How can the use of mysql_num_rows() function help in accurately determining the number of rows in a query result for updating form fields in PHP?

To accurately determine the number of rows in a query result for updating form fields in PHP, you can use the mysql_num_rows() function to count the number of rows returned by the query. This function helps in ensuring that the correct number of rows are fetched and processed for updating form fields, preventing any errors or inconsistencies in the data.

// Perform a SELECT query
$query = "SELECT * FROM table_name WHERE condition";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

// Check the number of rows returned
if(mysqli_num_rows($result) > 0) {
    // Fetch and display form fields for each row
    while($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result)) {
        // Update form fields with data from each row
    }
} else {
    echo "No rows found";
}