How to Use PHP/MySQL Stored Procedures and Functions for Enhanced Website Functionality

Do you want to take your website’s functionality to the next level? If so, then you need to learn about stored procedures and functions. In this blog post, we will teach you how to use these features in PHP/MySQL. We will also provide some examples of how they can be used to enhance your website’s functionality. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!

Before we discuss the procedure to run stored procedures and functions which are latest features of MySQL 5, let’s learn the fundamental difference between them and the advantages of both. I would recommend the programmers to first clear the concept of subroutines and functions in PHP, as then only they can understand these new features very well.

What are stored procedures phpmyadmin mysql?

Stored procedures and functions are both database objects that can be used to encapsulate a set of SQL statements. A stored procedure is a series of pre-compiled SQL statements that are stored in the database. A function is a piece of code that performs a specific task. Both stored procedures and functions can take input parameters and return output values.

Application of stored procedures mysql

Stored procedures are typically used for tasks that need to be performed repeatedly. For example, if you have a website that sells products, you might use a stored procedure to add a new product to the database. Functions are typically used for tasks that need to be performed only once or tasks that need to be performed on an ad-hoc basis. For example, if you have a website that displays a list of products, you might use a function to calculate the total number of products in the database.

How to create a stored procedure phpmyadmin?

Stored procedures and functions can be created using PHP/MySQL. To create a stored procedure, you need to use the CREATE PROCEDURE statement. To create a function, you need to use the CREATE FUNCTION statement. Both statements require a name for the stored procedure or function, as well as a list of input parameters and a SQL statement that will be executed.

Example of stored procedures mysql

CREATE PROCEDURE add_product (IN name VARCHAR(255), IN price DECIMAL(12,0))

BEGIN

INSERT INTO products (name, price) VALUES (name, price);

END;

This stored procedure takes two input parameters: name and price. The SQL statement that is executed inserts a new row into the products table. The name and price columns are populated with the values of the name and price input parameters.

What’s the fundamental difference between stored procedures phpmyadmin / mysql and stored functions php mysql?

A stored procedure (as similar to subroutine) calls some code whereas a stored function (as similar to function) calls some code and then showcases a result.

Key benefits of Stored Procedures mysql:

• Need to be developed once as all application can use same command
• Step down the complexity level of the code
• Network traffic decreases to a considerable level as to and fro from server is reduced, which in turn decrease the CPU load
• Command centralization makes repeated call easy
• Executes in any environment

Key benefits of Stored Functions phpmyadmin:

• Runs at the server side, thus take advantage of its higher processing power and access the data stored on the local drive of the server
• Stored in MySQL database, so they are reusable and share-able

Example of a stored function phpmyadmin / mysql

Here is an example of how to create a function:

CREATE FUNCTION get_product_count ()

RETURNS INTEGER

BEGIN

SELECT COUNT(*) FROM products;

END;

This function takes no input parameters and returns an integer value. The SQL statement that is executed selects the number of rows from the products table.

How to execute Stored Procedures phpmyadmin?

In order to run a stored procedure in MySQL and PHP application, you need to use ‘Call SQL statement’ as shown below:

$a = mysql_query('call StoredProc()');
var_dump($a);

Three parameters are used to write a call statement in MySQL: Input Parameters (IN), Output Parameters (OUT), and Input and Output Parameters (INOUT).

IN Parameter:

It passes a value into a procedure. The call statement (or procedure) may alter the value, which might not be evident to the caller when it returns.

OUT Parameter:

It returns a value to the caller from the procedure. Its initial value is Null and final value is visible, as the procedure modifies the value in between.

INOUT Parameter:

Initialized by the caller, the INOUT parameter changes the value such that the final value of the procedure is visible when it returns. 

How to execute stored functions phpmyadmin?

As similar to any other MySQL query, stored function in PHP application can be executed using following syntax:

mysql_query('SELECT yourFunction()');

Note:  You need not to specify the parameter as IN, OUT or INOUT, as all parameters within a function are IN parameters.

Using stored procedure and functions in PHP application, the developers can greatly reduce the complexity of the code and speed up the compiling process. These attributes help you cut off the application from back-end changes in the database, thus there are lesser chances of errors.

Now that you know how to create stored procedures and functions, let’s take a look at how they can be used to enhance your website’s functionality.

As we mentioned earlier, stored procedures are typically used for tasks that need to be performed repeatedly. For example, if you have a website that sells products, you might use a stored procedure to add a new product to the database. This would allow you to avoid having to write the SQL INSERT statement each time a new product is added.

Functions are typically used for tasks that need to be performed only once or tasks that need to be performed on an ad-hoc basis. For example, if you have a website that displays a list of products, you might use a function to calculate the total number of products in the database. This would allow you to avoid having to write the SQL COUNT statement each time the product list is displayed.

Summary: Stored procedures and stored functions simplify the code, speed up the development and shield the PHP application from the database modifications, meaning the errors will be reduced.

So, there you have it! Now you know how to use stored procedures and functions to enhance your website’s functionality. We hope this blog post was helpful. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Thanks for reading!