mySQL If statement

Question

I am trying to make this If Statement work, but I can't seem to make it do what I want. If I do a select @result, It'll give me the value 0, then why doesn't the IF statement work?

SET @message = '((sometihng here))';
select LEFT(@message, 1) into @firstChar;
select STRCMP(@firstChar,'(') into @result;
IF (@result = 0) THEN  
SET @message = 'true';
//more selects and cals here;
END IF;
select @message;

I should get true, but I don't it shows me an error:

SQL query: IF( @result =0 ) THEN SET @message = 'true';

MySQL said:

1064 - You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'IF (@result = 0) THEN SET @message = 'true'' at line 1

Answer 1

try use function http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/control-flow-functions.html#function_if

SELECT IF(@result = 0, 'true', '((something here))') AS message

Answer 2

As Max Mara pointed out, that's a good work aroud. The reason the IF wasn't working is not because the syntax is incorrect, but because flow control functions like IF ... THEN are only valid inside of stored procedures or functions, All this thanks to @TehShrike