MySQL syntax error - php

Question

IM GETTING THIS ERROR:
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 'release (project_id, start_date, end_date, predicted_velocity,
release_title, )' at line 1
MY PHP FILE:
<?php
include("../db_connect/connect.php");
$project_id = $_POST['project_id'];
$release_title = $_POST['release_id'];
$start_date = $_POST['start_date'];
$end_date = $_POST['end_date'];
$predicted_velocity = $_POST['predicted_velocity'];
$query = "INSERT INTO release (project_id, start_date, end_date, predicted_velocity, release_title, ) VALUES ('" . $predicted_velocity . "','" . $release_title . "','" . $start_date . "','" . $end_date . "','" . $project_id . "', NOW())";
mysql_query($query) or die(mysql_error());
header("location: ../view-project.php?project_id=$project_id");
?>
ANY IDEAS WHY? IM NEW TO THIS!

Answer 1

You have a missing column name, resulting in an orphaned comma.
, )
should be
, MyColumn)
I assume MyColumn is meant to be populated by the NOW() function.
Also, your values are not listed in the same order as the columns, which will cause the query to fail.
To summarize the issues here:
Missing column name (column count must match value count)
Hanging comma
Column order does not match variable order
Code is subject to SQL injection attack
No server-side validation is being done on user input

Answer 2

Extra comma:
[..snip..] predicted_velocity, release_title, ) VALUES
^--- here

Answer 3

You have a stray comma after release_title.

Answer 4

#john_allen You said you got the error message "right syntax to use near 'release (project_id," - that is interesting, because MySQL always starts the example where the syntax error occurs.
If the error was just the incorrect comma after release_title, then the error from MySQL would have been "the right syntax to use near ') VALUES...". That is an error, but not the one that the MySQL parser is hitting first.
There's something else wrong here, and I think it is because you don't have a table called 'release', or at least MySQL can't find your table called 'release' using the credentials you've given it. Check your connection string.