What are the key differences between using mysql_query() and mysql_fetch_array() functions in PHP for database operations?
When performing database operations in PHP, it is important to understand the key differences between using mysql_query() and mysql_fetch_array() functions. mysql_query() is used to execute a SQL query on the database and returns a resource that can be used to fetch rows of data. On the other hand, mysql_fetch_array() is used to fetch a single row of data from the result set returned by mysql_query(). To perform database operations in PHP, you would typically use mysql_query() to execute a query and then use mysql_fetch_array() in a loop to fetch each row of data.
// Connect to the database
$link = mysql_connect('localhost', 'user', 'password');
mysql_select_db('database_name', $link);
// Execute a query using mysql_query()
$result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM table_name");
// Fetch rows of data using mysql_fetch_array()
while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result)) {
// Process each row of data
echo $row['column_name'];
}
// Close the database connection
mysql_close($link);
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