Getting the Result of an SQL Query in PHP

In the previous lesson, we created a test code. Let me remind you of its essential part that executes a query to the database:

<?php
	$query = 'SELECT * FROM users';
	$res = mysqli_query($link, $query) or die(mysqli_error($link));
	var_dump($res);
?>

As you can see, after the query to the database is executed, the variable $res will contain the result of this action. However, it is not in the form we need in PHP, but in the form in which it was sent to us by the database.

To get the result in the form we are used to, it is necessary to use the function mysqli_fetch_assoc, which extracts one row from the result.

Let's try:

<?php
	$row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($res);
	var_dump($row);
?>

As a result, var_dump will output an array with the first employee:

<?php
	['id' => 1, 'name' => 'user1', 'age' => 23, 'salary' => 400]
?>

At the same time, the first employee will disappear from the variable $res, and the next call to mysqli_fetch_assoc will get the next employee.

And so you can call our function until the employees run out. As soon as this happens, the next function call will return false.

Let's try:

<?php
	$row1 = mysqli_fetch_assoc($res);
	var_dump($row1); // employee number 1
	
	$row2 = mysqli_fetch_assoc($res);
	var_dump($row2); // employee number 2
	
	$row3 = mysqli_fetch_assoc($res);
	var_dump($row3); // employee number 3
	
	$row4 = mysqli_fetch_assoc($res);
	var_dump($row4); // employee number 4
	
	$row5 = mysqli_fetch_assoc($res);
	var_dump($row5); // employee number 5
	
	$row6 = mysqli_fetch_assoc($res);
	var_dump($row6); // employee number 6
	
	$row7 = mysqli_fetch_assoc($res);
	var_dump($row7); // will output NULL - employees are finished
?>