title: Mysql Fulltext search with different number of columns
body: <p>I've been taking my first stab at Fulltext searching and am having trouble getting the query to work. Here's the new code I've been trying (from a PHP file):</p>
  
  <pre><code>$browse_all_query = "(SELECT master_id, title, series_id, series_number, year, date, day, month, speaker_id, speaker2_id, speaker3_id " .
                      "FROM master " .
                      "WHERE MATCH (title) AGAINST ($where_clause)) " .
                      "UNION " .
                      "(SELECT camp_name, camp_id " .
                      "FROM camp " .
                      "WHERE MATCH (camp_name) AGAINST ($where_clause)) " .
                      "UNION " .
                      "(SELECT subject_name, subject_id " .
                      "FROM subject " .
                      "WHERE MATCH (subject_name) AGAINST ($where_clause)) " .
                      "UNION " .
                      "(SELECT speaker_id, s_title, f_name, m_name, l_name, l_name2 " .
                      "FROM speaker " .
                      "WHERE MATCH (s_title, f_name, m_name, l_name, l_name2) AGAINST ($where_clause)) " .
                      "UNION " .
                      "(SELECT series_title, series_id " .
                      "FROM series " .
                      "WHERE MATCH (series_title) AGAINST ($where_clause)) ";
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Now, I understand that a big issue for me here is that I have different numbers of columns in my select statements as well as different data types. What I need is to figure out how I can pull all the information I need from all the columns I've selected, yet still use fulltext search.  This is an online audio library. I'm using a regular WHERE/LIKE setup now, but unfortunately using that method, searching for one speaker's name (Glenn Clark) brings up results for "glenn" and "clark" wherever they are used as I sanitize and separate my keywords....not to mention that the "speaker" table has separate columns for first name and last name.</p>
  
  <p>What would be the best way around this?</p>
  
  <p>My table structure is:</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>Master (the main table with 13 columns)</li>
  <li>Speaker (6 columns)</li>
  <li>Camp (3 columns)</li>
  <li>Series (6 columns)</li>
  <li>Subject (2 columns)</li>
  </ol>
  
  <p>In my current code I was selecting all the extra bits of information not directly relative to the search at the same time I ran the search, as I use those bits (like all the "id" fields) to output all the information I needed for the results as seen here:
  <img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/HgNx2.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></p>
  
  <p>Am I needing additional queries or am I going about this completely the wrong way.</p>
  
  <p>Thank you for your help.</p>