How can the SELECT COUNT() function be utilized effectively in PHP to count database entries with a specific value?

To count database entries with a specific value in PHP, you can utilize the SELECT COUNT() function in a SQL query. This function allows you to count the number of rows that match a specific condition in a database table. By using this function in conjunction with a WHERE clause that specifies the value you want to count, you can effectively retrieve the count of entries with that specific value.

<?php
// Connect to the database
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$dbname = "database";
$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);

// Check connection
if ($conn->connect_error) {
    die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}

// Define the specific value to count
$specificValue = "example";

// SQL query to count entries with the specific value
$sql = "SELECT COUNT(*) as count FROM table_name WHERE column_name = '$specificValue'";
$result = $conn->query($sql);

if ($result->num_rows > 0) {
    $row = $result->fetch_assoc();
    echo "Number of entries with the specific value: " . $row["count"];
} else {
    echo "No entries found with the specific value";
}

// Close the connection
$conn->close();
?>