Delete * From

[Wasabi]

On page 201, Chapter 7

 

SQL errors are normally a matter of syntax,

and they’ll be reported when you try to run

the query on MySQL. For example, I’ve done

this many times (Figure 7.3):

DELETE * FROM tablename

The syntax is just wrong, a confusion

with the SELECT syntax (SELECT * FROM

tablename). The right syntax is

DELETE FROM tablename

 

However, I've seen this syntax used here: W3Schools and SQL Keywords: DELETE,

and other "Googled" examples. However, the error is returned as stated in the publication from phpMyAdmin. As I always defer to this forum, could someone explain this discrepancy?

[Paul Swanson]

DELETE removes a row, so there is no need to use a wildcard. If you want to remove a particular value from a row, you need to use an UPDATE query and set the value to NULL or an empty string.

 

When using DELETE, be sure to include a WHERE clause. Omitting that would delete EVERY row in the table. I also use a 'LIMIT 1' clause as an extra precaution. If you use LIMIT 1 without a WHERE, at least you'll only affect one row, although it probably won't be the one you intended.