within a function. It'll also be a lot more informative than the explanation on page 68 ;)

Since I got the if(!results_d), it would seem that there is nothing in the db, which is crazy, since I get names in the columns if I don't run those queries, but when I do, the table is replaced by the ereor message after (!results...

Greetings,

The error message you get, if using the above code, will also include the query sent to the db from this you should be able to determine what, if any, information is not where it should be.