This is a reusable artifact that lets you query a COMMON_LOOKUP table from a MySQL Server database. It requires that you create an include file with your valid database credentials.

get_common_lookup.php

<?php
 
/*
||  Program Name: library.inc
*/
 
function get_common_lookup($table_name, $column_name, $lookup_key = 0) {

  // Include the credentials file if omitted.
  include_once("MySQLCredentials.inc");
 
  // Define return string.
  $out = '';
 
  // Assign credentials to connection.
  $mysqli = new mysqli(HOSTNAME, USERNAME, PASSWORD, DATABASE);
 
  // Check for connection error and print message.
  if ($mysqli->connect_errno) {
    print $mysqli->connect_error."<br />";
    print "Connection not established ...<br />";
  }
  else {
    // Initial statement.
    $stmt = $mysqli->stmt_init();
 
    // Declare a static query.
    $sql = "SELECT   cl.common_lookup_id\n"
         . ",        cl.common_lookup_meaning\n"
         . "FROM     common_lookup cl\n"
         . "WHERE    common_lookup_table = ?\n"
         . "AND      common_lookup_column = ?\n"
         . "ORDER BY 2";
 
    // Prepare statement.
    if ($stmt->prepare($sql)) {
      $stmt->bind_param("ss",$table_name,$column_name); }
 
    // Loop through a result set until completed.  
    do {
      // Attempt query and exit with failure before processing.
      if (!$stmt->execute()) {
 
        // Print failure to resolve query message.
        print $mysqli->error."<br />";
        print "Failed to resolve query ...<br />";
      }     
      else {
 
        // Fetch a row for processing.
        $result = $stmt->get_result();
 
        if ($lookup_key == 0) { // Use when value is unset or zero. 
          $out .= "<option class=dropDown value='' selected>Select Type &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</option>"; }
        else { // Use when value isn't  unset or zero.
          $out .= "<option class=dropDown value=''>Select Type &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</option>"; }
 
        // Read through the rows of the array.        
        while( $row = $result->fetch_array(MYSQLI_NUM) ) {
          if ($lookup_key == $row[0]) { // Use when the lookup key matches the surrogate key value.
            $out .= "<option class=dropDown value='".$row[0]."' selected>".$row[1]."</option>"; }
          else { // Use when the lookup key fails to match the surrogate key value.
            $out .= "<option class=dropDown value='".$row[0]."'>".$row[1]."</option>"; }
        }
      }
    } while( $stmt->next_result());
 
  // Release connection resource.
  $mysqli->close(); }
 
  // Return the string.
  return $out;
  }
?>