The script:

mysql_pconnect ($dbhost, $dbuser, $dbpass);
$result = mysql_db_query ("database", "select * from tablename");
while ($row = mysql_fetch_object ($result, MYSQL_NUM)) {
    echo $row->0;
    echo $row->1;
}
mysql_free_result ($result);

Generates the error:

Parse error: parse error, expecting `T_STRING' or `T_VARIABLE' or `'{''
or `'$'' in d:/htdocs/assets/includes/hs~form_functions.php on line 31

The script below works but not for the general case (different column
names):

mysql_pconnect ($dbhost, $dbuser, $dbpass);
$result = mysql_db_query ("database", "select * from tablename");
while ($row = mysql_fetch_object ($result, MYSQL_ASSOC)) {
    echo $row->columnone;
    echo $row->columntwo;
}
mysql_free_result ($result);

You're using mysql_fetch_object(). This function
returns an object where its members are named after its corresponding
column names.

CREATE TABLE test (
id int4,
name varchar(20) );

Using this table, you would use the following code to
retrieve its data:

$row_obj = mysql_fetch_object($qry_result);
echo $row_obj->name . ' (' . $row_obj->id . ')';

If you want to use numbers to access the columns please use
mysql_fetch_row().

And please, do take a closer look at that manual.

-- Mathieu