How to Display MySQL Data With PHP

PHP can pull information from a MySQL database by linking to the database, setting a query and performing a PHP operation. The query can be anything that updates, amends or selects data from the database. Output of the information can then be placed on a Web page, or output as a PHP dialogue or JavaScript function. The most common method is to output data to a Web page using HTML, but occasionally other display outputs are used.

Instructions

1

Perform a query by connecting to the database, calling the query and then checking the result. The following is an example script utilizing an HTML form:

form name="invoice_form" method="POST" action="Invoices.php" class="formcss">

include("db.dat");

$Connecthandle = mysqli_connect($hostserver,$userid,$pass,$databname)

or die ("couldn't connect to server");

$querytext = "SELECT invoutput FROM invoicelist ORDER BY invoutput ASC";

$result = mysqli_querytext($connecthandle,$querytext)

or die ("Couldn't execute querytext.");

while ($row=mysqli_fetch_array($result))

$Invoutput=$row["invoutput"];

/* Various output methods can now be allocated to an HTML element in this loop. */

2

Output the query using HTML to a Web page. This is the standard method of output, and data can be placed in any element. The following HTML display types illustrate different elements of a Web page, in the loop outputting the data row by row:

Paragraph:

echo "

The invoice number is $invoutput";

Pull-down select element in HTML form:

$options.="

" . $Invoutput;

Checkbox from a PHP array:

echo "

$invoutput";

Data in a table:

echo "";

echo "$invoutput";

Via a JavaScript dialogue box:

echo "";

3

Display MySQL data with echo and printf. The following examples demonstrate how echo and printf are used to display information.

echo:

echo "Invoice number is $invoutput\n";

printf:

printf allows more options in terms of formatting the numbers, but this example shows a simple case:

printf("Invoice number is %d\n",$invoutput);