$tordb                = new DB_Sql;
          $tordb->Database   = 'dbname';
          $tordb->Host        = 'host';
          $tordb->User        = 'username';
          $tordb->Password   = 'pasw';
     $tordb->connect();

$sql="sql command";
$db->query($sql);
$aantal=$db->num_rows();
$db->next_Record();
$db->free();

<?php
function mysql_prep($string){ 
    $mysql_connection_resource = mysql_connect('host', 'login', 'pawd');
     $magic_quotes_active = get_magic_quotes_gpc();
     $new_enough_php = function_exists("mysql_real_escape_string");
    // i.e PHP >= v4.3.0
    if ($new_enough_php) {
        //undo any magic quote effects so mysql_real_escape_string can do the work
        if ($magic_quotes_active) {
            $string = stripslashes($string);
        }
        $new_string = mysql_real_escape_string($string);//, $mysql_connection_resource);
        if (empty($new_string) && !empty($string)) {
            die("mysql_real_escape_string failed."); //insert your error handling here
        }
        $string = $new_string;
    } else { // before PHP v4.3.0
        // if magic quotes aren't already on this add slashes manually
        if (!$magic_quotes_active) {
            $string = addslashes($string);
        } //if magic quotes are active, then the slashes already exist
    }
    return $string;
}
?>

<?php
 
                         $html = JHTML::_('select.genericlist', $this->categories, 'catsid','size="1" class="inputbox required validate-catsid"', 'value', 'text', $this->row->catsid );
 
                         echo $html;
 
                    ?>