mysql_fetch_row() vs mysql_fetch_assoc() vs mysql_fetch_array()

Question

Possible Duplicate:
mysql_fetch_array, mysql_fetch_assoc, mysql_fetch_object

I want a function which can return fields in the current row of a resultset into an associative array and moves the result pointer to the next row.

Confused between

mysql_fetch_row()
mysql_fetch_assoc()
mysql_fetch_array()

Which one should I use? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Why you don't search first? http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1536813/mysql-fetch-array-mysql-fetch-assoc-mysql-fetch-object?rq=1 — Gabriel Santos, Jul 14 '12 at 01:19
There's also `mysql_fetch_object`, which naturally returns the row as an object, not an array. — Sean the Bean, Sep 28 '17 at 17:30

score 52 · Accepted Answer · edited Nov 05 '12 at 20:21

52

^{Note: The use of the mysql_* functions are considered deprecated and you should instead use something that offers better security and more functionality, such as MySQLi or PDO.}

What is it?

You are looking for mysql_fetch_assoc, as the name implies it will return an associative array (with the column names as keys and the values as the row values).

What will the different functions return?

All of the mentioned functions will return an array, the differences between them is what values that are being used as keys in the returned object.

mysql_fetch_row

This function will return a row where the values will come in the order as they are defined in the SQL query, and the keys will span from 0 to one less than the number of columns selected.
mysql_fetch_assoc

This function will return a row as an associative array where the column names will be the keys storing corresponding value.
mysql_fetch_array

This function will actually return an array with both the contents of mysql_fetch_rowand mysql_fetch_assoc merged into one. It will both have numeric and string keys which will let you access your data in whatever way you'd find easiest.

It is recommended to use either _assoc or _row though.

edited Nov 05 '12 at 20:21

cssyphus

37,875
18
96
111

answered Jul 14 '12 at 01:04

Filip Roséen - refp

62,493
20
150
196

1

Note, all of these functions have nearly-identically-named counterparts in the mysqli API. So you won't be losing anything or have much to relearn much if you switch. – cHao Jul 14 '12 at 01:45
clean and simple. thanks! – Sobiaholic May 06 '13 at 22:43
According to the PHP site, both mysql_fetch_array and mysql_fetch_assoc will be deprecated, I don't know wether to laugh or cry. – andreszs Dec 02 '14 at 17:54
As mentioned at the beginning of the answer, the `mysql_*` functions are officially deprecated. Using MySQLi, the counterparts for these functions are [mysqli_fetch_row](http://php.net/manual/en/mysqli-result.fetch-row.php), [mysqli_fetch_assoc](http://php.net/manual/en/mysqli-result.fetch-assoc.php), and [mysqli_fetch_array](http://php.net/manual/en/mysqli-result.fetch-array.php), respectively. – Sean the Bean Sep 28 '17 at 17:33

score 8 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 14 '12 at 01:27

8

mysql_fetch_assoc when you are manually referring to the fields.

mysql_fetch_row when you are using it as part of a list($a,$b,$c...) = ...

Never mysql_fetch_array.

answered Jul 14 '12 at 01:27

Niet the Dark Absol

320,036
81
464
592

This would be a more helpful answer if you mentioned why you would never use `mysql_fetch_array` (e.g., the performance impact, mixing associative and non-associative arrays, etc). – Sean the Bean Sep 28 '17 at 17:36

score 2 · Answer 3 · answered Jul 14 '12 at 01:08

2

mysql_fetch_assoc()

Say your table has two columns id and name. You can use the following snippet -

while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {
    echo $row["id"];
    echo $row["name"];
}

answered Jul 14 '12 at 01:08

pyrometer

890
1
8
17

mysql_fetch_row() vs mysql_fetch_assoc() vs mysql_fetch_array()

3 Answers3

What is it?

What will the different functions return?

Linked