What are some common mistakes or misunderstandings when using COUNT() function in PHP MySQL queries?

One common mistake when using the COUNT() function in PHP MySQL queries is forgetting to alias the result of the count, which can make it difficult to access the count value in your PHP code. To solve this issue, make sure to alias the count result with a name that you can refer to in your PHP code.

// Incorrect query without aliasing the count result
$query = "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM table_name WHERE condition";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);
$count = mysqli_fetch_array($result)[0]; // Incorrect way to access count value

// Correct query with aliasing the count result
$query = "SELECT COUNT(*) AS count FROM table_name WHERE condition";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);
$count = mysqli_fetch_array($result)['count']; // Correct way to access count value