What are some recommended approaches for handling forum post visibility and notification in PHP without causing database performance issues?

When handling forum post visibility and notification in PHP, it is important to optimize database queries to avoid performance issues. One approach is to use indexing on columns frequently used in queries, such as post visibility status and user notifications. Additionally, consider implementing caching mechanisms to reduce the number of database queries.

// Example of using indexing on columns for post visibility and notification in PHP
// Ensure that the columns used in queries are properly indexed in the database

// Example query to retrieve visible posts for a specific user
$query = "SELECT * FROM posts WHERE visibility = 'public' OR (visibility = 'private' AND user_id = :user_id)";

// Prepare and execute the query using PDO
$stmt = $pdo->prepare($query);
$stmt->bindParam(':user_id', $user_id);
$stmt->execute();

// Example of implementing caching mechanism to reduce database queries
// Check if the posts have been cached for the user
$cache_key = 'user_posts_' . $user_id;
$posts = $cache->get($cache_key);

if (!$posts) {
    // If posts are not cached, retrieve them from the database
    $posts = $stmt->fetchAll(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);

    // Cache the posts for future use
    $cache->set($cache_key, $posts, $expiration_time);
}

// Display the posts to the user
foreach ($posts as $post) {
    echo $post['title'] . '<br>';
}