Re: any reason *not* to use PEAR DB module when accessing mysql?

On Fri, Mar 19, 2010 at 02:23:30PM +0000, Ashley Sheridan wrote: > On Fri, 2010-03-19 at 10:17 -0400, Robert P. J. Day wrote: > > > (just a warning -- as a relative newbie to PHP, i'll probably have > > the occasional dumb question. just humour me.) > > > > i'm looking at some existing PHP code that accesses a mysql 5.0 db, > > and it's coded using the mysql-specific calls: mysql_connect, > > mysql_select_db, etc, etc. > > > > is there any reason i *wouldn't* want to rewrite that code using the > > more general PEAR DB module, and use mysqli? certainly, as i read it, > > using the PEAR DB module would make it easier down the road if i > > suddenly decide to change the DB backend. > > > > anyway, any compelling arguments for or against? > > > > rday > > > The only problem I can foresee is if the system you're looking to > replace the mysql calls in uses any specific mysql-only features and > functions. So, for example, not all database types support grabbing the > last inserted id (and grabbing the MAX(id) is just asking for trouble) > > Have a look through the code to see if there any database calls that you > think might throw up any issues. I believe the Pear module supports all > the mysql functions, but there might be issues if you want to change the > back end at some point in the future. > > Thanks, > Ash > http://www.ashleysheridan.co.uk > > I would suggest instead the built-in PDO module for PHP. This is generic, and suitable for several DBMS back-ends. But any direct queries using features unique to a specific DBMS (like Ash's "last inserted id") will have to be coded specifically for your back-end. Paul -- Paul M. Foster