On Tue, February 13, 2007 5:34 pm, Skip Evans wrote: > I read on php.net about resources, the type > returned from mysql_query(), and was trying locate > the best way to get the result set back from a > query into an array. > > Is simply looping through the result set with > mysql_fetch_assoc() the common way to do this? > > As great as PHP is with arrays I was wondering if > there is some simply, more efficient way, but as > yet have not located one. The most efficient way is "Don't do that." :-) Simply loop through the results and do whatever you want to do with them, and don't put them into an array at all. This question has appeared before, and usually breaks down to one of these scenarios: #1 loop through mysql result set to build $array loop through $array to output results In this case, it's clearly more efficient to do: loop through mysql result set to output results #2 loop through mysql result set to build $array perform some kind of calculation upon $array In this case, it's USUALLY much more efficient to write an SQL query to perform the calculation. Databases are highly optimized for this kind of thing, and very efficient at it. PHP is a generalized programming language, and not so efficient for this kind of task. #2 does occasionally have an exception to the rule, where the SQL query is nasty and the PHP is fast and easy, but that's awfully rare. -- Some people have a "gift" link here. Know what I want? I want you to buy a CD from some starving artist. http://cdbaby.com/browse/from/lynch Yeah, I get a buck. So? -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
