/*
Similar to mysql_fetch_assoc(), this function returns an associative array
given a mysql resource, but prepends the table name (or table alias, if
used in the query) to the column name, effectively namespacing the column
names and allowing SELECTS for column names that would otherwise have collided
when building a row's associative array.
*/
function mysql_fetch_assoc_with_table_names($resource) {
    // get a numerically indexed row, which includes all fields, even if their names collide
    $row = mysql_fetch_row($resource);
    if( ! $row)
        return $row;

    $result = array();

    $size = count($row);
    for($i = 0; $i < $size; $i++) {
        // now fetch the field information
        $info = mysql_fetch_field($resource, $i);
        $table = $info->table;
        $name = $info->name;
        // and make an associative array, where the key is $table.$name
        $result["$table.$name"] = $row[$i];  // e.g. $result["user.name"] = "Joe Schmoe";
    }

    return $result;
}

$resource = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM user JOIN question USING (user_id)");
while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc_with_table_names($resource)) {
    echo $row['question.title'] . ' Asked by ' . $row['user.name'] . "n";
}

select * from tabx tx, taby ty where ... ;

SELECT tabx.*, taby.* FROM tabx, taby WHERE ...

<?php
$pdo = new PDO($dsn, $user, $pass, array(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE=>PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION));
function aliasFields($pdo, $table, $delim='__') {
    $fields = array();
    // gotta sanitise the table name - can't do it with prepared statement
    $table = preg_replace('/[^A-z0-9_]/', "", $table);
    foreach ($pdo->query("EXPLAIN `".$table."`") as $row) {
        $fields[] = $table.'.'.$row['Field'].' as '.$table.$delim.$row['Field'];
    }
    return $fields;
}
$fieldAliases = array_merge(aliasFields($pdo, 'artist'), aliasFields($pdo, 'event'));
$query = 'SELECT '.implode(', ', $fieldAliases).' FROM artist, event';
echo $query;

// ABOVE PROGRAM'S OUTPUT (assuming database exists)
SELECT artist__artist_id, artist__event_id, artist__artist_name, event__event_id, event__event_name FROM artist, event

<?php

$pdo = new PDO($dsn, $user, $pass, array(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE=>PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION));

$query = 'SELECT artist.*, eventartist.* FROM artist, eventartist LIMIT 1';
$stmt = $pdo->prepare($query);
$stmt->execute();

while ($row = $stmt->fetch()) {
	foreach ($row as $key=>$value) {
		if (is_int($key)) {
			$meta = $stmt->getColumnMeta($key);
			echo $meta['table'].".".$meta['name']."<br />";
		}
	}
}