Populate a PHP Dropdown List from MySQL Database -

i'm trying populate dropdown list in web page mysql database table has 1 column (pathology_id). know there test data in there best can populate box field name, not row values. code have far below, can suggest how more column name? in advance.

<?php $con = mysql_connect("localhost","dname","dbpass");     if(!$con)     {         die('could not connect: ' . mysql_error());     }      $fields = mysql_list_fields("dbname","pathology",$con);     $columns = mysql_num_fields($fields);     echo "<form action = newcase.php method = post><select name = field>";     for($i = 0; $i < $columns ; $i++)     {         echo "<option value = $i>";         echo mysql_field_name($columns , $i);     }      echo "</select></form>";      if(!mysql_query($sql,$con))     {         die('error: ' . mysql_error());     }     else     {         echo "1 record added";     }      mysql_close($con) ?> 

try this:

<?php // supplied user, example $firstname = 'fred'; $lastname  = 'fox';  // formulate query // best way perform sql query // more examples, see mysql_real_escape_string() $query = sprintf("select firstname, lastname, address, age friends firstname='%s' , lastname='%s'",     mysql_real_escape_string($firstname),     mysql_real_escape_string($lastname));  // perform query $result = mysql_query($query);  // check result // shows actual query sent mysql, , error. useful debugging. if (!$result) {     $message  = 'invalid query: ' . mysql_error() . "\n";     $message .= 'whole query: ' . $query;     die($message); }  // use result // attempting print $result won't allow access information in resource // 1 of mysql result functions must used // see mysql_result(), mysql_fetch_array(), mysql_fetch_row(), etc. while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {     echo $row['firstname'];     echo $row['lastname'];     echo $row['address'];     echo $row['age']; }  // free resources associated result set // done automatically @ end of script mysql_free_result($result); ?> 

from php: mysql_query().

mysql_list_fields returns information given table, not data contained.