concatenating strings and columns in mysql query statement in a jsp page

Hi

I would like to know how to concatenate two strings and columns in the where portion in an mysql statement.

Here is a fragment of my code

/*Search student refers to the name of the textfield either student number, first name, last name, or both first name and last name*/

//the var student is the student number
//the var first is the first name
//the var last is the last name

String student = request.getParameter("searchStudent");
String first = request.getParameter("searchStudent");
String last = request.getParameter("searchStudent");

student.trim();
first.trim();
last.trim();

Class.forName("org.gjt.mm.mysql.Driver").newInstance();
connection = DriverManager.getConnection(connectionURL, "", "");
statement=connection.createStatement();

//Query statment
//This statment search for all records from students table relating
//firstname, lastname, first name and last name,student number
//of particular student

//Whats wrong with this statement
rs=statement.executeQuery("SELECT * FROM students WHERE firstname+lastlastname='" +first+last+"' OR firstname='" + first + "' OR lastname='" + last + "' OR studentid='" + student + "'");

while (rs.next()){
String studentID=rs.getString(1);
String firstName=rs.getString(2);
String lastName=rs.getString(3);

.......

I'm getting this error
javax.servlet.ServletException: Column not found: Unknown column 'first' in 'where clause'

I want the text field to accept a full name for example "Tom Jones"
It will then search the firstname and lastname from the student table and display those records for that persons name.

Please Help

Leslie

there is a mysql function called concat

i.e.

firstname+lastname

is equivalent to

concat(firstname, lastname)

Probably no help, but the error message doesn't make too much sense, cos you are never refering to a column as "first" this is purely in the java, so the db will not see this as it is at a different layer of abstraction

Oscagne