how to extract fields from associative array into different variables

Is there an easier or simpler way to do this? code: $sql = "SELECT first_name, last_name, book_author.ordinal FROM author, book_author WHERE book_author.bookID = $idIN && book_author.authID = author.id ORDER BY ordinal"; $author = array(); if ( ( $results = mysql_query($sql, $db) ) !== false ) { while ( $row = mysql_fetch_array($results, MYSQL_ASSOC) ) { $author[] = $row; } } $numrows = mysql_num_rows($results); switch ($numrows) { case 5: $first_nameIN = $author[0]['first_name']; $last_nameIN = $author[0]['last_name']; $first_name2IN = $author[1]['first_name']; $last_name2IN = $author[1]['last_name']; $first_name3IN = $author[2]['first_name']; $last_name3IN = $author[2]['last_name']; $first_name4IN = $author[3]['first_name']; $last_name4IN = $author[3]['last_name']; $first_name5IN = $author[4]['first_name']; $last_name5IN = $author[4]['last_name']; break; case 4: $first_nameIN = $author[0]['first_name']; $last_nameIN = $author[0]['last_name']; snip.... -- Hervé Kempf: "Pour sauver la planète, sortez du capitalisme." ------------------------------------------------------------- Phil Jourdan --- pj@ptahhotep.com http://www.ptahhotep.com http://www.chiccantine.com/andypantry.php