How to modify the where clause in this to include other things

Question

How do I modify the WHERE clause in this code:
$expected = array(first_name, last_name, level, language, 'city', 'state', 'zip', );
$query_search = 'SELECT * FROM french;
$where = false;
foreach ($expected as $var) {
if (isset($_GET[$var]) && !empty($_GET[$var])) {
if ($where) {
$query_search .= ' AND ';
} else {
$query_search .= ' WHERE ';
$where = true;
$query_search .= $var . ' = '. GetSQLValueString($_GET[$var], 'text');
to include things like searching multiple columns and IF NULL:
SELECT * from MyTable where (MyCol1 = %s or MyCol1 Is Null) AND (MyCol2 = %s or MyCol2 Is Null)
Where on earth does it go?
Thanks
Brian

Answer 1

My goal is to have a search form and results combination that:
1) allows the user to ignore any of the page’s existing search fields that
they don’t need, (to search with empty form fields);
2) to use whichever search form fields they choose to use even if the
Registrant for whom they are searching did not insert that information when
they registered, (they are filled in the search form but empty in the
database table);
3) and to permit some of the seach fields to search multiple columns, for
example the search form field ‘sonsName’ would look for that information in
three different database table colums, (sonsName1, sonsName2 etc.).
You’ve given me code that permits 1) above to work beautifully. You’ve also
sent along code that should let me accomplish the other two, and though I’ve
been able to recreate below what I want the multiple search column to do, I
can get neither the multiple column nor the IS NULL sections to work in the
code you sent most recently.
How do I take something like this:
$colname_rsSearch = "-1";
if (isset($_POST['first_name_now'])) {
  $colname_rsSearch = $_POST['first_name_now'];
$colname2_rsSearch = "-1";
if (isset($_POST['last_name_now'])) {
  $colname2_rsSearch = $_POST['last_name_now'];
$colname3_rsSearch = "-1";
if (isset($_POST['sonsName'])) {
  $colname3_rsSearch = $_POST['sonsName'];
mysql_select_db($database_connStr_Milo_db, $connStr_Milo_db);
$query_rsSearch = sprintf("SELECT milo.first_name_now, milo.last_name_now,
milo.ws_number, milo.ws_number_3, milo.ws_number_4 FROM milo WHERE
milo.first_name_now = %s AND milo.last_name_now = %s AND (milo.sonsName1 =
%s) ||  (milo.sonsName2 = %s) || (milo.sonsName3 = %s)",
GetSQLValueString($colname_rsSearch,
"text"),GetSQLValueString($colname2_rsSearch,
"text"),GetSQLValueString($colname3_rsSearch,
"text"),GetSQLValueString($colname3_rsSearch,
"text"),GetSQLValueString($colname3_rsSearch, "text"));
$rsSearch = mysql_query($query_rsSearch, $connStr_Milo_db) or
die(mysql_error());
$row_rsSearch = mysql_fetch_assoc($rsSearch);
$totalRows_rsSearch = mysql_num_rows($rsSearch);
?> (I’ve excluded the IS NULL part from my example, but need it in the final
version)
…and make it work using your code below (which permits someone to search
with empty form fields, but does not yet enlighten me on what to group (with
parenthesis) to make the code execute the multiple column search and the IS
NULL parts of the search.
mysql_select_db($database_connStr_Milo_db, $connStr_Milo_db);
$expected = array('first_name_now', 'last_name_now', sonsName'
$query_search = 'SELECT milo.first_name_now, milo.last_name_now,
milo.ws_number, milo.ws_number_3, milo.ws_number_4  FROM milo';
$where = false;
foreach ($expected as $var) {
  if (isset($_POST[$var]) && !empty($_POST[$var])) {
    if ($where) {
      $query_search .= ' AND ';
    } else {
      $query_search .= ' WHERE ';
      $where = true;
  $query_search .= '(' . $var . ' = '. GetSQLValueString($_POST[$var],
'text') .
  ' OR ' . $var . ' IS NULL)';
$search = mysql_query($query_search, $connStr_Milo_db) or
die(mysql_error());
$row_search = mysql_fetch_assoc($search);
$totalRows_search = mysql_num_rows($search);
As always, thank you.