thought I'd share this with you, found it at another forum. It's what they use to fetch news from there forum.
<?
$forumpath = "http://www.dirgotronix.net/forum";
require "/var/www/forum/admin/config.php";
$forumid = "25";
// $getnumposts = "10";
if ($getnumposts == "") { $getnumposts = "10"; }
mysql_connect($servername,$dbusername,$dbpassword) or die("Unable to connect to database");
mysql_select_db("$dbname") or die("Unable to access the News");
$sqlquery = "SELECT * FROM thread WHERE forumid = $forumid ORDER by dateline DESC LIMIT 0,$getnumposts";
$result = mysql_query($sqlquery);
$number = mysql_num_rows($result);
$i = 0;
if ($number < 1) { print "<CENTER>There is no news to display.</CENTER>"; }
else {
while ($number > $i) {
$posttitle = mysql_result($result,$i,"title");
$forumthreadid = mysql_result($result,$i,"threadid");
$postusername = mysql_result($result,$i,"postusername");
$time = mysql_result($result,$i,"dateline");
$time3 = date("m/d/Y - H:i",$time);
$numcheck = mysql_result($result,$i,"replycount");
$numie = ($numcheck);
$commentslink = "[ <a target=_blank href=$forumpath/showthread.php?threadid=$forumthreadid>Comments</a>: ( $numie ) ]";
$postpostidget = mysql_query("SELECT postid FROM post where threadid = $forumthreadid order by dateline limit 0,1");
$postpostid = mysql_result($postpostidget,"postid");
$useridget = mysql_query("SELECT userid FROM post where threadid = $forumthreadid order by dateline limit 0,1");
$postuserid = mysql_result($useridget,"userid");
//colors and such
$pagebgcolor = "#737bb7";
$tablewidth = "100%";
$tablebordercolor = "#9096BD";
$postbackcolor = "#6971AD";
$posteditedby = " ";
$postavatar = "<img src=$forumpath/avatar.php?userid=$postuserid>";
$postattachment = "";
//user
$userget = mysql_query("SELECT signature,email,homepage,username,usertitle,joinda te,posts FROM user where userid = $postuserid order by userid limit 0,1");
$userarray = mysql_fetch_row($userget);
//$postsignature = $userarray[0];
$postemail = $userarray[1];
$postuseremail = "<a href=mailto:$postemail><img src=$forumpath/images/email.gif border=0></a>";
$posthomepagedata = $userarray[2];
$posthomepage = "<a href=$posthomepagedata><img src=$forumpath/images/home.gif border=0></a>";
$postusername = $userarray[3];
$postusertitle = $userarray[4];
$postjoindate1 = $userarray[5];
$postjoindate = date("m/d/Y",$postjoindate1);
$postposts = $userarray[6];
//post
$postget = mysql_query("SELECT iconid,pagetext FROM post where threadid = $forumthreadid order by dateline limit 0,1");
$postarray = mysql_fetch_row($postget);
$posticon = $postarray[0];
$postmessage = $postarray[1];
//location
$postfield2get = mysql_query("SELECT field2 FROM userfield where userid = $postuserid order by userid limit 0,1");
$postfield2 = mysql_result($postfield2get,"field2");
//replace image and url links
$tmpstory = preg_replace("/()(.*)()/U","<a href=\2>\2</a>", $postmessage);
$tmp2story = preg_replace("/()(.*)()/U","<img src=\2>", $tmpstory);
$br = '<BR>';$p='<P>'; $chr = "\n";
$postmessage = ereg_replace($br."[ \t\n$br]*".$br, "\n$p", ereg_replace("[$chr]", "\n$br", $tmp2story));
$forumnewspost = ereg_replace($br."[ \t\n$br]*".$br, "\n$p", ereg_replace("[$chr]", "\n$br", $tmp2story));
if ($posticon != "0") { $posticon = "<img src=$forumpath/images/icons/icon$posticon.gif height=16 width=16>"; }
else { $posticon = "<img src=$forumpath/images/space.gif height=16 width=16>"; }
/*print "
\n\n\n
<! <table bgcolor=\"$pagebgcolor\" width=\"$tablewidth\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td width=\"2\"><img width=\"2\" height=\"1\" src=\"$forumpath/ images/space.gif\" alt=\"\"></td><td width=\"100%\"><! spacer >
<table width=\"99%\" bordercolor=\"$tablebordercolor\" border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"1\" align=center>
<tr>
<td width=\"175\" valign=\"top\" nowrap rowspan=\"2\" cellpadding=4>
<font size=2><b>$postusername</b></font><br>
<font size=1>$postusertitle</font><br>
$postavatar<br>
<br>
<font size=1>Registered: $postjoindate<br>
Location: $postfield2<br>
Posts: $postposts<br>
$commentslink<br>
<br>$time3</font></td>
<td width=\"100%\" height=\"16\" valign=\"middle\" cellpadding=0><font size=1><a name=\"$postpostid\"></a>$posticon $posttitle</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=\"100%\" height=160 valign=\"top\" colspan=\"2\" cellpadding=4>
<p><font size=2>$postmessage</font></p>
$postattachment
<p>$postsignature</p>
<p>$posteditedby</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan=\"3\" valign=\"middle\" height=\"16\" nowrap><font size=1></font>
<table width=\"100%\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\">
<tr>
<td align=\"left\" valign=\"middle\"><font size=1>
$postuseremail $posthomepage <a href=\"$forumpath/search.php?&action=finduser&userid=$postuserid\"><img src=\"$forumpath/images/ find.gif\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Find more posts by $postusername\"></a>
$posticqicon $postaimicon $postyahooicon <a href=\"$forumpath/member2.php?action=addlist&userlist=buddy&userid=$postuserid\"><img src=\"$forumpath/ images/buddy.gif\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Add $postusername to your buddy list\"></a>
</font></td>
<td align=\"right\" nowrap>
<a href=\"$forumpath/editpost.php?action=editpost&postid=$postpostid\"><img src=\"$forumpath/images/edit.gif\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Edit/ Delete Message\"></a>
</td>
<td align=\"right\" valign=\"middle\" nowrap></td>
</tr></table></td></tr></table>
<img width=\"10\" height=\"3\" src=\"$forumpath/images/space.gif\" alt=\"\"><br>
<!
</td><td width=\"2\"><img width=\"2\" height=\"1\" src=\"$forumpath/images/space.gif\" alt=\"\"></td></tr></table> >
";
*/
print "
\n\n\n
<table width=\"100%\" border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" bordercolor=\"#113377\"><tr>
<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\" width=\"20%\">
<a href=\"$forumpath/member.php?s=&action=getinfo&userid=$postuserid\" target=\"_blank\">$postusername</a></td>
<td align=\"center\" valign=\"top\"width=\"60%\">
<i>$posttitle</i></td>
<td align=\"right\" valign=\"top\"width=\"20%\">$time3</td>
</tr><tr><td colspan=\"3\">$postmessage<br><div align=\"right\">$commentslink</div></td></tr></table><br>
";
$i++;
}
}
?>