Pulling data from an external mySQL database into component - Joomla! Forum - community, help and support

i new, plugging along quite gamely nonetheless.

here's have:
1. hand-coded site i'm transferring joomla
2. pages on site pull data mysql database using php

so i've got code , connections make happen on old site , want work in new joomla site.

what don't have understanding of put code , how modify works in component area of page. keep finding articles "all have is..." , there's lots of code, no explanation of place code. here 2 such pages: http://docs.joomla.org/how_to_connect_t ... l_database , http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2597 ... -in-joomla


here sample page on old site: http://www.sabcable.com/products.php. list product categories , descriptions. here code (minus db connection code):

code: select all

<?php
   
   sabconnect();
   $query="select * category active='1' order disporder asc";
   $result=mysql_query($query);
   
   $num_results=mysql_num_rows($result);
   if ($num_results > "0")
      echo '<table cellspacing=5 cellpadding=5>';   
   for ($l=0; $l<$num_results; $l++)
   {
      $row=mysql_fetch_array($result);
      $catid=$row['categoryid'];
      $catname=$row['catname'];
      $catdesc=$row['catdesc1'];
      echo '<tr><td width=15% valign=top><a href="categorydetail.php?catid='.$catid.'" target="_parent"><b>'.$catname.'</a></td><td valign=top>'.$catdesc.'</td></tr>';
   }
   if ($num_results > "0")
      echo '</table>';   
   
?>

i tried utilizing joomd , purchased import/export plugin, it's not giving me area import data, , nobody replying support ticket on site.

any suggestions?
thanks,
tracey

methinks joomla works differently way expecting to. if want interact component area , database need write component interacts joomla's database.

what url of hand coded site ?