Display only a part of a text string for PHP MySql feild

Question

i have a description (tk_job_desc) feild on a jobsearch that i only want to display say the first 5 lines of the description feild the click a read more option the take the user to a new page the read the full job outline
<?php
if (!function_exists("GetSQLValueString")) {
function GetSQLValueString($theValue, $theType, $theDefinedValue = "", $theNotDefinedValue = "")
  if (PHP_VERSION < 6) {
    $theValue = get_magic_quotes_gpc() ? stripslashes($theValue) : $theValue;
  $theValue = function_exists("mysql_real_escape_string") ? mysql_real_escape_string($theValue) : mysql_escape_string($theValue);
  switch ($theType) {
    case "text":
      $theValue = ($theValue != "") ? "'" . $theValue . "'" : "NULL";
      break;   
    case "long":
    case "int":
      $theValue = ($theValue != "") ? intval($theValue) : "NULL";
      break;
    case "double":
      $theValue = ($theValue != "") ? doubleval($theValue) : "NULL";
      break;
    case "date":
      $theValue = ($theValue != "") ? "'" . $theValue . "'" : "NULL";
      break;
    case "defined":
      $theValue = ($theValue != "") ? $theDefinedValue : $theNotDefinedValue;
      break;
  return $theValue;
$maxRows_Recordset1 = 5;
$pageNum_Recordset1 = 0;
if (isset($_GET['pageNum_Recordset1'])) {
  $pageNum_Recordset1 = $_GET['pageNum_Recordset1'];
$startRow_Recordset1 = $pageNum_Recordset1 * $maxRows_Recordset1;
$var_tk_job_title_Recordset1 = "%";
if (isset($_GET["tk_job_title"])) {
  $var_tk_job_title_Recordset1 = $_GET["tk_job_title"];
$var_tk_job_location_Recordset1 = "%";
if (isset($_GET["tk_job_location"])) {
  $var_tk_job_location_Recordset1 = $_GET["tk_job_location"];
$var_tk_job_salary_Recordset1 = "%";
if (isset($_GET["tk_job_salary"])) {
  $var_tk_job_salary_Recordset1 = $_GET["tk_job_salary"];
mysql_select_db($database_hostprop, $hostprop);
$query_Recordset1 = sprintf("SELECT tk_job_title, tk_job_location, tk_job_salary, tk_job_desc FROM think_jobsearch WHERE tk_job_title LIKE %s OR tk_job_location LIKE %s OR tk_job_salary LIKE %s", GetSQLValueString($var_tk_job_title_Recordset1, "text"),GetSQLValueString($var_tk_job_location_Recordset1, "text"),GetSQLValueString($var_tk_job_salary_Recordset1, "text"));
$query_limit_Recordset1 = sprintf("%s LIMIT %d, %d", $query_Recordset1, $startRow_Recordset1, $maxRows_Recordset1);
$Recordset1 = mysql_query($query_limit_Recordset1, $hostprop) or die(mysql_error());
$row_Recordset1 = mysql_fetch_assoc($Recordset1);
if (isset($_GET['totalRows_Recordset1'])) {
  $totalRows_Recordset1 = $_GET['totalRows_Recordset1'];
} else {
  $all_Recordset1 = mysql_query($query_Recordset1);
  $totalRows_Recordset1 = mysql_num_rows($all_Recordset1);
$totalPages_Recordset1 = ceil($totalRows_Recordset1/$maxRows_Recordset1)-1;
?>
the html is
<table width="655" border="0" cellspacing="5" cellpadding="0">
            <tr>
              <td colspan="2" class="Titlegreen"><?php echo $row_Recordset1['tk_job_title']; ?></td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td colspan="2" class="textblack"><?php echo $row_Recordset1['tk_job_desc']; ?></td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td width="250"> </td>
              <td width="405"><div align="right"><span class="pos_salary"><?php echo $row_Recordset1['tk_job_salary']; ?></span><span class="pos_location">/<?php echo $row_Recordset1['tk_job_location']; ?></span></div></td>
            </tr>
          </table>
thanks

Answer 1

ok thanks., i have found a few things on the internet
i followed the tutorial http://www.phpbuilder.com/board/showthread.php?t=10332476
"SELECT LEFT tk_job_title, tk_job_location, tk_job_salary, ('tk_job_desc',150)............... but it has returned and error
You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'tk_job_title, tk_job_location, tk_job_salary, ('tk_job_desc',100) FROM think_job' at line 1
the other part of the article shows
<?php
mysql_connect("localhost", "user", "pass");
mysql_select_db("my_db");
$result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM news ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 0, 1");
while ($rows = mysql_fetch_array($result))
echo substr($rows['text'],0,100);
?>
looking at my code i need to add the tk_job_desc to the statement
$query_Recordset1 = sprintf("SELECT tk_job_title, tk_job_location, tk_job_salary, tk_job_desc FROM think_jobsearch WHERE tk_job_title LIKE %s OR tk_job_location LIKE %s OR tk_job_salary LIKE %s", GetSQLValueString($var_tk_job_title_Recordset1, "text"),GetSQLValueString($var_tk_job_location_Recordset1, "text"),GetSQLValueString($var_tk_job_salary_Recordset1, "text"));
$query_limit_Recordset1 = sprintf("%s LIMIT %d, %d", $query_Recordset1, $startRow_Recordset1, $maxRows_Recordset1);
$Recordset1 = mysql_query($query_limit_Recordset1, $hostprop) or die(mysql_error());
$row_Recordset1 = mysql_fetch_assoc($Recordset1);
would i need to put that statement in there?