Question

So my database setup is fairly simple.

I have a forum_cat table (a forum category) and forum_post table.

The forum_post has a field fk_forum_cat_id which ties each forum post to a category.

Each forum_post also has a field fk_parent_forum_post_id which basically says it belongs to an original post.

Further more, there is a date_added and date_edited field in forum_post.

Now, I am trying to generate the front page for my forum. I want to show a list of forum categories. Each one category should have a post count and the latest post. Could someone give me some direction with a query that does that all in one. I don’t want to run 20 separate queries!

Answer 1

If I read your question correctly, you are seeking the category, the count of posts in the category, and the latest post in that category. Perhaps this simplification of laurent-rpnet’s answer will do the trick…

SELECT c.forum_cat_id,
       COUNT(p.fk_forum_cat_id),
       MAX(p.date_added), 
      (SELECT p2.post_title
           FROM forum_post AS p2 
           WHERE p2.forum_cat_id = c.forum_cat_id
           ORDER BY date_added DESC
           LIMIT 1)
    FROM forum_cat AS c INNER JOIN 
               forum_post AS p ON p.fk_forum_cat_id = c.forum_cat_id
    GROUP BY c.forum_cat_id;