What are common pitfalls when using mysql_query in PHP for updating database fields?

Common pitfalls when using mysql_query in PHP for updating database fields include not properly sanitizing user input, not handling errors effectively, and not using prepared statements which can leave your code vulnerable to SQL injection attacks. To solve these issues, always sanitize user input using functions like mysqli_real_escape_string, handle errors using functions like mysqli_error, and use prepared statements to securely update database fields.

// Connect to database
$connection = mysqli_connect("localhost", "username", "password", "database");

// Check connection
if (!$connection) {
    die("Connection failed: " . mysqli_connect_error());
}

// Sanitize user input
$field_value = mysqli_real_escape_string($connection, $_POST['field_value']);

// Update database field using prepared statement
$query = "UPDATE table_name SET field_name = ? WHERE id = ?";
$stmt = mysqli_prepare($connection, $query);
mysqli_stmt_bind_param($stmt, "si", $field_value, $id);
$id = 1; // Example id value
mysqli_stmt_execute($stmt);

// Check for errors
if(mysqli_error($connection)) {
    echo "Error updating database field: " . mysqli_error($connection);
}

// Close connection
mysqli_close($connection);