In the context of the provided code, why is it important to understand the return values of functions like exec() in PHP PDO, and how can this knowledge help in writing more effective code?

When using functions like exec() in PHP PDO, it is important to understand their return values because they can provide crucial information about the success or failure of the operation. This knowledge can help in writing more effective code by allowing you to handle errors appropriately, make decisions based on the outcome of the function, and ensure the reliability of your database operations. 

// Example of using exec() in PHP PDO with error handling
$pdo = new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=mydatabase', 'username', 'password');

// Execute a SQL query using exec()
$result = $pdo->exec("DELETE FROM my_table WHERE id = 1");

if($result === false) {
    // Handle error if the query execution fails
    $errorInfo = $pdo->errorInfo();
    echo "Error: " . $errorInfo[2];
} else {
    echo "Query executed successfully. Rows affected: " . $result;
}

Keywords

PHP exec() PDO return values effective code

Related Questions