MySQL Query JOINS are not retrieving fully

Question

On my website I am trying to program a feature, similar to facebook and twitters timeline, where a user can 'follow' another user, and receive their 'broadcast'. The database tables are: **members** -------- id fullname following **broadcasts** ----------- id mem_id broadcast (the content) broadcast_date "following" in the members table is a varchar text that stores user ID's. So if I'm following users 4 5 and 6 (4,5,6,) would appear in the following column. My problem is, what I'm querying from the database, it's only retrieving the 'broadcasts' from the first user that I am following and no other user else. $sql_broadcasts = mysql_query(" SELECT * FROM members JOIN broadcast ON(broadcast.mem_id = members.following) WHERE members.id=$id ORDER BY broadcast_date DESC LIMIT 10; "); where $id is $_SESSION['id']. I've been staring at this code for a long time, can anyone spot what I'm doing wrong? thanks in advance JavaScript questions and answers, JavaScript questions pdf, JavaScript question bank, JavaScript questions and answers pdf, mcq on JavaScript pdf, JavaScript questions and solutions, JavaScript mcq Test , Interview JavaScript questions, JavaScript Questions for Interview, JavaScript MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions)

Answer 1

Joins do not work that way. Assuming that broadcast.mem_id is a numeric type the database will silently cast members.follower_array; this will make 4 from 4,5,6, so one record matches. You will need a m:n relation for this to work, one table with members (which you already have); and another table with followers, for each follower you insert a record which contains the member id of the member who is being and the member id of the member who is following. That way a member can have 0-n followers. Table member id Table follower member_id member_id_follower Then you can do something like SELECT ... FROM member AS mb JOIN follower AS fl ON fl.member_id = mb.id WHERE mb.id = 123