title: mysql left join but return blank row
body: <p>i have a small problem where i have this setup...</p>
  
  <p>Table: trade names {     trade_id  : 1     trade_name : olivers guest house}</p>
  
  <p>Table Customer    { name: me, trade_id: 1 : blah: blah}</p>
  
  <p>i do a left join to get the trade name into customers as if you are a guest house you will have a trade name but as a landlord you will not have a trade name, but i still want a result to come back.</p>
  
  <p>so all is good.... nope.  i display the results in a table which has a search by postcode AND trade. </p>
  
  <p>i do a select where postcode like %postcode% AND trade like %trade% which will bring back the criteria that match.</p>
  
  <p>As the left join wont bring back a trade for the landlord anything with out a trade is excluded from the results. </p>
  
  <p>I was wondering if there was some way to say if the row does not exist return a blank field.</p>
  
  <p>so it would be like this:</p>
  
  <pre><code>array([0] =&gt; array([0] =&gt;[name] = "something" ["trade_name"] = "olivers guest house" [type] = "guest house").
               array[0] =&gt; [name] = "something" ["trade_name"] = " " [type] = "landlord");
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>as currently i get</p>
  
  <pre><code>array([0] =&gt; array([0] =&gt;[name] = "something" ["trade_name"] = "olivers guest house" [type] = "guest house").
               array[0] =&gt; [name] = "something" ["trade_name"] = "NULL" [type] = "landlord");
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>which the where trade_name like %trade% cant work on.</p>
  
  <p>I hope i havent over complicated the description.</p>
  
  <p>i hope there is just some type of join that would do it but i cant see one :(</p>
  
  <p>Thankys guys</p>